Such relations continued into the Jacobean era (i.e. During this period, the presence of Moorish emissaries grew at the English court (вЂMoorвЂ™ is a term which originally meant Muslim Arabs, but gradually expanded in scope to include sub-Saharan Africans). Keen to form alliances as a bulwark against Spanish forces, Liz I reached out to the Moroccan Sultan and established the Barbary Company in 1585, which strengthened Anglo-Moroccan diplomatic and trading ties. The Anglo-Spanish War from 1585-1604 saw the continual erosion of English and Spanish relations, with Elizabeth I and Philip II of Spain at loggerheads with each other over everything from politics to trade. To understand the intersections between OthelloвЂ™s jealousy and his overall character, itвЂ™s important to look at the broader diplomatic currents in late Elizabethan England. With Othello, then, is jealousy really the hamartia that transforms him from a gracious and valiant general to a fallen and matricidal wreck? Or is jealousy merely the symptom of a more troubling character trait, from which Othello cannot escape and must contend with? And is jealousy necessarily a moral flaw, or just a complex emotion? The historical context of Othello : the Barbary Company and the Anglo-Moroccan Alliance In a similar vein, HamletвЂ™s вЂhamartiaвЂ™ is his absolutism, but absolutism in the face of temptations could be the sign of a principled person. For example, most of us would agree that MacbethвЂ™s вЂhamartiaвЂ™ is his ambition, but ambition coupled with moderation and wisdom can be a very good thing.

Othello quotes