Shakespeare chose Venice as a location for Othello because it was a wealthy and powerful city, while Cyprus was seen as a distant and exotic location for military action.
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Venice and Cyprus were carefully chosen by Shakespeare as the locations for his tragedy, Othello. Venice was a prosperous and significant city in the 16th century and was known for its unique political and social structure. It was also a key center for trade and commerce. Othello, being a high-ranking military commander, is sent to serve in Cyprus, a small island in the eastern Mediterranean. Cyprus was a colony of the Venetian Empire at the time the play was written and was seen as a desirable location for a military expedition.
According to an article on The British Library website, “Shakespeare’s use of Cyprus and Venice is fascinating. He contrasts the European, civilised city of Venice with the small, less-civilised Mediterranean island of Cyprus, where Othello is sent to fight for Venice. This provides a backdrop for many of the central themes of the play: race, love, jealousy, and betrayal.”
Interestingly, as noted by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Cyprus was not commonly known or used as a location in English plays at the time. This adds to the play’s unique and exotic feel.
Another fascinating detail is that Venetian culture was quite different from English culture at the time of the play’s writing. The British Library explains that “Venetians were said to be more effeminate than Englishmen…By setting his plays in Venice, Shakespeare could create a space in which English masculinity could be both observed and challenged.”
In a table format, the chosen locations and their significance can be summarized as follows:
| Location | Significance |
|---|---|
| Venice | A prosperous and significant city with unique political and social structure, and a key center for trade and commerce |
| Cyprus | A small, less-civilized Mediterranean island, and a desirable location for a military expedition |
Overall, Shakespeare’s choice of Venice and Cyprus as locations for Othello underscores the societal and cultural differences of the time and provides a backdrop for exploring the play’s themes of love, jealousy, betrayal, and race.
Identified other solutions on the web
Shakespeare often uses different locations to represent mindsets. In Othello, Venice represents civilization, while Cyprus symbolizes the wilderness. The idea is that what happened in the Cyprus never would happen in the civilized city of Venice.
So, the simplest answer is that this is how he found the story, so this is the way he wrote the story. Certainly it could also play in to his thinking that the audience was much more intrigued with the more exotic locales of Italy and the island of Cyprus as places and people to "visit" while attending the performance.
Related video
The video explores the significance of the settings, Venice and Cyprus, in Shakespeare’s play, Othello. Venice, a powerful and threatened city, is explored through its symbolic fairness. Meanwhile, Cyprus is described as a meeting point between the east and west, society and liberation, order, and chaos. The video delves into various scenes in the play, including the opening in a dark street and the personal scene between Emilia and Desdemona. The change in setting from Venice to Cyprus is also discussed, with the evil and darkness in Cyprus symbolizing blindness to reality. Finally, the video prompts viewers to engage in independent learning and compare the similarities and differences between Venice and Cyprus before exploring the sources Shakespeare drew from in the next video.
You will most likely be intrigued
Why was Othello set in Venice and Cyprus?
The response is: Othello is set in Venice, presumably sometime in the latter half of the sixteenth-century. Venice was at war with the Ottoman empire between 1570 and 1573, so the play’s reference to the threat of an attack on Cyprus could reflect a setting sometime during this period.
What is the significance of the setting of Cyprus in Othello?
Ironically, Cyprus was also revered as the birthplace of Venus Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who was reputedly born in ocean foam and washed ashore near Nicosia. Inspired by this amorous deity, Cyprus provides the perfect location for Iago to convince Othello of his wife’s sexual infidelity.
Why is Venice the setting of Othello?
As a response to this: Venice is a place where Othello is an outsider and he marries Desdemona in secret. Venice is ruled by a senate which includes a ‘Duke’ and several senators. There is a war happening against the Turks and there are different ranks in the army. Othello is a general and has a high level of command.
Why does Shakespeare move the action of his play from Venice to Cyprus in Othello?
The answer is: Why does Shakespeare move the action of his play from Venice to Cyprus? So all the characters are released from the influence & authority Venice had over them, giving them independence.
Why did Shakespeare set Othello in Venice?
Why did Shakespeare choose to set the play Othello in Venice? Shakespeare set Othello in Venice because it allowed for the play to take place on an island and for a naval battle with the Turks. It is set in Venice because Shakespeare uses it to make the play more interesting
Where is Shakespeare’s Othello set?
Shakespeare’s Othello is subtitled “The Moor of Venice”, and as such the play has a few scenes at the beginning set in Renaissance Venice. However, most of the play is set in Cyprus, in a selection of public places, and various places in and around a castle.
Why did Shakespeare put the setting in Venice?
As a response to this: Venice was at war with the Ottoman empire between 1570 and 1573, so the play’s reference to the threat of an attack on Cyprus could reflect a setting sometime during this period. Why did Shakespeare place the setting in Venice? Venice is an exciting, cosmopolitan setting for the play because it’s a hotspot for trade.
What does the transition from Venice to Cyprus mean for Othello?
The answer is: The transition of setting from Venice to Cyprus puts Othello outside the immediate control of Venician authority and Desdemona beyond the disapprobation of prating Brabantio. It is the ‘fleshing out’ of sorts of their free will. An isolated military outpost symbolises both deliberate alienation from the norm and independance from control.
Why did Shakespeare set Othello in Venice?
Answer: Why did Shakespeare choose to set the play Othello in Venice? Shakespeare set Othello in Venice because it allowed for the play to take place on an island and for a naval battle with the Turks. It is set in Venice because Shakespeare uses it to make the play more interesting
Where is Shakespeare’s Othello set?
The reply will be: Shakespeare’s Othello is subtitled “The Moor of Venice”, and as such the play has a few scenes at the beginning set in Renaissance Venice. However, most of the play is set in Cyprus, in a selection of public places, and various places in and around a castle.
Why did Shakespeare put the setting in Venice?
Venice was at war with the Ottoman empire between 1570 and 1573, so the play’s reference to the threat of an attack on Cyprus could reflect a setting sometime during this period. Why did Shakespeare place the setting in Venice? Venice is an exciting, cosmopolitan setting for the play because it’s a hotspot for trade.
What happens when Othello moves from Venice to Cyprus?
When Othello moves from Venice to Cyprus he experiences a shift in how he acts and how he is treated, leads to his downfall. While in Venice, Othello is introduced as a smart and loving man. He won the heart of Desdemona honestly, and he loves her without question. He is also a peaceful man.