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Includes an overview of Giraldi Cinthio’s Hecatommithi as a main source, outlines key plot elements, and highlights important textual differences between the source tale and Shakespeare’s 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................................................................................................. 1  \nd In Context ..................................................................................................... 1  \na Author Biography ..................................................................................... 2  \nh Characters .................................................................................................. 3  \nk Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 6  \nc Scene Summaries .................................................................................. 10  \ng Quotes ......................................................................................................... 19  \nl Symbols ..................................................................................................... 20  \nm Themes ........................................................................................................ 21  \nb Motifs .......................................................................................................... 22  \ne Suggested Reading .............................................................................. 22  \nj Book Basics  \nAUTHOR  \nWilliam Shakespeare  \nYEARS WRITTEN  \n1603–04  \nGENRE  \nTragedy  \nABOUT THE TITLE  \nThe original title of the play, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, creates tension between Othello's ethnicity as a Moor and his residence in the predominantly white Venice. The  \nshortened version of the title, Othello, draws attention only to the play's tragic hero.  \nd In Context  \nVenice and the Ottoman Empire  \nThe play is set in the 16th century, at a time when Venice was in constant conflict with the Ottoman Empire over control of the Adriatic Sea. The Ottomans are the \"Turks\" of the play, and the Ottoman Empire became what is modern-day Turkey. Cyprus, a small island off the coast of Greece, was a profitable location for trade and had been under the influence of Venice since Caterina Cornaro, a Venetian noblewoman, married James II, the king of Cyprus, in the late 1400s. After the death of James II, she became ruler of the island but eventually abdicated, allowing Venice full control of Cyprus. The island was strategically placed for the Venetian military to launch attacks against the Ottomans. In the play, Othello's military successes on behalf of Venice are set within this conflict—even though by Shakespeare's time, Cyprus was already part of the Ottoman Empire, which had taken it in a 1570 military action.  \nShakespeare's Treatment of Race  \nOthello's identity as a Moor may link him with Arab and Berber North Africans who lived in medieval Spain and remained thereafter the fall of Granada in 1492, which ended Muslim rule on the Iberian peninsula, until they were later forced to leave in  \n1609. Iago's reference to Othello as a \"Barbary horse\" may also link Othello with the Barbary people of North Africa. Thereis evidence that an ambassador from Barbary visited London in 1600 to advocate for an alliance against Spain, and Shakespeare may have been familiar with the event. At the time, it was noted that the ambassador and his attendants practiced religious rites that contrasted with Christianity and were likely Muslim. Alternatively, Shakespeare may use the term Moor to refer to a black African who was not necessarily from Spanish or North African Muslim descent. Yet, Queen Elizabeth, in 1601, referred to Spanish Moors when she tried to ban them from Britain.  \nRegardless of the specifics of Othello's ethnic background, he is set apart as something other in the mostly white European culture in which he resides. While his character bridges this divide with European traits such as Christianity, military success against a Muslim empire, and nobility, Othello's differences make him vulnerable to Iago's manipulations,","cbCaisYXJmgazzmk","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisYXJmgazzmk","pdf",225077,22,"English","# Book Basics\n## In Context\n## Author Biography\n## Characters\n## Plot Summary\n## Scene Summaries\n## Quotes\n## Symbols\n## Themes\n## Motifs\n## Suggested Reading","[{\"question\":\"What does the study guide explain about the title Othello?\",\"answer\":\"It describes how the original full title emphasizes tension around Othello’s Moor identity versus Venice, while the shortened title focuses attention on Othello as the tragic hero.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the guide connect the play’s setting to Venice and the Ottoman Empire?\",\"answer\":\"It explains that the play is set in the 16th century during ongoing Venetian–Ottoman conflict over the Adriatic, and that Cyprus is tied to Venetian strategy and Ottoman control.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the main source of Shakespeare’s Othello mentioned in the guide?\",\"answer\":\"The guide identifies Giraldi Cinthio’s Hecatommithi as the main source and summarizes its narrative of a Moor in Venice, a virtuous woman, a scheming ensign, and the resulting deaths and torture.\"}]","Othello - Study Guide - Shakespearean Tragedy Overview | PDF",1789940641,55]