As with many Shakespeare plays, it is impossible to be precise about the date of writing, but it is thought that Othello was penned circa 1603.
Background of the Play
The play deals with themes of jealousy, love, betrayal, ambition and racism. It is, therefore, just as relevant today as it was in the early seventeenth century.
When writing Othello, Shakespeare borrowed heavily from an Italian story entitled Un Capitano Moro, written by the novelist and poet Cinthio. Cinthio seems to have interested Shakespeare greatly, as he also used his work as a source when writing Measure for Measure.
Racism in Othello
Racism is a huge issue within the play and there are those who argue that the play itself is racist. However, it is important to realise that Othello is very much the hero of the play. Shakespeare intends for his audience to be firmly on the side of Othello.
The racism of the play comes from his fellow Venetians. Particularly Brabantio who is vehemently against his daughter’s interracial marriage. This is an interesting point, because it illustrates just how far ahead of his time Shakespeare was. It is worth bearing in mind that Interracial marriage was illegal in some states of the U.S. until 1967. However, in the early 1600s Shakespeare is portraying a happy and loving marriage between two people of different races. Arguably, this was not seen again in literature or theatre, until the 1967 film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Racism is undoubtedly a feature of the play, but it is, in actual fact, incidental. It does serve a theatrical purpose in that it marks Othello as an outsider. The other by-product of the race issue is to portray Othello as a man of great worth, who has risen to the position of governor, despite the prejudice against him. However, the core of the play has very little to do with race. Iago’s reasons for destroying Othello have nothing to do with the colour of his skin. Instead, Iago’s actions are motivated out of jealousy and ambition.
Iago: Archetypal Villain
Iago is an overtly Machiavellian character. Shakespeare appears to have developed Iago from earlier works, such as Richard III. There is also a link to Medieval Morality plays. Iago represents the character of Vice, who, in the Morality plays, was always given the most elaborate language.
Iago is undoubtedly the most eloquent of the characters (although Othello also has some wonderful verse), but this partly due to necessity. He has to be the most articulate, because it is his power of persuasion that allows Othello to be taken in by his lies and manipualtion.
He dominates the play with numerous soliloquies, in which he reveals his true colours to the audience. However, Iago is a fascinating character in that his actions are never really understood.
It is clear that he feels snubbed by the promotion of Cassio, but this alone does not seem adequate motive for the carnage caused in the final scenes. At the end of the play, when Iago is asked ‘why?’ his response is merely “What you know, you know.”(V.ii)
The play ends quite abruptly with a deus ex machina, consisting of the revelation of letters written between Roderigo and Iago. This has led some to believe that Shakespeare finished writing the play in a hurry, or simply did not know how to bring the work to a satisfactory conclusion.
The letters aside, Iago’s response is in character and is likely to have been a very deliberate inclusion by Shakespeare. Iago is one of the great villains of English literature and it is fitting that his actions are never justified. This is another way in which Shakespeare ensures that Othello is an inherently ‘good’ character. An audience feels empathy for his ordeal and contempt for the character that caused it.
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