Othello:

Understanding the cultural and

historcial context of the play
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a play written by William Shake-
speare. Commonly believed to be written at around the 1600s, it is one of the pioneering
plays of its day that explicitly depicts racism, along with its relationships with love, lust,
jealousy and insanity in the Elizabethan society (though through a subtle shift of context
to the Venetian Republic). In order to understand the nuanced, complex context of the
play fully, it is imperative that we as readers must first gain a thorough understanding
of the cultural and social background of the play, especially those concerning racial and
gender stereotypes.
Hence, the following pages will lead you through the social conventions of the
Venetian society at the time of the play, in an attempt to understand Othello in a more
informed manner.
1. Racial context
a. Who were the Moors?
The Moors is quite a vague, generic term that was originally derived from the country name Mauri-
tania, but was used to refer to North Africans, West Africans, and even non- white or non- Christian
people in Shakespeares time, and were most frequently described to be dark skinned and swarthy.
The Moors were not of prominent presence in Europe until the Muslim Invasion of Spain during the
700s AD. The Moors were enslaved or served as mercenaries for Arabs during the invasion due to
their supposed ferceness and competence in batle. Many of the Moors remained in Spain after the
invasion and the Moor population began to spread through Europe through time.
The English perspective towards non- Europeans were mostly quite uninformed and vague impres-
sions that were largely moulded by their governments diplomatic policies, and sometimes by exotic
and over- exaggerated tales circulated by travelers and traders. Hence, the Moors were often singled
out in Elizabethan England due to their unusual form of dress, language and customs. During late
1500s, when English and Spanish relationships became increasingly strained, the British monarchy re-
inforced its relationships with North African nations such as Morocco; later, Queen Elizabeth granted
full diplomatic recognition to the Moors in gratitude for their help in conquering Spain. However,
by 1603, all Moors were deported from England in concern of their supposed bestiality, various forms
of irregular activity, and the fear that their prolonged stay in England would lead to overpopula-
tion.
b. Who were the Venetians?
The Venetian Republic was one of the most wealthy and powerful nations of their time, and was
a powerhouse for industry and trade. While the rest of Europe was still largely ruled by monar-
chies, and economic systems and institutions remained highly monopolized and extractive, the
Republic of Venice was a relatively democratic state, and was a hub for political, economic and
cultural innovation.
Politically, Venice was not a complete Republic but rather ruled by a balanced distribution of
power between the Doge and the Council, which consisted of a number of elite capitalist mer-
chants. To beneft their own economic interests, council members, or senators (such as Brabantino
in the play) established system that ensured private property rights and enforceability of con-
tracts, which also served to protect private civilian business from being controlled by the state.
The liberal market model provided an immense incentive for Venetians to engage in trade and in-
vest in various economic ventures, leading to an explosion of trade and industry, and pushing the
income of an average Venetian to well above global levels during that period. Venetian diplomacy
was extraordinarily pragmatic and professional, and mainly served to enhance their own eco-
nomic and commercial interests. The policies adjusted well to political changes, and hence Ven-
ice was very rarely afected by wars and conficts with other nations.Venice was also a relatively
religiously tolerant and fairly secular state, where foreign merchants such as Armenians, Greeks
and Jews could trade and operate without distinction from any Venetian local. Although it was
theoretically a Catholic state, Venice enjoyed an excellent relationship with the Byzantine empire,
and was efectively independent of both Pope and Patriarch.
Economically, Venetians were the frst in the world to develop a foreign exchange system and
credit markets. They established new forms of banking and accountancy and created what mod-
ern terminology would call a government bond market by installing compulsory loans with
regularly paid interests. Merchants in Venice benefted from its efcient fnancial system which
allowed them to quickly proft from their businesses and accumulate capital. The state also grew
increasingly rich from their property tax revenues and excise levies.
Venetia is considered to be pioneers of culture and art at their time. For example, Murano glass is
a type of glass that is produced in one of Venices numerous outlying islands, which involves the
intricate process of manually blowing and moulding glass into stunning pieces of artwork and
ornaments. To this day, the production of Murano glass continues and are considered to be must-
buy souvenirs for tourists. Another notable artistic achievement of Venetia was its architecture.
The most prominent architectural style of Venice is the Venetian Gothic, known for its signifcant
Moorish infuence in their design, such as the use of Islamic foorplans, dome canopies, mosaics
and infected arches, which can be seen in the famed St Marks Basilica and the Ca dOro. Most
importantly, Venices most important contribution to the world would be its innovation and ex-
pertise in ship building and navigation techniques, which contributed to the prosperous develop-
ment of Venices sea trade industry.
c. How were the Moors and the Venetians viewed in Shakespeares time?
The Moors were alternatively or simultaneously seen as noble yet bestial during Shakespearean days. The
Moors had established a solid diplomatic relationship with England, and their ambassadors to Elizabeths
court impressed the English with their eloquence and knowledge, hence they were at some level seen as
noble warriors. Yet, in Elizabethan England, ordinary Moors were a rare sight and hence was treated with
curiosity but also speculation and suspicion; they were sometimes regarded as an entirely diferent, almost
non- human species. It was not uncommon for Moors to be kidnapped by English traders in Africa and
sold to brothels or rich households as an exoctic servant, as a symbol of the familys wealth and status.
The Moors unusual behaviour and dress made them easy targets for bias and discrimination, and they
were often referred to as villains and demons. They were also particularly associated with evilness,
savagery and bestiality, and were thought to be sexually overactive, wanton, and prone to jealousy, an-
ger, and general wickedness. These views were partly due to their skin color - during Shakespeares time,
Christianity depicted whiteness and fairness as a symbol for purity and chastity, while blackness and swar-
thiness were associated with the devil, sinful behaviour and ugliness. Moreover, as Moors were also asso-
ciated to the Islamic faith, the Islamic practice of polygamy and legal concubinage paints Moors as sexually
unrestrained and aggressive men, even though Othello was supposedly a Christian. Moreover, Moors were
frequently thought to be capable of witchcraft and pagan magic, and hence was also considered dangerous
and immoral by the Christian doctrine.
All the stereotypes and racial discrimination mentioned above can be seen from several theatre critiques
of Othello at the time. Some of the plays critics suggested that even if Shakespeare had writen Othel-
lo intending him to be a black character, he really shouldnt have. One Victorian theatre critic said this of
Othellos blackness: this shade does not suit the man. It is a stage decoration, which my taste discards; a
fault of color. To him, Shakespeare choice of skin color was merely random, because he commented that
Othellos coloring was apparently one of the few erroneous strokes of the great masters brush.
Some defenders of Shakespeares Othellos tried to emolliate these critiques by insisting that Othello wasnt
actually a black person, and that any theatre production that portrayed him as such would be inaccurate
and a blatant disregard for Shakespeares original intentions. While in Shakespeares time, Moors could
theoretically be classifed as black, white, or even tawny (such the Prince of Morocco in The Merchant of
Venice), it is quite clear that if the racial slangs in Othello were to be taken seriously, Othello is decidedly
North African or even Sub- Saharan African. Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean regarded playing Othello
in blackface as a gross mistake, and felt that light brown makeup was more representative of the char-
acters partially Caucasian heritage; one French production gave Othello a delicately bronze-tinted face.
The reason behind such makeup decisions were actually because it was believed that lighter skin would be
less repulsive to the ladies in the audience, and that it made seeing the expressions on the actors face an
easier ordeal.
From the above cases it is quite clear that Moors were rarely treated as equals with whites in Shakespeares
time- their true moral identities were shrouded in layers of social speculation and bias, hence leading to
prejudice and discrimination and unfounded fears towards them.
Meanwhile, Venetians were generally considered as romantic, temperamental and passionate people,
which explains why a lot of Shakespeares plays were set in Venice- it provided the suitable dramatic back-
ground for his plays. However due to the Venetians considerable wealth, infuence and national strength,
they were mostly viewed as parallel to the English society, or even counterparts to their society. Most
critics view Venice as a replacement for London, so the atitudes of Venetians mirrors those of Londoners.
Hence the racial scenarios in Othello also be seen as an accurate refection of how the general English pop-
ulation would have viewed the Moors at Shakespeares time.
2. Social Context
a. What was the military hierachy?
According to the Venetian Law, the Venetian Republics army gen-
eral must be a foreigner, hence explaining Othellos ability to rise to
such a high social and political status in the play. Otherwise, military
salaries in the Venetian army were distributed in proportionate to a
generals number of victories- the number of cities and armies they
conquered, and the treasures, slaves and other property that they
have looted from their conquests. Therefore, Othellos would have
had been an extremely competent and successful military general to
have achieved his status in the play.
b. What was the role of women?
While a more cliched view of Elizabethan era women was that
they were treated as sex objects and property of men, the reality
might be slightly more complex than such.
In general, women were seen as the weaker sex, and were to be
protected and dominated over by men.
The treatment of women of nobility and of common class were
vastly diferent. Noble women often enjoyed the best education
available, often through the form of private tutoring. Queen
Elizabeth, a woman, was the most powerful person in England,
and it was known that she defected all suggestions and ofers of
marriage, and was feared by all the men that surrounded her.
However, women of common or lower class were much less for-
tunate. They received no formal education and did not have the
chance to atend school, and any education they received were
related to their future roles as a wife. They learnt how to govern a household, to cook and to clean,
and how to serve their husbands obediently. Another major role of an Elizabethan woman was to
bear children- a woman who gave birth to boys was considered honorable, while girls were seen
as property to be married of once they reach a suitable age. A womans value lied in her marriage
and her relationships with male relatives, and single women were considered witches.
c. What was expected of a daughter?
Daughters were considered property of their fathers. Before marriage, daughters were expected to
help out with household afairs and chores. They were completely controlled by their fathers and
were supposed to obey their fathers every orders, and were even considered fnancial burdens to
d. What was expected of a bride?
Before the marriage, a woman had to remain
a virgin to be considered as a desirable candi-
date for a witf. When a marriage was arranged,
the brides family had to present a dowry to
the males family as the fee of taking care of
the female for the rest of her life. After mar-
riage, the wife was expected to manage all
domestic afairs of the household, and oversee,
if not personally engage in, the daily chores of
the house. This includes cooking, cleaning and
caring for the children in the household.
e. What relationships between men and women were considered above reproach?
Marriage and familial relationships were the only relationships that were considered morally
acceptable in Shakesperaes time. The wife was expected to be completely faithful to her husband
and hence the husband should have no reason to suspect her of infdelity. As for familial relation-
ships, fathers and male family members of the woman were considered to be able to make the best
decisions for a womans future, particularly those regarding her marriage.
f. What were the rules for geting married at the time of the play?
A woman practically had no choice over her spouse- a male was chosen by the females family to
a suitable husband, and the woman was expected to respect her fathers wishes and interests over
her own romantic desires. After a marriage agreement was reached between two households, a
dowry would be prepared by the females family, and the woman would have to prepare herself to
contribute to her husbands household through being adept in domestic afairs and being obedient
and faithful. A marriage will be consummated after the wedding.
g. What were the rules of courtship?
In theory, there were no such thing as dating in Shakespeares time. The only respectable re-
lationships between a man and a woman were familial relationships and marriage. If a man was
interested in a woman, he could go to the females father to ask for permission for marriage. Before
marriage, the man and the woman would be allowed a brief period of courtship, to ensure that the
match was compatible and that the marriage would be somewhat peaceful and loving. Most of the
time, family members and friends would act as matchmakers for potential couples.