Love

• It is impossible for a writer to disconnect him or herself from the society in which they are operating in. This is why historicist criticism is important.
• It is impossible for a writer to disconnect him or herself from the society in which they are operating in.
• Some writers may seek isolation from society in order to create a masterpiece but in the end, the society of which they are a part of will seep through into the text.
• It does not matter if a play is written in 1604 and is about 1425 or 2025, the context of creation will still shine though.
• This is why historicist criticism is important and why there is a need in literary studies to understand the historical context of a piece of writing.
• Some critics call this the ‘ideology of the text’ and when we watch a play like Othello, all the time we are aware of the ideological world in which the text is created.
• In essence then, you will be considering how the ideology of love is presented in this text.
• Othello is clearly set a slightly earlier age, in the exotic and distant location of the Mediterranean.
• This distances the audience from contemporary London, even though many of the issues in the play are about the world there.
• The play has a background of war and conflict, but also examines issues of identity.
• Although black / Moorish people were seen in Renaissance London (people travelled much further than we often conceive of them doing in this period) they were not common and so were still sometimes considered ‘barbarous’ and uncivilised.
• Love is the strand that binds all of these issues together. It will need to be considered in the light of its historical context, and the values associated with it when the play was first written and performed.
• The Renaissance was a period of great change, when many established (and often medieval) rules were upturned.
• Desdemona and Othello’s union is part of this breaking of tradition.
• The play also shows the rise of individuals trying to break the established order.
• This is seen specifically in Iago, who perhaps is over-ambitious in what he wishes to gain.
• Characters like Emilia also demonstrate that women were trying to gain more power.
• Love is the strand that binds all of these issues together.
• It will need to be considered in the light of its historical context, and the values associated with it when the play was first written and performed.
• If you chose Specification A in your studies, then what you are specifically interested in is the implication of texts in history.
• By this, we mean studying the connections and significances of this play with the society around its time of production and publication.
• This form of criticism also seeks to destroy the notion that literary texts have a level of ‘genius’ that transcends time.
• Instead, we will consider how history interacts with a text and the theme of love.
• Although we may not be discussing it always through the lens of tragedy, we do know that tragedy will intersect with the historical context, and vice-versa.