The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, is believed to have been written in the year 1603 approximately, and based on the short story Un Capitano Moro (A Moorish Captain) by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565. In Othello, Shakespeare creates powerful drama from a marriage between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona that begins with elopement and mutual devotion and ends with jealousy rage and death. Shakespeare builds many differences into his hero and heroine, including race, age, and cultural background. Yet most readers and audiences believe the couple’s strong love would overcome these differences were it not for Iago, who sets out to destroy Othello. Due to Iago’s false insinuations about Desdemona’s infidelity, Othello comes up with a secret plan, and Desdemona is subjected to Othello’s horrifying verbal and physical assaults.
Othello is still often performed in professional and community theatres alike and has been the basis for numerous operatic, film, and literary adaptations.
