Othello is a play written around 1604 by William Shakespeare. “It is also known as “The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice” under another title. This is one of the world’s most staged and commonly read tragedies. It provides a deep sense of affection that leads to a cruel obsession motivated by envy.
The script is known for its convincing narrative, rich vocabulary, and sad tale. The plot was originally influenced by another text written by Boccaccio’s student Cinthio, “A Moorish Captain”. Such likeness brought more fuel to the rumors that Shakespeare was not the actual writer of his plays, but there is not enough proof to support or dispute such presumptions even today.
Othello is a Moor, a dark-skinned man who holds a high place in the army of Venetia. Shakespeare never states where Othello was raised, but he has African or Middle Eastern ancestry, possibly.
His character’s time predates the large-scale slave trade and bigotry that would become more prevalent later, so the reader should not be fooled about naming Othello black in parts of the play.
