Othello is a Moorish general in the Venetian army who has secretly married the beautiful Desdemona, daughter of a Senator. His single-minded determination to destroy Othello consumes several lives, and he admits no regret or remorse. He is one of Shakespeare’s great villains. Othello’s weakness is born from the great love he feels for Desdemona.Īnd though the play is titled Othello, it is Iago who remains the most compelling and debated character. All of his actions are spurred by Iago, who manipulates those around him with impunity. Othello fits within Shakespeare’s canon of tragic heroes, a genuinely noble man who is simply consumed by an overpowering feeling. However, this is too simplistic an interpretation. ![]() Some scholars argue that Shakespeare’s implication was that races should not mix. This is contrasted with the pure whiteness of Desdemona. Othello is a Moor, and there are various references to his dark skin and swarthy appearance. Much of the debate about Othello concerns the portrayal of different races in the play. Cinthio’s story does not name the characters, merely assigning them roles such as “Moor”, “Ensign”, etc There is also the possibility that Shakespeare was inspired by a Moorish delegation to the court of Elizabeth I around 1600. Interestingly, this would imply that Shakespeare had a working knowledge of Italian since an English translation of Cinthio was not available in his lifetime. It is believed that Shakespeare took the broad outline of the story from the Italian writer Cinthio’s tale, A Moorish Captain. Who inspired the famous character of Othello, the Moor of Venice who is driven to near madness by jealousy? Once again, there is no definite answer, only scholarly conjecture. Modern adaptations are thus based upon the First Folio version, and scholars surmise the quarto was either an earlier, briefer version of the play, perhaps intended for traveling companies. However, the First Folio version is considerably longer, though it lacks about a dozen scattered lines from the quarto. A quarto was published in 1622, and it was included in the First Folio a year later. The first mention of the play is in a 1604 government account of its performance at Whitehall. Scholars generally accept 1603 / 1604 as probable, though others date it a few years earlier. ![]() Its exact date of composition, like much of Shakespeare’s work, is unknown. Othello is one of the longest of Shakespeare’s plays. It was popular in Shakespeare’s time and is notable among his works for rarely being altered during the 17th and 18th centuries (when Shakespeare’s works were rather liberally ‘adapted’ by theater companies.) In modern times, it has sparked debate due to its subtext of race and miscegenation. Othello is perhaps the most famous story of romantic jealousy ever written. The Tragedy of OTHELLO, the Moor of Venice
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