Historical Context

• First performed in 1604 • Written during Shakespeare’s tragic period • Backdrop of the wars between Venice and Turkey • Shakespeare’s information probably came from The

History of the Turks by Richard Knolles, which was published in England in the autumn of 1603

• 1603: death of Queen Elizabeth 1 • No clear heir to the throne of England • James I of Scotland took the throne • Pirates and privateers were very common

under Elizabeth’s rule• Signed the Treaty of London (1604) with Spain

What does this have to do with Shakespeare?

• Heavily influenced by what is happening in England • Historically, the war between Venice and Turkey

ended in the 1500s• Why would Othello be set to this backdrop? • Parallel to what is happening in England: Spain vs.

England

History of Othello• Not an original creation of Shakespeare’s • “Un Capitono Moro” by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinzio • Original story only contained the outline of Shakespeare’s plot:

Moor general deceived by his ensign (right hand man) into believing his wife is unfaithful

• Shakespeare added new characters, such as Roderigo and Brabanzio, Desdemona’s father

• Compressed the action to the space of a few days • Most important change: changed the ensign (minor villain) inot the

arch-villian Iago• Can be debated that the play is actually about Iago and his

manipulation of the other characters

Othello’s race

• Othello’s race is constantly open to debate• The word “Moor” has a different meaning today • Othell’s darkness or blackness is alluded to many

times in the play • Opposition of black and white imagery is a

marker of difference between Othello and the other characters

• Creates a tension in the play

Heroic or Egotistical?

• Thought to be one of Shakespeare’s most heroic plays • Debates over whether Othello is a heroic character or

simply egotistical • Largest role of a Moor character in Elizabethan

England • Othello is seen to be a noble figure with great

authority and respect• Iago is the only character with a stereotypical view of

Othello (look at his word choice when describing Othello)

A series of 70 paintings depicting love, race, jealousy, and evil

Othello by Nabil Kanso

Themes of the Play

Some of the themes we will be looking at while reading Othello:

• Jealousy • Prejudice• Appearance and Reality

Major Characters

• Iago• Othello• Desdemona