HISTORY OF OTHELLO WHO WERE THE MOORS Moors

HISTORY OF OTHELLO

WHO WERE THE MOORS? Moors were people of Arab descent that were considered savage and noble at the same time. � Moors were slaves that were once sold to rich and powerful families and were usually trained to be soldiers. �

WHO WERE THE VENETIANS? � Natives of Venice who were rich and powerful. � The Venetians made Venice a city of high importance to military and political officials and also gave the natives a great pride in their background.

WHAT WERE THE MILITARY DUTIES OF RANKED OFFICERS? � General-The leader of the army in whatever city/state they serve. It usually is someone who has been in the army since a young age. They are powerful figures in society and are well respected. Controls the actions of the entire army.

� Lieutenant-In charge of soldiers under him. The only person he takes orders from is the General

WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF WOMEN? � Women were mostly silent, they did not speak out much at all about their opinions, especially in public. � Some women wrote, but mostly all they wrote about was prayer and meditation. The only real chance they got to write about their feelings was in poems.

� Noble women had much easier lives while poorer women had to work hard to keep their husbands and families happy.

WHAT WAS EXPECTED OF A DAUGHTER? � Daughters were seen as property to control by their fathers. They were expected to obey their father’s wishes and to marry by the age of thirteen. They were expected to preserve their chastity until marriage, and provide a dowry when they finally did marry.

WHAT WAS EXPECTED OF A BRIDE? � Women was supposed to marry well, be loyal to her husband give birth to boys. Brides were supposed to be virgins before marriage. Women were supposed had to be faithful and respect their fathers and the family over their wants and needs.

WHAT RULES FOR GETTING MARRIED EXISTED AT THE TIME OF THE PLAY? � There were four basic requirements. First, the bride's family had to consent and a dowry had to be offered. Second, both parties had to be of equal social class. The third requirement was for the parties to publicly declare the wedding and to have witnesses. Finally, the couple had to consummate the marriage.

The Characters of OTHELLO

THE DUKE OF VENICE � Leader of Venice

BRABANTIO � A senator and Desdemona’s father.

GRATIANO AND LODOVICO Gratiano � An official of Venice, Brabantio’s brother. � Lodovico � An official of Venice, and a relative of Brabantio. �

OTHELLO � A noble Moor in the Military service of Venice.

CASSIO � Othello’s lieutenant

IAGO � Othello’s enemy and his ensign. (An ensign is a person who holds a commissioned rank in the military. )

RODERIGO � A wealthy gentleman of Venice that is in love with Desdemona.

MONTANO AND THE CLOWN � Montano is the governor of Cyprus. � The Clown is Othello’s servant.

DESDEMONA � The daughter of Brabantio and Othello’s wife.

EMILIA AND BIANCA � Emilia is Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s servant. � Bianca is a prostitute that is trying to get Cassio to marry her.

SENATORS � Characters that are in charge of making the decisions and laws.