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comment on Italy
Italy had what Norman Sanders has called a “double image”. On one hand, it was a land of refinement and romance, a model of civilisation. However, it is also associated with decadence, villainy, and vice (explored through Iago’s character).
Setting of Venice
Venice had a reputation as a city of wealth and sophistication, but was also perceived as a place of loose morals.
Venice had a reputation as a cosmopolitan and
diverse city, full of wealth and political stability. Venice was also known for its population’s diversity and exotic as it had close trading ties with North Africa and the Middle East.
In the minds of Shakespeare’s English audience, Venice was therefore a place simultaneously
associated with exotic excitement and dangerous otherworldliness. It seems alluring and
almost mystical in its exoticism, but also a place on the edge of ‘civilisation’ and therefore
something to be feared
The moral geography is further deepened by Shakespeare’s deliberate choice to have Desdemona
derive from Venice: the prosperous Italian city full of white people, a city renowned for prostitution.
When the English thought about Venice, they imagined a city of culture and civilisation, but also a
city of corruption, conflict, and promiscuous women.
Setting of Cyprus
the conflict and danger of the setting is are mirrored in the tragic events that unfold there
In contrast to Venice, Cyprus is a fortified island with a heavy military presence due to threats of invasion of the Turkish. Cyprus is a more lawless place than Venice
Comment on Cyprus
Cyprus was even more unknown, therefore more dangerous, and closer to the Arab and Turkish
world. The further the play is removed from Western Europe, the more civilisation and honour
break down.
Greek myth associated with Cyprus
Greek myth Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love was thought to have risen from the sea on the west coast of Cyprus. Cyprus is a fitting and ironic setting for a tragedy about love.
Cyprus- a place of danger
Because of the continuous wars between Christians and Muslims, Cyprus is a place associated with danger and isolation.
locations in Shakespeare’s plays can be symbolic
descriptions of places are used to create a specific dramatic mood or situation. The storm in Cyprus that opens Act 2 is described verbally, to create a mood of tension for the audience.
By setting the play in Venice, Shakespeare perhaps wanted to emphasise Othello’s descent from being this eloquent, successful war hero heralded in Venice to an erratic, brutal and detestable figure
Most of the events of the play take place outside of Venice in Cyprus, which could serve to highlight the civilised society in Venice and how the shift from this to a warzone is reflected in the tragic downfall of Othello
