Language and Context: Othello and Keats

Shakespeare's Othello- the Moor of Venice, first performed in 1604 is a master tragedy embodying the traditional qualities of severity, magnitude and emotion as defined by Aristotle. It is in Shakespeare's characterization of central character Othello that Elizabethan context truly begins to infiltrate the play. Othello is initially portrayed as an infallible and legendary war hero, a general in the Venetian army. It is during Act Four Scene 1 that Elizabethan prejudice finally controls the course of …

…over peasant workers in the shadow of the Industrial revolution. Iago manipulation can be viewed as a comment on Elizabethan ideals of white supremacy. The theme of manipulation present in both texts is still relevant to modern audience as we sadly live in a world were sexual, business and personal manipulation occur. <Tab/> As you can see the impact of context cannot be under valued in a study of classic literature.