In Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, the Moor of Venice, Othello is frequently referred to as a Moor. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. in History at the California State University in Long Beach. Within 100 years this Islamic empire stretched from modern-day Morocco in North Africa to eastern Iran. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Moors, nomadic people of the northern shores of Africa, originally the inhabitants of Mauretania . They often stood out with a darker skin tone, drawing attention to their non-European and non-Christian heritage. Othello was written some time between 1600 and 1605. Overcome with jealousy, Othello kills Desdemona. Venice, Italy in the late 1500s was populated primarily by white people. Elizabethans used the word "moor" to refer to both 79 lessons Who were the Moors in Othello? Meaning being married to him has tarnished her reputation. and those from sub-Saharan Africa. The Moors were from Africa and the middle east. Shakespeare made a point to challenge this view of foreigners and Moors in particular by making the hero of Othello a respected military hero of African descent. hero. Because they no longer existed anywhere in Western Europe Moors became mythical. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Alternate titles: Othello, the Moor of Venice, Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Humanities and Chair of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Chicago. When the Moors Ruled in Europe. After time in Venice, Othello is appointed general in the Venetian Army. They were chiefly of Berber and Arab stock. What if we could clean them out? Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. In early modern English, however, the primary usage of the term Moor was as a religious, not a racial, identification: Moor meant Mohamedan, that is to say Muslim. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The Quran was misinterpreted as the sources of these evil traits. Join British historian Bettany Hughes as she examines a long-buried chapter of European history--the rise and fall of Islamic culture in what is now Spain and Portugal. Othellos blackness is referred to several times in the play, and Shakespeare was no stranger to Christian Negroes. 'Moors' were seen as lustful, lascivious, devilish and sexually experienced. This same year, the Spanish monarchs decided to fund Christopher Colombus which began the Age of Exploration and resulted in Spanish control of a majority of the New World from California to Chile and Argentina. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The Moors initially were the indigenous Maghrebine Berbers. Although Othello is a Moor, and although we often assume he is from Africa, he never names his birthplace in the play. They were the wealthy, catholic people of Venice, who looked down on the dirty Moors . Over time, the constant highlighting of his race begins to weigh on Othello, and he begins to internalize their labels and feel as though he is lesser because of his race. However, once Iberia was captured from the Visigoths during the Middle Ages, they began to move more and more into modern-day Spain and Portugal. Algebra and the Algebraic number system that is used in Europan languages today originated in the Muslim world. At the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, defeats a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Othello's first known performance was on November 1, 1604, at Whitehall Palace in London, when "the Kings Maiesties plaiers" performed "A Play in the Banketinge house at Whit Hall Called The Moor of Venis" attributed to "Shaxberd". Lauren has taught English at the university level and has a master's degree in literature. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Ultimately, the external racism and prejudice towards Othello are what induce his self-destruction repetitively evident throughout the well-woven tale. 15 Things You Did Not Know About the Moors of Spain. This was the result of many factors, one major one being how advanced the Muslim world was compared to Europe in the Middle Ages. The text published in the First Folio of 1623 seems to have been based on a version revised by Shakespeare himself that sticks close to the original almost line by line but introduces numerous substitutions of words and phrases, as though Shakespeare copied it over himself and rewrote as he copied. In Othello, Othello is described as having dark skin and is a general in the Venetian army fighting for Christianity. Othello is the target of some pretty offensive racial remarks and ideas. The government and rulers of this area changes several times over the centuries that is existed. Explore each of the following locations: Venice - off the coast, is in Italy and is very obviously influenced by Italian culture, has tons of waterways and small buildings with stone roads between them. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Othello and Desdemona by Frederick Richard Pickersgill, 1859. How were the Moors/Venetians regarded in Shakespeares day? Its proof of the ongoing allure of Moor as a seemingly legitimate ethnic designationeven though its meaning has never been clear. 4 How were the Moors regarded in Othello? The Moors were a nomadic people from North Africa; originally they . For a discussion of this play within the context of Shakespeares life and works, see William Shakespeare: The tragedies. o Othello was based on a short story in a collection of 100 domestic stories in the book Hecatommithi , written by the Italian writer Cinthio Giambattista Giraldi ( 1504 - 1574 ) . He certainly seems to take great pleasure in preventing Othello from enjoying marital happiness, and he expresses his love for Othello frequently and effusively. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? The. Rather, it is to find a single point of entry to help us think about the play as a whole. and 1492 C.E. These people had a mixed heritage: they originated from the Berbers (an indigenous Caucasian people). This united empire had the resources and funds to mount an invasion of Iberia. Othello (full title: The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice) is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603.The story revolves around two characters, Othello and Iago. And that was why people from different places stared being called moors and Turks, because they were moors and Turks or at least they were governed by them (Neill, pg 364-365) Some may try to claim that Othello being called a moor is purely symbolism, just like the Jew in The Jew of Malta; it is used for symbolism, as some sort of sarcastic humor. Moorish culture continues to remain relevant in large part due to the Moorish Science Temple of America. Advertisement . How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Othello, by extension, takes the roles of Gentile and barbarian in Paul's divi- sions of the human kingdom. All rights reserved. Iago also uses plant images to explain his own role in the action of the play. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Shakespeare wrote three characters who were specifically Al-Andalus slowly became separate from the rest of the Muslim World and developed its unique culture which heavily influenced Spain, Portugal, their colonies, and Europe in general. In contrasting the Moors of the sixth century with another racial group in North Africa, Procopius (circa 550 A.D.) wrote that: "they were not [] For this reason, Al-Andalus became a beacon for European Jews and Muslim rule began a golden age of Jewish scholarship and thought in Europe because of this freedom. Ben Arogundade shares author Peter Ackroyd's theory of Othello as a Spanish Moor based on historical context. Shakespeare made a point to challenge this view of foreigners and Moors in particular by making the hero of Othello a respected military hero of African descent. that time made no distinction between Africans from North Africa flashcard sets. 2. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. and 718 C.E. He reportedly was of Moorish descent, however, by this he simply meant he was related to a man from Central Africa. and those from sub-Saharan Africa. Between 711 C.E. "It is a mistake to consider Othello to be of African or West Indian origin," he states. Othello- Historical Context. Abstract. This golden age led to an influx of writers, philosphers and playwrights of one which is Shakespeare. In the play Othello (and in any other work in English from the He could not keep a calm mind and reason things out. The climax of Othello is when Othello goes into Desdemona's room The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". [14] Modern meanings To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. 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There were two types of ranked officers: general and lieutenant. Ben Arogundade shares author Peter Ackroyds theory of Othello as a Spanish Moor based on historical context. Posted on May 21, 2015 by rh161368. The same was true for Othello. Othello is repeatedly "otherized" by the other characters in the play, beginning in Act 1, Scene 1 with Roderigo and Iago. In William Shakespeare's Othello, racism is certainly featured throughout the play. 29 chapters | Alhambra is still a major tourist attraction and is a reminder of how influential Muslim presence in Iberia was. both ways. Instead, the concept of Moors has been used to describe alternatively the reign of Muslims in Spain, Europeans of African descent, and others for centuries. They are Aaron in Titus We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.