OTHELLO
Events in History at the Time the Play Takes Place
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Venetian History a.
Up to 1500s, Venice powerful, independent state (gateway to overland route to Asia) b.
1499, Vasco da GAma of Portugal discovers sea route; Venice declines economically and militarily c.
Ottomans (Turks) attack Venetian territories in the Mediterranean; by 1500 control most of mainland Greece
Turkish religious Wars a.
War between Turks and Venetians lasted 100 years b.
From territorial

religious war (Christian Europeans vs. Muslim Turks) c.
Venetians joined by other European states; Turks joined by North Africans)
War of Cyprus a.
Cyprus: island 40 miles south of Turkey b.
through history fought over by Assyrians, Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, Byzantines (split today b/w Greece and
Turkey) c.
Cyprus a valued island, vital to Venetian economy d.
By September 1570, mostly in Turkish hands e.
1571: Major Venetian defeat f.
Followed by battle of Lepanto (Europeans sailing under the cross; Turks under flag with phrases from Koran) g.
Bloody conflict (nearly 40,000 killed total); Turks ultimately retreat, Venetians don’t recapture Cyprus, but do emerge as military power again
Wild Venice a.
Late 1500s: city of sin b.
Costumes, gambling, corruption, conflict, social status concerns, competition
The Moor Question a.
Moors: originally North African nomads b.
Became Muslims in 8 th century; invaded Spain in 711 (established kingdom); Driven from Spain in 15 th century c.
In Italy, Moors considered barbarians/pagans/slaves/scapegoats d.
Citizens of Venice claimed to have always had a multiracial, multicultural society e.
Blend of tolerance and racism
Probable sources for Othello: a.
Novella by an Italian, Cinthio (1563) Story about Moor/a military leader married to Venetian; his ensign is in love with her and seeks revenge b.
Cyprus Wars/Battle of Lepanto; King James I, before becoming king, wrote a poem about the battle
Events in History at the Time the Play Was Written
VII.
Africans in Elizabethan England a.
Mainly legends and tall tales until 16 th century b.
Johannes Leo Africanus, a North African Moor, wrote account of adventures c.
Advent of slave trade in 1560s: more Africans in England (slaves and free men)
VIII.
Reign of King James a.
King James follows Queen Elizabeth to throne; Religious, political, and social divisions b.
Arts flourished; Shakespeare receives great support; S. primary playwright for the King’s Men company, sponsored
IX.
by the kin
Religious conflict and prejudice a.
Protestant England often in conflict with Catholic Spain b.
1588 – defeat of Spanish armada (similar to defeat of Turkish (Muslim) fleet) c.
Portrait in Othello not so simple or one-sided (Othello a good Christian accused of being Pagan by other Christians) d.
Historically “Moor” meant a Muslim of mixed Arab and Berber descent; a lighter-skinned North African Muslim; but Shakespeare portrays Othello as a darker skinned African, and evokes racial divide
X.
e.
Shakespeare anticipates growing concept of tolerance in England with his play
Shakespeare a.
1604, Othello first performed b.
The big issues: Jealousy, racism, aging, the nature of evil, social and religious conflict c.
Others: the tension between passion and reason, the difference between appearance and reality, the shadings of truth

Source: Literature and Its Times, Volume 1
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First acted Nov., 1604
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First published 1622
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Probable source
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 “Moor”: a Muslim of mixed Arab and Berber descent; North African Muslim or Muslim conqueror of Spain; there were white and black Moors
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Setting: Venice (also setting for Merchnat of (play about relig. Prejudice)
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Venice center of commercialism and materialism symbol? control, divided loyalties
nBackground
Othello was first acted at court on November 1, 1604, and it is generally supposed that the play was written earlier in the same year.
Allusions in the play to Holland's translation of Pliny (1601) and a supposed allusion to Dekker and Middleton's play, The Honest
Whore (1604), set the date at 1604 with more than a fair degree of accuracy.
During the sixteen years which preceded its publication in the First Quarto of 1622, the play was acted "diverse times" at the Globe and Blackfriars theaters in London, where Shakespeare's company, "his Majesties Servants," held their performances. Both the Quarto and Folio editions appear-in 1622, and a second Quarto appeared in 1630 and was reprinted in 1655, all suggesting the considerable interest the public had in Othello.
Source
The seventh novella of the third decade of the Hecatommithi byGiovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio provided the plot for Shakespeare's
Othello. (The Italian story book, first printed in Venice in 1563, was a frequent source for English stories and plays, and it is entirely possible that Shakespeare learned the tale of the Moor from some other book.)
Like many of his contemporaries, Shakespeare took the plots of his plays from stories in the chronicles of England, from French and
Italian tales, from the classical writers, and from other playwrights. But in every case, he altered the original story so brilliantly as to make it his own forever. In Cinthio's tale, the Moor (who has no other name), is highly regarded as a military leader. He is appointed by the lords of Venice to lead an expedition to Cyprus. As in Shakespeare's version, the Moor has married a Venetian lady named Disdemona (sic), who had admired his virtu (manliness, valor). Cinthio's Moor does not relate his adventures to Desdemona, nor does her family object to their marriage. The ensign or alfiere (who becomes Iago in Shakespeare's version) has fallen in love with the Moor's lady and is, indeed, jealous of the captain or capo di squadra (Shakespeare's Cassio). His jealousy is not aroused because the captain has been preferred in appointment, but because the ensign believes that Desdemona's disdain for him is the result of her affection for the captain.
The ensign's love turns to hatred, and he plots revenge against Desdemona. Meanwhile, the captain is dishonored for assaulting a soldier and creating a disturbance while on guard duty. Desdemona, as in Shakespeare's play, takes up his suit with the Moor. The ensign feeds doubt into the Moor's mind about Desdemona's virtue; he claims the captain has boasted of their affair, and he plants her handkerchief (stolen by his own child whom Desdemona has been caressing) in the captain's quarters. The Moor agrees that his wife must be killed and, on the ensign's advice, consents to have him beat her with a sand-filled stocking and pull the weakened ceiling down on her head to conceal the crime.

The ensign beats Desdemona in the Moor's sight. But as soon as the murder is completed the Moor goes mad with grief. He and the ensign quarrel bitterly, and the Moor deprives the ensign of his office. The ensign contrives to have the Moor recalled to Venice, where he accuses him of murder for the death of Desdemona. Tortured by the authorities, the Moor refuses to confess and is exiled for life. Subsequently, he is killed by Desdemona's kinsmen. The ensign goes free, but later dies under torture in connection with another crime, for he is a thorough going villain, as is Iago. After his death, his wife reveals the true nature of the events concerning the Moor and Desdemona. At no point in Cinthio's story does the Moor become aware of his wife's innocence, nor is this subtlety of characterization necessary in Cinthio's tale, which relied for its interest on the plot alone.
Shakespeare's Othello
In Shakespeare's adaptation, Othello gains a name, stature, and dignity. He himself undertakes his wife's murder and does not stand idly by while another man saves his honor or works his revenge. In fact, Shakespeare's Moor is anxious to do justice, not take revenge.
The handkerchief borrowed from Cinthio's version is given added romance as a magic heirloom, and provides an occasion for Othello to demonstrate the power which his wondrous tales of adventure have had on Desdemona. The core of Shakespeare's story -the Moor's inner conflict between his love for Desdemona and the evil suggestion of the ensign-was already present in Cinthio's version. Cinthio also provided numerous vivid portraits of the Moor's distress under the ensign's persistent prodding. But Shakespeare rearranges
Cinthio's material and makes many new addition in order to develop the characterizations and supply motivations. Because
Shakespeare conceives of an ensign too villainous to be the courtly or adulterous suitor of Desdemona, he introduces Roderigo, whom he makes the persistent courtier, foolish, corrupt, but not evil, in the
Iago sense, and whom he uses as a foil and accomplice to Iago. In effect, Shakespeare splits Cinthio's ensign in two; then he makes the two characters work hand in hand to effect their immoral and evil designs. Roderigo is especially useful as a screen upon which Iago can project his negative values, for Iago's values must be examined so that the audience can become convinced, emotionally at least, that under special circumstances, Iago can dominate or "sway" the noble Moor. In addition, Roderigo makes an effective listener like
Iago; functioning somewhat like a Greek chorus, he comments on the events of the play.
--from http://www.ivcc.edu/campbell/Shakespeare/othellopage.htm
Climax of the Play: The climax of a play or another narrative work, such as a short story or a novel, can be defined as (1) the turning point at which the conflict begins to resolve itself for better or worse, or as (2) the final and most exciting event in a series of events. The climax of Othello , according to the first definition, occurs in the third scene of Act III, when
Othello becomes convinced that Desdemona has been unfaithful and resolves to retaliate against her. According to the second definition, the climax occurs when Othello kills Desdemona and discovers the horrible mistake he has made.
Individual Copies for Schools: Folger Shakespeare Library Edition, (Low Cost)
Moor: A Moor was a Muslim of mixed Arab and Berber descent. Berbers were North African natives who eventually accepted Arab customs and Islam after Arabs invaded North Africa in the Seventh Century A.D. The term has been used to refer in general to Muslims of North Africa and to Muslim conquerors of Spain. The word Moor derives from a Latin word, Mauri , used to name the residents of the ancient Roman province of Mauritania in North Africa. To refer to Othello as a "black Moor" is not to commit a redundancy, for there are white Moors as well as black Moors, the latter mostly of
Sudanese origin.
Moor in Titus Andronicus : In Titus Andronicus Shakespeare introduces an evil Moor named Aaron who displays goodness near the end when he pleads for his child's life. Othello introduces an upright and righteous Moor who displays evil near the end when he suspects his wife of infidelity and kills her.
Moor in Merchant of Venice : A Moor also appears in The Merchant of Venice . He is the Prince of Morocco, a suitor for the hand of Portia. Even before he arrives to make his bid for her, Portia, a racist snob, says, "if he have . . . the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me."
Number of Words in Complete Public-Domain Text: 27,953.
Hinge Character: Michael Cassio is a hinge on which the play turns. On the one hand, it was his promotion that aroused
Iago's jealously. On the other, it was his alleged (but nonexistent) love affair with Desdemona that aroused Othello's jealousy.
Planted Evidence: Writers often use "planted evidence" as a ploy to impugn an innocent character and thereby thicken the plot. Knives, guns, caches of jewels, umbrellas, and cigarette lighters have all been used by writers to suggest that an innocent character is guilty. The 19th Century playwright Oscar Wilde often resorted to such ploys to complicate his plots.
One of his plays, Lady Windermere's Fan , relies heavily on seemingly incriminating evidence--a fan and a handwritten letter--to implicate an innocent woman. What was the planted evidence in Othello that implicated Desdemona? Describe this evidence and explain its role in convincing Othello that his wife was unfaithful.
Murder Methods: In this play, Othello apparently strangles Desdemona or smothers her with a pillow. (The stage directions say he "stifles" Desdemona.) Murder by pillow or strangulation was only one of a remarkable variety of killing

tools and methods Shakespeare used to send his characters to the beyond. In Antony and Cleopatra , Cleopatra commits suicide via the bite of an asp. In Richard III , Clarence is drowned in a barrel of wine. In Macbeth , hired assassins inflict
"twenty trenched gashes" upon Banquo's head. In Cymbeline , Guiderius decapitates Clotan. In Titus Andronicus , throats are slit and Aaron the Moor is buried up to his chest, then starved. In Hamlet , Claudius murders his predecessor by pouring poison into his ear. In King John , a monk poisons the monarch in the conventional, oral way. This method of kingkilling has been a favorite of assassins since ancient times. It is said that the custom of garnishing food with parsley originated in the time of the Caesars. Parsley was a secret sign from a friend in the kitchen that food was uncontaminated.
Othello as Hero: Hellen Gardner observes, "Othello is like a hero of the ancient world in that he is not a man like us, but a man recognized as extraordinary. He seems born to do great deeds and live in legend. He has the obvious heroic qualities of courage and strength, and no actor can attempt the role who is not physically impressive. He has the heroic capacity for passion. But the thing which most sets him apart is his solitariness. He is a stranger, a man of alien race, without ties of nature or natural duties. His value is not in what the world thinks of him, although the world rates him highly, and does not derive in any way from his station. It is inherent. He is, in a sense, a self-made man, the product of a certain kind of life which he has chosen to lead...."--Gardner, Hellen. Quoted in Bender, David, publisher. Readings on the
Tragedies of William Shakespeare . San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996 (Page 140).
Buon Giorno, Mr. Shakespeare: Did Shakespeare visit Italy? His writings suggest that he did. Consider that more than a dozen of his plays--including The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, All's Well That Ends Well, Othello, Coriolanus,
Julius Caesar, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing , and The Winter's
Tale all have some or all of their scenes set in Italy. Consider, too, that plays not set in Italy are often well populated with people having Italian names. For example, although The Comedy of Errors takes place in Ephesus, Turkey, the names of many of the characters end with the Italian ''o'' or ''a'':-Angelo, Dromio, Adriana, Luciana . In Hamlet's Denmark, we find characters named Marcellus, Bernardo and Francisco . Practically all of the characters in Timon of Athens bear the names of ancient Romans-Lucullus, Flavius, Flaminius, Lucius, Sempronius, Servillius, Titus, Hortensius . Of course, it is quite possible that Shakespeare visited Italy only in his imagination.
The action begins in Venice (in northern Italy) and Cyprus (an island in the eastern Mediterranean about 40 miles south of present-day Turkey). The time is between 1489 and 1571. It is interesting to note that Venice is the setting for both major
Shakespeare plays dealing in part with racial prejudice-Othello and The Merchant of Venice . As one of the world's leading sea powers, Venice was the center of commercialism and materialism and, therefore, corruption and conflict arising from avarice, social status, and fierce competition. Cyprus--as a strategically located island which yielded substantial harvests of olives, grapes and various grains--was much prized throughout its history. Assyrians, Greeks,
Egyptians, Romans, and Byzantines all fought over and occupied it. England's King Richard I, the Lion-Hearted, conquered Cyprus in 1191 but later ceded it to the French. Venice seized the island in 1489 and in 1571 the Ottoman
Turks brought Cyprus under its control.
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Date Written: Probably between 1602 and 1604.
Probable Main Sources: .
Ecatommiti, (also called Hecatommithi) , published in Venice in 1566 and written by Giovanni
Battista Giraldi (1504-1573), also known as Cinthio. Ecatommiti means "One Hundred Tales."
First Performance: Possibly November 1, 1604.
First Printing: 1622 in a quarto edition ; 1623 as part of the First Folio .The First Folio version omits oaths and curses that appeared in the quarto edition in compliance with a law passed by Parliament that forbade blasphemous language in stage dramas.
Type of Play: Tragedy.
--from http://sites.micro-link.net/zekscrab/Othello.html