Do Now [10.22.07]

Who were the Venetians?
The Venetians were wealthy and powerful people that made their fortune through trade in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

How were the Moors/Venetians regarded in Shakespeare's day?
The Moors were known as monstrous and savage in Elizabethean England. Being a different skin color other than white meant you were non English and non Christian.

What were the military duties of ranked officers?
There were two types of ranked officers: general and lieutenant. The general was the leader of the army in the city or state they were serving in. Lieutenants give orders to lesser ranked soldiers.

What was the military hierarchy?
Military salaries were obtained by victories. The sacked cities and got booty and that became their reward for military service.

What was the role of women?
The society viewed the women as sinful and imperfect. They were quiet and didn't speak their minds especially in public. They would express there feelings by writing but they mostly in prayers and meditation.

What was expected of a daughter?
They were seen as property of their father. Their father controlled them and they had to obey their fathers. They also had to get married at age 13.

What was expected of a bride?
A renaissance women was supposed to marry well, be loyal to her husband, and give birth to boys. Girls were married for alliances between their families, not for love. Brides were supposed to be virgins before marriage.

What rules for getting married existed at the time of the play?
Women were supposed to be faithful and respect their fathers and family over their wants and needs. Women were married with dowries that their family provided and they prepared household possessions to contribute to the new home.

What were the rules of courtship?
Parents and friends were the matchmakers. Land descended to the eldest son to the exclusion of his siblings. But if there was no son, the land went to the daughter. The younger son often received no inheritance after the bulk of it was given to the eldest son. Common law gave a limited preference to males, as it gave daughters over males such as the nephew, uncles, or male cousins.