The Setting of Shakespeare’s Othello: Its Symbolic Significance Jamal Subhi Ismail Nafi’ (Al-Quds University, Palestine)
INTRODUCTION Historical Background BOTH EXTERNAL AND internal evidence indicates that Shakespeare’s play Othello must have been composed about the year 1604. It must have been written after Hamlet (1603). It is mentioned in the Revels book, which records that a play called Othello was staged in 1604. Its workmanship also indicates that it must have been composed about this year. It is a well-established fact that Shakespeare did not invent his own plots. He borrowed his plots from a variety of sources. But what he borrowed, he transformed into something new and far superior. Othello is no exception in this respect. Its story is borrowed from a novel The Moor of Venice written by a Sicilian novelist by the name Giraldi Cinthio. Even though in the main outline Shakespeare has followed the original, he has handled it with perfect freedom. He has omitted several incidents which he could not utilize and added a few characters— Barbantio, Roderigo, Montano and others—all for well-defined dramatic purposes. He wove the threads of the plot far more closely together than did Cinthio, making Iago responsible for Cassio’s disgrace, and Iago’s wife for the final resolution of the intrigue. And he quickened the speed of the action until, once the plot is fairly started, it seems to sweep before us in one unbroken succession of events. In this way, he imparted speed and intensity to the action.
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