1. The plotline and conflict in Shakespeare’s Othello develop around the cultural obsession with female chastity, which is deemed as delicate as a white handkerchief. In what ways and to what extent does the Venetian culture commodify female sexuality and punish those who transgress the socially acceptable gender norms? You may choose to illustrate the way in which Desdemona’s handkerchief is circulated as the so-called “ocular proof” of her feminine virtue and marital chastity. It will be easier to address this question if you consider the origin of the handkerchief as told by Othello and the continuous ownership change of Desdemona’s handkerchief (from Desdemona, Emilia, Iago, finally to Cassio).

2. In what ways does Desdemona’s perceived disobedience to Brabantio presage Othello’s mistrust of his wife? You may want to consider how the culture and custom of the Renaissance Venice legitimates patriarchal ownership of a female character (that of Desdemona, Emilia, or Bianca.)

3. How does the text portray Othello as the "other" that the Christian Venetian society shuns and, at best, keeps at a distance?