Othello

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Background Information

Shakespeare's life

KEY POINT:

Much of Shakespeare’s life is only a quick internet search away. However, for the purpose of English essays, it is only important to include specific detail that relates to the question. Do not recite an entire biography, for that will definitely not help you to receive any more marks, and it will detract from your argument. But, do use small pieces of authorial information to provide context and give reason to why Shakespeare wrote about specific issues, and what his original audiences may have felt in response to the issues or themes he explored. This can also apply to understanding how many different audiences over time have viewed and responded to the play. For example, how did Shakespeare’s use of an interracial marriage between Othello and Desdemona stir controversy and anger amongst the characters within the play, as well as from his original Elizabethan, conservative audience?

There is not much concrete evidence regarding much of the personal life or characteristics of Shakespeare, except for business and financial information that was recorded in writing. We also truly do not know what he exactly looked like, for there is no trusted portrait. However, we do know that he was born in 1564 to a middle-class, financially well-off family. He attended a small private school between the age of 4–15, married Anne Hathaway at 18, and had three children. At school, he was exposed to classic Greek and Roman heroes, and this may have sparked his curiosity and imagination as many allusions to these heroes can be seen across his plays.

Historically, there are many gaps in information regarding Shakespeare. There is much we do not know about Shakespeare, particularly in regards to ‘the lost years’ between 1585 and 1592. In 1592, he left his family to start his career as an upcoming playwright in London, and returned to Stratford-upon-Avon where Anne Hathaway’s home was in 1611. Shakespeare died in 1616.

A key influencing force in Shakespeare’s work is the overarching political status of England. Between 1585 and 1604, England and Spain were at war, and many people in Shakespeare’s audience desired performances that make them feel proud of their country. Queen Elizabeth I died on 24 March 1603 and King James I followed as monarch, so Othello can be described as a Jacobean play.

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