Overview

Many important literary works, including Othello, make reference to ethnical and racial terms and codes that are different from our own. This worksheet presents a list of words used in Othello to describe Othello’s status as a Moor. The chart presents both the literal Renaissance and the figurative meanings of each word. Introduce this worksheet to students prior to reading Othello to support comprehension and help students understand similarities and differences between Shakespeare’s understanding of ethnic differences and their own.

Downloads