‘It is Shakespeare’s

exploration of intense human

relationships in Othello which
continues to appeal to
audiences.’
Support your analysis with
close reference to the text.
‘It is Shakespeare’s
exploration of intense human
relationships in Othello which
continues to appeal to
audiences.’
Support your analysis with
close reference to the text.
‘It is Shakespeare’s
exploration of intense human
relationships in Othello which
continues to appeal to
audiences.’
Support your analysis with
close reference to the text.
Essay Questions – Year 11 -
Othello
1. ‘Shakespeare's Othello
presents us with a sinister and
cynical view of human
relationships that continues to
engage modern audiences.’
To what extent does this view
align with your own?
Practice Questions
 1. ‘Shakespeare’s Othello presents us with a sinister and cynical view of human
relationships that continue to engage modern audiences.’
To what extent does this view align with your own?

ALWAYS INTRODUCE PLAY FIRST- NAME, YEAR, DESCRIPTION

Shakespeare establishes that human relationships are often founded on deceit, betrayal and
jealousy to clearly highlight the contemporary aspects of sinister and cynical views of human
relationships which are relatable for a modern audience, and this is expressed through the
different characters’ range of relationships in the play. Shakespeare’s incorporates darker,
more volatile aspects of the human experience in his characters to construct the cynical
relationships of today’s society. Emilia’s and Iago’s contrasting relationship with Othello’s
and Desdemona’s provides a comparison of both Renaissance and Elizabethan values
towards love. Iago and Emilia present a more contemporary example of love, where their
malice and rebellion against each other is outwardly portrayed. Emilia, in particular is a
cynical character who embodies the indifference towards Elizabethan practices, such as the
patriarchy.

Cohesive- well structure- flow- pattern- logical progression

Coherent- easy to understand- clarity
To make thesis
Deconstruct question:

Key terms:
sinister and cynical
human relationships
modern audiences

components of key terms to make arguments from:

jealousy rotting
revenge drive
love / hatred extreme binary

Shakespeare’s Othello presents us with a sinister and cynical view of human

relationships that continue to engage modern audiences.’
To what extent does this view align with your own?
THESIS SHOULD HAVE TOPIC SENTENCES OF EACH COMPONENT OF ARGUMENT SUMMED
UP
- IF ALL TOPIC SENTENCES ARE ELABORATIONS OF THESIS = COHESIVE

Thesis:
William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is one of his darkest tragedies,
following the downfall of a jealous man who murders his wife. The play adapts the
Aristotelian model of tragedy in order to accentuate the sinister actions that are motivated
by the cynical drives of jealousy, hatred and revenge in corrupting human relationships.
 TEACHER APPROVED
 1. ‘Shakespeare’s Othello presents us with a sinister and cynical view of human
relationships that continue to engage modern audiences.’
To what extent does this view align with your own?
William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is one of his darkest tragedies,
following the downfall of a jealous man who murders his wife. The play adapts the
Aristotelian model of tragedy in order to accentuate the sinister actions that are motivated
by the cynical drives of jealousy, hatred and revenge in corrupting human relationships.
Contemporary audiences continue to be enthralled by Shakespeare’s representation of
flawed human relationships that reflect the best and worst of human nature.

1. ‘It is Shakespeare’s exploration of intense human relationships in Othello which

continues to appeal to audiences.’
Support your analysis with close reference to the text.
William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is centred around potent
emotions driving a jealous man to murder his wife. By exploring the extreme binaries of love
and hate, and vice and virtue, the play highlights the power of their intensity in the realm
human relationships.
Shakespeare explores a diverse range of human relationships, each of them founded on
misplaced trust, deceit or manipulation.

2. To what extent does Othello’s position as an outsider contribute to his downfall as

the tragic hero?
William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is a tragedy following the
downfall of the great character of Othello. The play explores the emotional vulnerability
caused by the xenophobic treatment of Othello’s alterity, which degrades his virtue through
the catalysis of his jealousy.
As a Moor, Othello is immediately positioned as an outsider in the Venetian state as such he
is acutely aware of the subtle prejudices which underpin the perspectives of others.
 3. Although Othello is the title character (eponymous hero, titular) , Iago becomes the
dominant figure of the play. Do you agree?
William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is centred around an antagonist
and protagonist, with the former often more prominent than the latter. Iago is the
malignant villain who fuels the tragedy through spreading his jealousy and manipulating the
reality of situations into sinister appearances, all with the power of implication.
Iago is the dominant character of the play, the action entirely dictated by his evil intentions
and crafty manipulation.

4. The female characters in the play are articulate but frustratingly unable to save
themselves from the cruelty of a patriarchal world.

Evaluate this perspective by exploring the representation of woman in the play.

William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is a Jacobian play structured
around the patriarchal perspectives of Elizabethan society. The play’s characterisation of
Emilia as a contemporary woman of Renaissance values, and of Desdemona as the
embodiment of virtue and Medieval values provides an articulate comparison of their cruel
marginalisation in a patriarchal world.
Through the characters of Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca, Shakespeare has crafted resonant
female voices that reflect the changing nature of Elizabethan social and moral values.

5. Is it adequate to say that Othello’s tragedy is caused by his jealousy? Discuss.

William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is the tragedy of a jealous man
driven into murdering his wife. Although the antagonist, Iago manipulates reality and
appearance to provoke paranoia in him, he predominantly utilises Othello’s hamartia, his
passionate jealousy, to propel the tragedy.
Othello is a character who permits jealousy to gnaw away at his rational conscience,
however, jealousy is not the sole contributor to his downfall.
6. Shakespeare’s Othello presents the very best and the very worst in human nature.

Justify this perspective of the play.

William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is one of his most intense plays,
with a pivotal expression of the extreme dichotomies of the human condition. Shakespeare
explores the contrasts and commodities between the binary oppositions of virtue and vice,
and love and hatred which synthesise human nature.
Shakespeare’s great tragedy is framed upon binary oppositions, the most central of which is
the tension between good and evil.
 7. ‘There is a timelessness to Shakespeare’s dramatic works’.
What in your opinion is the enduring appeal of Shakespeare, discuss with close
reference to Othello?
William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is one of his most appealing
tragedies because of its timeless ability to challenge historical and modern society and their
impact on the human experience. Like many of Shakespeare’s other dramatic tragedies,
“Othello” reflects the darkest and lightest aspects of human nature, highlighting the
passionate emotions of jealousy and love as enduring elements of the human condition.
Shakespeare’s Othello will continue to resonate with modern audiences due to the enduring
nature of its key concerns, in particular discrimination of the other, and patriarchal power.

8. ‘Societal prejudices, rather than Othello’s hamartia, lie at the core of the play’s
tragedy.’
To what extent does this view align with your reading of the play?

William Shakespeare’s “Othello: the Moor of Venice” (1604) is an Elizabethan tragedy which
follows the Aristotelian model, including a tragic hero and his hamartia. Although Othello’s
downfall is driven motivated by his hamartia of jealousy, this hamartia is inherently derived
from the Elizabethan societal prejudices of xenophobia against his alterity to exploit his
insecurities.
From a contemporary perspective it is the endemic prejudices within society which lie at the
heart of the tragedy of the play.
“Shakespeare’s play Othello demonstrates the weakness of human judgement” (2008)

“Shakespeare’s Othello presents the very best and the very worst in human nature”

“Shakespeare’s Othello presents us with a dark and pessimistic view of human nature and
relationships”

“In the play Othello, naive, innocent characters are no match for the evil machinations of the world
weary Iago“

Themes:

“The destructive power of jealousy is tragically presented in Shakespeare’s play Othello”

“Shakespeare’s Othello is concerned not so much with jealousy, as with misunderstanding”

“Shakespeare’s play Othello powerfully portrays a world dominated by jealousy and revenge”

“Evil ultimately conquers good in Shakespeare’s play Othello”

“In Shakespeare’s play Othello, we witness a profound inability to distinguish between appearances
and reality, central to the human experience”

“Appearances do not mask a sinister reality in this play, yet Iago manages to convince every
character that there is more going on than meets the eye”

“Love and hate are presented as opposite sides of the same coin in Shakespeare’s play Othello”

“Shakespeare’s Othello initially questions, but then confirms racist stereotypes”

“The role and status of women is dramatically explored in Shakespeare’s Othello”

To what extent is one’s sense of identity affected by one’s perspective of being accepted or
estranged? Refer to Shakespeare’s “Othello”.

Open questions:

“Shakespeare’s Othello remains relevant for a modern audience”

“Despite the striking portrayals of goodness and nobility, the play Othello leaves the audience with a
sense of dismal despair”