Browse Exhibits (1 total)

In Othello, discussions of anatomy are present throughout. Whether this discussion is based in emotional, racial or the anatomy of the text and texts that surround it, it is ever-present. In my exhibit, I hope to delve into the questions and ambiguity surrounding this discussion and unearth what it really means to be human through Shakespeare's lens. In the first page, Andreas Vesaillus redefines anatomy in his exploration of the human form in "The Fabric of the Human Body." In The Anatomy of Melancholy, Robert Burton hopes to understand what causes emotional distress. The Historie of the Turks helps the reader understand what a "moor" or different perceptions of race may look like in the seventeenth century. Anatomy of Tragedy dissects how scholars may have imagined Othello through a theatrical perspective after Shakespeare's death. A dive into Vittoria Colonna's poetry, the reader can better understand how poetry influenced perception of Italians before the authorship of Othello. Each of these pages explains a different lens through which the audience can imagine Othello. Moreover, each provides a dissection of the constant questions Shakespeare asks us in the text. Are people from different worlds equal? If not, in what ways do they diverge? Othello forces the reader to think a lot about the relationship between the "moor" and the Italians, how do these pieces of primary evidence reveal that relationship? Each item answers the same questions in an entirely unique way and reconsiders interpretations of Othello since. Moreover, anatomy is a central theme in Othello, and I hope that this exhibit serves to illustrate it in a variety of lenses.