When Does the Stageplay "Othello" (1604) Take Place?
"The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice" (often released simply as "Othello") is a historical fiction stageplay written by William Shakespeare [adapting "Un Capitano Moro" (1565) by Cinthio] and performed as early as November 1st, 1604 (according to most scholars).
It takes place in the year:
We know this because Othello is a general in the Venetian army and, in act 1, he is ordered to travel to defend Cyprus (currently part of the real-world Venetian Republic, a Mediterranean petty empire that existed from 697 AD to 1797 AD) from the real-world Ottoman Empire during a 1570 AD attack of the island.
1570 AD
We know this because Othello is a general in the Venetian army and, in act 1, he is ordered to travel to defend Cyprus (currently part of the real-world Venetian Republic, a Mediterranean petty empire that existed from 697 AD to 1797 AD) from the real-world Ottoman Empire during a 1570 AD attack of the island.
The Duke of Venice says, near the end of act 1, "The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes / for Cyprus. Othello, the fortitude of the place is / best known to you. ... You must therefore... / with this / ... expedition."
It is generally believed to be the final siege (in which the Venetians lost Cyprus), which landed on July 3rd, 1570 AD that Othello is sent to fight in the middle of the play. Venice's forces first launched as reinforcements for Cyprus in August of 1570 AD. Othello must have been a commander in this first voyage and not the following 1571 AD ones, as Venetian senators debate early in act 1 whether Cyprus is in danger at all ("There's no composition [corroboration] in this news.") and the news of how badly things were going there first reached Venice AFTER the ships first set sail, in the real world.
The first act of the play occurs in 1 night and the last three acts happen over 2 days, so the entire narrative takes place within 1570 AD.
It was adapted as a stage opera in 1816 as "Otello", then again in 1887, and loosely adapted as a stage musical in 1968 as "Catch My Soul".
It was adapted to film in 1922, again in 1951, again in 1955, again in 1958 as "El-mo’allema", again in 1980, again in 1995, again in 1997 as "Kaliyattam", again in 2001 as "O", then in 2004 as "Souli", and in 2006 as "Omkara".
It was adapted to comics in 2001, then in 2007, and in 2011.
