insight4me English Literature: Shakespeare’s Othello With Dr Abigail Shinn From Goldsmiths, University of London & Dr Thomas Roebuck From University of East Anglia

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• University of East Anglia: Dr Thomas Roebuck, Lecturer in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing , will present ‘Othello’s occupation’s gone’: Othello as domestic tragedy? Othello is the odd one out among Shakespeare’s major tragedies. Most concern the fate of kings and princes and deal with consequences in the public realm – the downfall of the state of Denmark (Hamlet), Britain (Lear), Scotland (Macbeth), or Egypt (Antony and Cleopatra). Othello, however, centrally concerns itself with the world of marriage and the household. Othello is, in essence, a military leader who becomes embroiled in the complexities of the domestic world – in A.D. Nuttall’s memorable formulation, his is the story of a ‘hero who went into a house’. This talk on Othello will think through the consequences of this idea for our understanding of Othello as a tragedy – its treatment of the tragic hero, his impact on the world around him, and the pressure exerted on Othello’s language by the tension between the heroic and the domestic spheres.

• Goldsmiths, University of London: Dr Abigail Shinn, Lecturer in Early Modern Literature and Culture, presents Othello and the tragedy of conversion: a black handkerchief and a ‘circumcised dog’. Othello is a tragedy which resists narrative cohesion. While storytelling is afforded unusual power in the play, such as when Othello woos Desdemona or Iago deceives Othello, narratives are also vague and slippery, and tellers proffer more than one version of events. One such story is that of Othello’s racial and religious identity. Othello is described as a ‘moor’, an unstable identifier that is associated both with blackness (maurus-blackness) and Islam (‘mahometan’). Where he comes from and whether he is a Muslim convert to Christianity is never definitively established, however. This talk will outline how Othello’s uncertain status as a convert helps to shape his tragic downfall and how his racialised identity is often displaced onto objects and others in ways which deny him a coherent narrative of selfhood.

In this insight4me English Literature online event for schools and colleges, University of East Anglia and Goldsmiths, University of London will each have roughly 30 minutes to deliver a punchy, interactive topic based ‘micro’ talk. Within an overall session theme of Shakespeare’s Othello, the universities have the freedom to choose their own focus and use the time to convey the key points of the case studies for the students.

insight4me is a series of subject specific webinars for Aged 16+ pre-university students. The sessions directly support students’ current studies by giving an insight into particular curriculum areas whilst affording an understanding of how these subjects continue beyond A-levels, T-levels, IB, BTEC and equivalent qualifications, and how they vary between universities.

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. There is no charge to take part.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Aged 16+ pre-university students studying, or with a possible interest in studying, English Literature and related disciplines. Student groups, and individual students and teachers are very welcome to join us.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the 2 topics and discuss some of the key elements in advance. Students can also think about questions they have about studying at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via typed comments and questions or via a microphone if preferred. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below:

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