Venice, Cyprus & Othello

SHAKESPEARE

Shakespeare’s Venice is imaginary

VENICE

LOCATION

Ideal for war council

WHY VENICE?

STATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

VENICE’S SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

GOVERNMENT

• Took control of Cyprus – 1489• Turks (Ottoman Empire) attack Cyprus –

1539• Take most of island• 60,000 Turks land unopposed – 1570• 20,000 Nicosians put to death when city

captured• Famagusta held out from Sept. 1570 until

Aug. 1571

VENICE, CYPRUS & THE TURKS

Ruins of Famagusta

Castle at Famagusta

Othello Tower - Famagusta

VENICE TODAY

St. Mark’s Place

Inspiration for Othello

OTHELLO

• Adaption of Cinthio’s “A Moorish Captain”• Possibly modeled on Moorish delegations

to England

• Originally Berbers from North Africa• Evolved into any Muslim of Black African

or Arab descent• Moor is a general term, not a specific

race

MOORS

AREA OF MOORISH INFLUENCE

• Quarto - book or pamphlet produced from full 'blanksheets‘

• Printed with eight pages of text, four to a side

• Then folded two times to produce four leaves

• 8 book • Each printed page now presents as one-

fourth size of the full blanksheet

THE TEXT

• Folio - book or pamphlet made up of one or more full sheets of paper

• Four pages of text are printed• Two on each side; each sheet is then

folded once to produce two leaves

• Words or phrases from the Quarto that are not in the Folio are enclosed in <arrow brackets>

• Full lines from Folio, but not appearing in the Quarto are enclosed in [regular brackets]

• Emendations that the editors insert to help understanding are enclosed in ┌ half brackets ┐

THIS EDITION