New
New
Year 9
'Othello' and Shakespeare's conventions of tragedy
I can explore Shakespeare's structural conventions of tragedy in the play.
New
New
Year 9
'Othello' and Shakespeare's conventions of tragedy
I can explore Shakespeare's structural conventions of tragedy in the play.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Shakespeare's tragedies, like many Jacobean tragedies, focus on the consequences of the disruption of social order
- Elizabethan social order was based on ideas about creation from Genesis, where God gave everything a place in the world
- Order, disorder and chaos are key themes and motifs. As civil order is disrupted, the natural world responds with chaos
- The five-act structure tracks the downfall of a noble tragic hero, causing disorder and finally restoring order
Keywords
The Great Chain of Being - A hierarchy that Elizabethans believed God ordained for the earth.
Anagnorisis - A moment of insight where the tragic hero understands their circumstances.
Peripeteia - A pivotal action that changes the protagonist’s fate from secure to vulnerable.
Disruption - A disturbance which interferes with the normal functioning of something.
Common misconception
Shakespeare wrote only according to Aristotle's notion of tragedy.
Shakespeare had his own beliefs about tragedy and combined them with Aristotle's ideas.
If students have a hard time with the five-plot structure, ask them to plot a story you have read together according to this.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What is a tragic hero?
a sympathetic central character of common status
a main character that is nice
Q2.
In Shakespeare's 'Othello', what could Othello's hamartia be?
ambition
arrogance
Q3.
In 'Othello', what may Othello's moment of anagnorisis be?
When he learns Cassio had Desdemona's handkerchief
When he learns that Brabantio rejected him
Q4.
What is Othello's peripeteia in Shakespeare's 'Othello'?
When he marries Desdemona
When he travels to Cyprus
Q5.
What is meant by the word 'catharsis'?
a build up of tension
feeling sorry for the protagonist
Q6.
When are the audience likely to experience catharsis in the play 'Othello'?
When Othello kills Desdemona because he rids himself of insecurity
When Othello finds that Cassio has Desdemona's handkerchief because it is tense
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What is the Great Chain of Being?
a system of punishment
a piece of propaganda to control people
Q2.
What was most important according to the Great Chain of Being?
animals
church
nobles
Q3.
What is true of social order in Shakespeare's tragedies?
it is maintained
it is not important
Q4.
What is Shakespeare's structure for tragedies?
three-act
six-act
Q5.
In the play 'Othello', how does Iago's manipulation of Othello link to social order and status?
Iago is in love with Othello's wife, Desdemona
Q6.
In Shakespeare's 'Othello', in which act does Othello likely experience anagnorisis?
the climax, when he sees Cassio with Desdemona's handkerchief
the falling action, when he shouts at Desdemona