1 November: Othello

On this date in 1604, William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello was first presented at Whitehall Palace in London. 10 things you might not know about Othello:

1. Shakespeare's source for the play was a short story called Un Capitano Moro (‘A Moorish Captain’), written by the Italian author Cinthio (real name Giovanni Battista Giraldi) as part of a collection. Shakespeare must have been a fan, since his play Measure for Measure was inspired by this source as well.
2. In Cinthio's story, none of the characters have names apart from Desdemona. They are referred to instead by their ranks. Shakespeare therefore named most of the characters, and it's thought he coined the name Othello, which means wealth.
3. The full name of the play is The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice.
4. The plot, spoiler alert. Othello is a Moorish general in the Venetian army on the eve of war with the Ottoman Turks over the island of Cyprus. He has just married Desdemona, against her father's wishes, and promoted a man named Cassio to the rank of lieutenant. The antagonist of the play is Iago, a scheming ensign. He tries to make Cassio look bad and lose his job by getting him drunk and getting him to start a fight. He claims that Cassio is having it off with Desdemona. This isn't true – Desdemona is completely innocent and devoted to her husband but Othello believes the lie and kills her. Iago's wife Emilia tells him, sadly too late, that Desdemona was innocent. Othello attacks Iago but doesn't kill him, and then kills himself.
5. Iago's motives for being a complete A-hole are never made clear. Is he jealous because he didn't get promoted? Did he want Desdemona for himself? Or something else entirely? In Cinthio's story the unnamed ensign is clearly jealous because he thinks Othello slept with his wife, but Shakespeare adds some other potential motives, and never reveals which of them it was.
6. Othello's race has been a subject of much discussion over the years. A "Moor" could mean he's a Muslim, a black man, and/or an Arab. The word "black" is used several times in the play, eg, "Haply for I am black"; "an old black ram"; Othello denouncing Desdemona's supposed sin as being "black as mine own face"; Brabantio saying it is "unnatural" for Desdemona to desire Othello's "sooty bosom". In Elizabethan times the word black could not only mean what it does today but could simply mean "swarthy" or qualities which have nothing to do with skin colour at all. Roderigo calls Othello "the thicklips", which could also indicate that he was African, but could also have been meant as an insult which had nothing to do with what his lips looked like. Whatever Shakespeare's intention in terms of Othello's race, the idea was that he was an outsider whose difference separated him from the mainstream: "an extravagant and wheeling stranger." There would likely have been no reason, apart from difference, or race, why Brabantio would disapprove of his daughter marrying a distinguished and successful general. Critics are still discussing whether race was meant to be a central theme to the play, or not.
7. In modern times, more often than not, a black actor will play the title role. In Shakespeare's time, there wouldn't have been any black actors and it was 1833 before a black actor took the role on stage. His name was Ira Aldridge, an African American who had come to England in order to become an actor. In the 20th century a white actor would often take the role but would perform in blackface or in a black mask. They included Ralph Richardson, Orson Welles, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and Anthony Hopkins. African American actor Paul Robeson also played Othello several times. In 1997 there was a production with a twist. Patrick Stewart played Othello as a white man while the rest of the cast were black.
8. The theme of "otherness" could be said to extend to women as well. Iago makes derogatory remarks about women, saying they are noisy and worthless except in bed. Othello curses women, too, while in his jealous rage. In Shakespeare's time, female actors were equally rare with female roles usually played by young men. In fact, the first woman to appear on stage as a professional actress did so in December 1660, in a production of Othello, playing Desdemona.
9. There's not much comic relief in Othello. There is a clown, but he only appears in a couple of scenes. The play is widely regarded as one of Shakespeare's most moving. During some of the earliest productions, members of the audience would get into the spirit of things and shout out warnings to the actor playing Othello and threaten to harm Iago.
10. It is this play which gave us the term "green-eyed monster" meaning jealousy, "the beast with two backs" meaning sexual intercourse, and the idea of "wearing one's heart on one's sleeve".

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