Intro to Othello
• The Moors
•The World of Othello
• Characters
Sources: Bradley, A.C. “Othello”, Shakesperean Tragedy,
1904; Bevington, David , Shakespeare: Four Tragedies, 1988;
Modern Critical Interpretations (1987); Neely, Carol “women
and Men in Othello; English 303; Shakesperean Tragedy,
University of New Mexico
The Moors
• When the Arab armies
swept across Northern
Africa in the 7th century,
they found indigenous
tribespeople called
Berbers.
The Moors
• After the Arabs converted
many of the Berbers to
Islam early in the 8th century,
the Berbers and the Arabs
joined forces to conquer
Spain.
The Moors
• There, they intermarried with
the Spanish. Their descendants
came to be called Moors.
• The name Moor comes from
the Latin Mauri, the name of the
inhabitants of an old Roman
province (now covered by
Morocco and part of Algeria)
The Moors
• The Moors reached the height
of their power in Spain and
controlled most of Spain from
711 to 1031.
• By 1212, the Moorish power
was broken in central Spain,
but it would take until 1492 for
the final expulsion from Spain.
The Moors
• The Moors were actually one
victory away from crushing the
Europeans, but, like the
Romans, condemned their
future by internal squabbles.
• Some adopted Christianity and
remained (such as Othello), and
were called Moriscos.
What do Moors believe?
• Because of their Arab descent,
the Moorish culture is very
structured when it comes to
women. Women in Arab culture
are absolutely, positively not
allowed to commit adultery. To
do so meant instant death.
What do the Moors Believe?
• In the European culture of the
time, many women were simply
banished from the town, forced
into prostitution, or killed by
upset men. However, the
chance for survival for women
was much better in a European
culture than the Arab culture.
Othello’s Background (for the
play)
• Othello is of royal lineage.
He was captured, turned into
a slave by the Spanish and
Italians, then later won his
freedom and became a
tremendous general.
Othello’s Background
• Othello knows nothing but
violence. He has little formal
education. Everything he
knows involves the battlefield.
Othello’s Background
• Othello is not simply a Moor,
but a Christian (a Morisco). This
play abounds with imagery of
Christian salvation and
damnation.
• Moriscos were regarded
without much trust by the
Christian community at the time.
Othello’s Background
• Moors were treated much
like the Jews who became
new Christians, “regarded
with suspicion as a false
Christian (Hecht 127).
Desdemona
Othello’s wife and also the
daughter of an Italian
nobleman. Desdemona is fair,
apparently quite pure, and
apparently quite innocent.
There is a debate whether she
is naïve.
Iago
Quite possibly one of the most
dangerous, evil characters in
major literature, yet throughout
the play no one but the reader
knows his intentions. In
appearance, he is Othello’s
confidant; in reality, he is
Othello’s nightmare.
Cassio
Othello’s lieutenant, and the
one Iago (apparently) is
angry with because Othello
picked Cassio over him. He
is a young flirt who is very
preoccupied with
advancement.
Emilia
• Iago’s wife. Emilia is
basically an abused
spouse, but she may know
more about her husband
than anyone else.
Roderigo
• Iago’s lackey, a man that
Iago can use without any
worry of his intentions
being misinterpreted.
Roderigo is basically a
weak mind that can be
easily manipulated.
Bianca
A hooker who is another pawn
in Iago’s game. She is Cassio’s
mistress and because she is of
low social status, is an easy
target.
Brabantio
• Desdemona’s father, who
actually was friends with
Othello until he gets a big
surprise. Brabantio is
basically a failed politician
that the military has little
use for.