Othello by William Shakespeare

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Othello by William Shakespeare

• First performance by the Kings Men on November
  1st, 1604
• Takes place in Venice and the island of Cyprus,
  but was also influenced by Shakespeares native
  England
• The story of Othello, the Moor, who is destroyed
  by Iago the supreme villain

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What is a Moor?

• In Shakespeares time, a Moor was equivalent to
  African and was not necessarily a negative
  word.
• Originally the word Moor meant native of
  Mauritania a country in North Africa.
• However, Othellos intended ethnicity is in some
  dispute. Moor is also a name applied to the
  Arab or Berber peoples of North Africa, who were
  Muslim, and lived in Spain. These people were not
  always dark-skinned.

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So Othello the character was

• He is also a Christian, not a Muslim, and shows
  this throughout the play.

• He was certainly an outsider and different from
  other Venetian men.
• It can be assumed that Othello is dark-skinned.

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The Moor in Shakespeare's time

• In the 17th century, English attitudes towards
  non-Europeans were not always empathetic.
• Any person who was different was usually quite
  visible due to their exotic dress and customs.

• Moors were commonly referred to as devils or
  villains and were thought to be sexually
  overactive.
• They were also thought to be prone to jealousy
  and generally wicked.

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The Moor in England cont

• The public associated blackness with moral
  corruption citing examples from Christian
  theology that whiteness was the sign of purity.
• Queen Elizabeth did grant the Moors full
  diplomatic recognition out of thanks for their
  help in conquering Spain in 1601 but then she
  deported them citing concerns of over-population.
  
• Moors were not associated with slavery, since the
  slave trade would not be established until the
  late 17th century. Please dont ever call Othello
  an African-American ?

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While these attitudes most certainly connected to
Shakespeares motivation and desire to write
Othello, the play itself actually starts in
Venice and then moves to Cyprus.
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Setting Background

• Venice is in northern Italy and Cyprus is a small
  island in the eastern Mediterranean.
• The time is 1570-1571 when the Ottoman Turks
  attacked Cyprus, a Venetian possession and Venice
  vows to defend Cyprus.
• Possessing Cyprus gave Venice trade and position
  power. Eventually the Venetians were forced to
  give Cyprus to the Turks.

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The Ottoman Empire
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About Venetians in 1570

• Venice was an oligarchic city-state of much
  wealth. Because of its location on the route to
  the holy land, it was actually quite diverse.
• Venice provides an environment for Othello to be
  both revered and despised. According to Venetian
  law, the army general was required to be a
  foreigner. Therefore, Othello would be admired
  for his valor and leadership but feared for his
  otherness. The idea of him marrying a white
  woman of a high position would make him despised.
  
• Othello also tames his otherness by being a
  Christiannot a Muslim.

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Where did Shakespeare get his inspiration for
Othello?

• The principle source for the play is a story by
  an Italian author, Giovanni Battista Giraldi, who
  is also known as Cinthio. In Cinthios story only
  one character was given a name Disdemona
  meaning unlucky

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This is not American Lit!

• No, obviously not, but it is what Early Americans
  would have been reading and discussing.
• Shakespeare is timeless and Othello forces the
  reader to see Othello as a civilized outsider
  who is worthy of our empathy. He is not the
  villain and yet if he were a real person living
  in either Venice or England he would have been
  solely because of his difference.

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Sources

• Johnsen-Neshati, Kristin. A Cultural Context for
  Othello. July 2005
• Sheridan, Gregory. The Expansion of Venice Race
  in Othello. October 98

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Character List

• Othello, the Moor army general, husband to
  Desdemona
• Desdemona, wife of Othello, and daughter of
  Brabantio
• Brabantio, a Venetian senator
• Iago, Othellos ensign or ancient (serves
  Othello, third in command)

• Cassio, Othellos lieutenant (2nd in command)
• Emilia, wife of Iago
• Roderigo, a gentleman tricked by Iago
• Montano, governor of Cyprus
• Duke of Venice
• Lovidico and Gratiano (noble Venetians)