ENG 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Antony Hopkins, Kenneth Branagh, English Renaissance Theatre
Document Summary
Shakespeare"s othello, one of his greatest tragedies, incorporates both literary and historical sources. Shakespeare also made use of historical events that involved the turks, found in richard knolle"s1603. General history of the turks. 2 nevertheless, shakespeare"s story is all his own. Set in venice, an important city state during the italian renaissance, and in. Cyprus, a venetian protectorate, othello takes place against the background of the conflict between the christian and non-christian worlds, between the so-called civilized. This conflict is symbolically reflected in the relationship of iago and othello and in othello himself. 3 we will also see other conflicts. They involve men/women, fathers/daughters and husbands/wives, drawing our attention to the patriarchal structure of this society which privileges one over the other. Racial conflict is evident because the great general of the venetian military, othello, is a moor, an element focused on by others, including brabantio, the duke, iago and ultimately.
