Othello by William Shakespeare at Salem State University

Othello is set during the Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573). Othello is a Moorish military commander who was serving as a general of the Venetian army in defense of Cyprus against invasion by Ottoman Turks. He has recently married Desdemona, a beautiful and wealthy Venetian lady much younger than himself, against the wishes of her father. Iago is Othello’s malevolent ensign.

Othello appears to have everything – power, position, passion – but soon Iago begins to poison every part of Othello’s life though a campaign of malicious mind games, slowly decimating Othello’s world. Underlying Shakespeare’s tragedy are tensions of class, gender and race which build to a crisis point as we watch Othello make choices built on mistruth and fueled by jealousy.