Hello everyone, and welcome to your lesson today on using context effectively.

I'm Miss Sutherland and I'll be teaching you today.

By the end of today's lesson, you would've learned how to integrate context skillfully into your written analysis.

We have five key terms today.

Let's go through them Tragedy.

Tragedy is a play dealing the downfall of a central character.

The Great Chain of Being.

The Great Chain of Being is a hierarchy for all living things that Jacobean people believed in.

Jacobea, Jacobian refers to the era in which King James was on the throne.

Embedded means incorporated deeply inside of a larger thing, for example, context embedded into a paragraph.

And finally, renaissance, a cultural artistic movement covering the 14th to 17th centuries.

Pause a video and jot down the keywords that you wish to.

Great.

We're going to start off by learning about what context is for our essays, and then, we will learn about what makes context meaningful.

So let's start off, what is context? When thinking about context, very often, it is assumed that this refers to historical facts, however, we can think about context in four different ways.

We can talk about historical context, so what was happening at the time the text was written, and how this may have influenced the text? We can talk about literary context.

So what influenced the text in terms of style or genre, and does it fit into any literary movement? We can also talk about context in terms of social aspects.

For example, what are the shared cultural constructions of specific ideas? For example, attitudes towards race and gender, and how are these explored in the text? And finally, biographical context.

Biographical context refers to the author's life.

So how might the life experiences of the author have influenced the text? Now, I want you to think about what contextual features from historical, literary, social, and biographical could we link to "Othello?" I'll give you a moment to pause the video and discuss that now.

I heard some really great ideas.

You could have said that, "In terms of historical context, "Othello" was performed in 1604, and that's the Jacobean era.

"Othello" is also set against the backdrop of wars between Venice and the Ottoman Empire in the late 16th century.

Now we move on to literary context.

You may have said that, "'Othello' draws on influences from Greek and Roman drama, particularly Aristotle's ideas on tragedy.

The story itself, actually comes from a 1565 tale by Cinthio called 'Gli Heccatommithi.

'" And the social context of "Othello." You may have spoken about attitudes to race in the Jacobean era and fear of "otherness." You may have also talked about gender in the Jacobean era and how people lived under a patriarchy.

There's also an idea that you may have added that there were rigid hierarchies shown via the Great Chain of Being, and lastly, biographical context.

Shakespeare was born in 1564.

He wrote three types of play, and King James became a patron of his acting group, which means that anything Shakespeare wrote, potentially, would have been to please King James, we need to bear that in mind.

There we have a couple of contextual features linked to "Othello." Well done if you said any of those.

Let's check your understanding of those four types of context.

Which type of context is missing from the screen now? Pause the video and have a think.

We are missing literary context.

The four types of context are historical, literary, social, and biographical.

I'm now going to read you a short response.

You have to decide what type of context is being referred to in this response, let's start.

"Shakespeare was heavily influenced by ancient Greek drama and so Othello mirrors many Aristotelian conventions of tragedy such as a tragic hero with hamartia, hubris, and downfall.

Shakespeare characterises his tragic hero, Othello, as a noble Moor in order to expose and subvert racial stereotypes and prejudice in Jacobean England.

This, together with the play being set against a backdrop of war between Christine Venice and the Muslim Ottoman Empire, allows the play to explore the theme of "otherness" and outsiders.

What type of context being referred to in these responses?" Well, the fact it refers to the Jacobean era and the wars that were going on around the time means that it refers to historical context.

The fact that it talks about stereotypes and prejudice means that it also refers to social context, and the fact that it refers to Shakespeare's influences, and the fact he was influenced by Greek drama, means this response also includes literary context.

So there's three types of context in this response already.

I'm going to read you out this statement, and you need to decide what type of context is being referred to.

Shakespeare draws on the conventions of ancient Greek tragedy.

What type of context does this sentence refer to? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if said, "This sentence, Shakespeare draws on the conventions of ancient Greek tragedy refers to literary context." This is because we are mentioning Shakespeare's influences and what helped him shape the style and genre of the play "Othello." Now I've given you numerous bullet points on the screen there.

I want you to sort that contextual information into the correct part of the grid.

So you need to match each bullet point to the correct context, to the correct context type.

So which bullet points refer to historical context, which ones to literary context, which ones to social context, and which ones to biographical context? Pause the video and sort the contextual information into the correct part of the grid.

Well done, everyone! Let's go through the answers.

For historical context, we've got Othello was written in 1604, in a Christian England for literary context.

Shakespeare was influenced by Greek drama.

Renaissance literature explored people's psychology, and Black characters were rarely protagonists in literature.

For social context, we've got Elizabethans rarely went outside of their home; they feared "otherness." Racial prejudice was rife, and women were subordinates to men.

For biographical context we have, it is unknown whether Shakespeare personally knew any Black people, which means his representation of Othello may not be based on personal experience.

Now, we're moving on to our second learning cycle, which will explore meaningful context.

So how do we include context in our written responses in a meaningful way? When writing literature essays, it is important to include context.

It's a great way to demonstrate your understanding and link to a writer's purpose.

So how can we use context effectively in our written responses? Firstly, the context needs to be relevant to the point you're making.

If you are making a point about race or gender, make sure you are including social context.

Context should develop the point you're making and not just be an isolated fact.

You do not want to just simply write in your essay.

"The play was performed in 1604," because that doesn't link to any point.

You should also avoid generalisations.

You need to be as specific as possible when mentioning context in order to not give any misleading ideas.

You should try to include different types of context, so a range of historical, social, literary, and biographical, and context should be embedded within the paragraph, not just tacked-on.

So you want to make sure you're weaving your context throughout your response, and not just putting it at the end.

So there are five ways in which you can use context effectively.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? Context needs to focus on isolated historical facts.

Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said that's false, context does not need to focus on isolated historical facts.

Now I want you to justify your answer.

Pause the video and justify.

We know that context need not focus on isolated historical facts because context needs to be embedded within the paragraph and refer to other relevant information.

If we were to include isolated historical facts, first of all, we wouldn't be embedding our context, we wouldn't be weaving it effectively, and also, we wouldn't be linking it to our other comments about the play.

In fact, if you include isolated historical facts in your essay, you are not using context effectively.

Let's look at Lucas's use of context.

He says, "'Othello' was first performed in 1604.

Othello fellow represents all the stereotypes of Black people at the time." How effective is Lucas's use of context? Pause the video and have a think.

You may have said that, "Lucas has included an isolated fact.

For example, he said when the play was performed, which doesn't develop any argument about the text, He also includes a generalisation around what Othello represents.

It's true that Othello's character explores racial stereotypes, but this simplifies Shakespeare's purpose." How could we improve Lucas's use of context? Pause the video and have a think Now, Lucas has had a go at taking your feedback on board.

He says, "Shakespeare's 'Othello' was first performed in 1604.

Recent war against Christine Venice and the Muslim Ottoman Empire created an effective backdrop for Shakespeare's exploration of 'otherness' and outsiders.

Shakespeare's characterisation of Othello exposes, and at times, subverts racial stereotypes and prejudice." Now, Lucas's historical context is linked to Shakespeare's purpose and key themes.

The comment on Othello's characterisation is now linked to the historical backdrop and allows for a more nuanced exploration of the theme of race.

Well done, Lucas.

Now, Sam has had a go at using context.

Let's look at how effective his use of context is.

Sam says, "Shakespeare portrays Iago's bigotry in his use of animal imagery to describe Othello as "a barbary horse and an "old black ram." In Jacobean England, people believed in the Great Chain of Being." How effective is Sam's use of context? Pause video and have a think.

Now,, Sam has made some good comments on the Shakespeare's use of language.

However, the context is bolted-on and not embedded within the response.

It feels like an extra point and doesn't develop Sam's point about bigotry and animal imagery.

How could we improve Sam's use of context? In other words, how do we link the Great Chain of Being to this idea of bigotry and animal imagery? Pause the video and have a think.

Sam has taken your advice on board.

Sam now says, "Shakespeare portrays Iago's bigotry in his use of animal imagery to describe Othello as a "barbary horse" and an "old black ram." Iago's comments are alarmingly derogatory since the Great Chain of Being of the Jacobean period depicted animals as below humans, thus his comments show how Black people were dehumanised at the time, exposing racial prejudice in the Jacobean era." Now, Sam has used the historical context to analyse specific word choices or images, considering historic connotations and social importance.

The piece of context is also elaborated on.

It feels embedded in the paragraph and not just a tacked-on fact.

So Sam has been able to link together this idea of animal imagery with the Great Chain of Being and racial prejudice to make a coherent paragraph.

Now, Izzy's turn, she says, "The female characters: Desdemona and Emilia, are ignored or slandered.

Othello uses derogatory language towards Desdemonan in Act 5 Scene 2, "Out strumpet!", before brutally killing her and Emilia is by Iago for her disobedience.

Shakespeare exposes the lack of power women had in Jacobean England and may have used 'Othello' as a cautionary tale for Jacobean women who are seen to disobey the patriarchy." How effective is this student's use of context? Pause video and have a think.

In Izzy's two paragraphs, she has used a range of contexts.

She's used both historical and social context.

It is embedded into the response and develops her points.

The use of context, also links to Shakespeare's purpose.

Now answer this question to check your understanding of using context effectively.

True or false? Your use of context should link to the writer's purpose.

Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said true, your use of context should link to the writer's purpose, where possible.

Justify your answer.

Pause the video and justify your answer.

Linking context to the writer's purpose allows you to ensure your use of context is developing your argument.

That's why you should try and link context to the writer's purpose.

Now, I want you to read Jun's response.

He says, "'Othello' was performed in 1604.

Perhaps Shakespeare subverts racial stereotypes as he characterises Othello as a noble Moor who is eloquent, humble, "Rude am I in speech," and respected "He commands like a full soldier." Shakespeare characterises Othello as a tragic hero, but this was uncommon for the Jacobean era." I want you to identify what Jun needs to do to improve his use of context using the success criteria.

The success criteria is, context should not be an isolated historical fact, context should be embedded within the paragraph.

Each contextual point should be linked, and context should develop the argument and linked to writer's purpose.

So first of all, consider what Jun can improve on from that success criteria.

And secondly, I want you to rewrite Jun's response with a more effective use of context.

Pause the video, self-assess Jun's work, and rewrite his use of context.

Let's look at what you may have said.

So Jun's original response reads, "'Othello' was performed in 1604.

Perhaps Shakespeare subverts racial stereotypes as he characterises Othello as a noble Moor who is eloquent, humble, and respected.

Shakespeare characterises Othello as a tragic hero, but this was uncommon for the Jacobean era." You may have self-assessed Jun's work in the following way.

Jun uses an isolated historical fact.

He says, "'Othello' was performed in 1604," but that is not linked to Jun's points.

Jun also does not yet link his ideas to Shakespeare's purpose.

And finally, Jun's use of context that the play was performed in 1604, does not develop his point.

You may have improved it in the following way.

"'Othello' was performed in the Jacobean period when it was uncommon for a protagonist to be Black due to a racial stereotypes.

In the Jacobean era, people associated dark skin with threat and danger, thus Black characters are often villains.

Shakespeare subverts these racial stereotypes as he characterises Othello as a noble Moor who is eloquent, humble, and respected.

Shakespeare characterises Othello as a tragic hero who's capable of gaining sympathy from the Jacobin audience, which interrogates their existing views on race." Now you can see how this response links historical context to the point being made.

It links the time period to the point being made about race.

This response also refers to Shakespeare's purpose, as it says, "Shakespeare may lead the audience to interrogate their existing views." And finally, the context does indeed develop the point, the context develops our understanding of Othello's presentation.

Well done, for improving Jun's response, I'm sure he appreciated it.

Let's go through what we've learned today.

Context refers to the historical, social, literary, and biographical.

Context should not be presented as isolated facts or generaliastions.

Context should be relevant to the analysis and embedded in the response.

Context should develop ideas and give an insight into the writer's purpose and intention.

And finally, context can be used to analyse specific word choices or images, considering historic connotations or social importance.

Thanks for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope to see you in another one soon.