Introduction First performed around 1604, Othello is one of Shakespeare’s famed tragedies, written at about the same time Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth. The historical context for the play is a series of wars between Turkey and Venice in the sixteenth century. Giraldi Cinthio’s Gli Hecatommithi is widely considered the primary source for Shakespeare’s play. While modern audiences often see the play as a commentary on racism, the contemporary audience likely understood the historical conflict as that between Islam and Christianity. This parallels the character conflict, the theme of jealousy. External and internal wars challenge the characters throughout the play.Although the play is more than 400 years old, it offers students and fans an opportunity to better understand attitudes about race and difference in Shakespeare’s time. As they read and study the play and supporting documents, students should be encouraged to develop a stance on whether or not Othello is a racist play.Lesson Plan FormatA thorough study of this play will look at the primary source for the story, as well as the multiple conflicts that exist in addition to the war. Students will have the opportunity to consider currently relevant topics such as race, sexuality, and discrimination based on religion. During each session, students will investigate and analyze the play, but will also consider the cultural anxieties that are present and how they are resolved, or not resolved. Students will have the opportunity to review multiple informational texts in order to, with support, synthesize information, and draw unique conclusions.
