What does the napkin symbolize in Othello?
What does the napkin symbolize in Othello?
To Othello, the handkerchief symbolizes fidelity and his giving it to Desdemona represents a promise that he will be true to her, and a request that she stay true to him.
What is the best production of Othello?
Othello Performance History The most famous American production is Margaret Webster’s production in 1943 featuring Paul Robeson as Othello and Jose Ferrer as Iago. This production was the first-ever in America to feature a black actor playing Othello with an otherwise all-white cast.
What is the history of the handkerchief in Othello?
The handkerchief initially is a gift given to Desdemona by Othello as a love token. It is subsequently symbolically transformed into Desdemona’s bedsheets, which she uses to reveal her true innocence and fidelity to Othello; and finally, Desdemona requests that the bedsheets be used to cover her as a death shroud.
What is Othello best known for?
The play’s protagonist and hero. A Christian Moor and general of the armies of Venice, Othello is an eloquent and physically powerful figure, respected by all those around him. In spite of his elevated status, he is nevertheless easy prey to insecurities because of his age, his life as a soldier, and his race.
How is Desdemona portrayed in Othello?
In Othello, Desdemona is a very feminine character. She is described as a daughter and a wife. Her role is determined by her relationship to the male characters, and her behaviour is directed by the males as well.
How is imagery used in Othello?
Iago uses a lot of animal imagery to describe Othello. In Act 1 Scene 1, he calls him a ‘Barbary horse’ and an ‘old black ram’, using these images to make Desdemona’s father angry and telling him that Othello and Desdemona ‘are making the beast with two backs’. This continues in Iago’s soliloquies.
When was the first production of Othello?
November 1, 1604
Othello/First performance
Othello’s first known performance was on November 1, 1604, at Whitehall Palace in London, when “the Kings Maiesties plaiers” performed “A Play in the Banketinge house at Whit Hall Called The Moor of Venis” attributed to “Shaxberd”. It was staged on 2/ 30/1610 at the Globe Theatre, and at Oxford in 9/1610.
Who played the first Othello?
Richard Burbage
The first actor to play the title role in Othello was Richard Burbage, who along with William Shakespeare, was a leading member of the King’s Men theatre company.
Who plants the handkerchief in Othello?
An Egyptian sorceress gave it to his mother and told her that it would make her desirable and keep Othello’s father loyal, but if she lost it or gave it away, Othello’s father would leave her. Othello’s mother gave him the magic handkerchief on her deathbed, instructing him to give it to the woman he desired to marry.
What was the name of Othello’s beloved?
He has recently married Desdemona, a beautiful and wealthy Venetian lady much younger than himself, against the wishes of her father. Iago is Othello’s malevolent ensign, who maliciously stokes his master’s jealousy until the usually stoic Moor kills his beloved wife in a fit of blind rage.
What type of tragedy is Othello?
Othello. Othello is a play that is a mainstream Shakespearean tragedy and therefore is an obvious text for Paper 1. It is a play capable of arousing deep emotions in audiences, exciting feelings of pity and terror (feelings that according to Plato ought to be kept in check).
What happens to Desdemona in Othello?
After crying out that she has been murdered, Desdemona changes her story before she dies, claiming that she has committed suicide. Emilia asks Othello what happened, and Othello tells her that he has killed Desdemona for her infidelity, which Iago brought to his attention.
What was the first place Othello was performed?
Othello’s first known performance was on November 1, 1604, at Whitehall Palace in London, when “the Kings Maiesties plaiers” performed “A Play in the Banketinge house at Whit Hall Called The Moor of Venis” attributed to “Shaxberd”.
How many times has Othello been made into a movie?
Othello has made the transition from stage to film over twenty times this century, and from stage to television at least five times. FYI: William C. Macready’s fight with fellow thespian Edwin Forrest caused the worst case of murder and mayhem in the history of theatre: the Astor House Riot.
Who plays Desdemona in Othello?
One performance of Othello, produced in 1660, starred an actress by the name of Margaret Hughes 1 in the role of Desdemona. This production is of particular importance because it marked the first time a woman was accepted on the English stage. Before this, all the characters, whether male or female, were played exclusively by men. 2
What is the earliest record of the linen industry?
The earliest records of an established linen industry are 4,000 years old, from Egypt, The earliest written documentation of a linen industry comes from the Linear B tablets of Pylos, Greece, where linen is depicted as an ideogram and also written as “li-no” ( Greek: λίνον, linon ),…
