Placing Othello

While much of Othello takes place on the island of Cyprus, the play opens in and is colored by the city of Venice. As we've discussed in class, Venice served as a gateway between East and West on the Mediterranean. Its streets and buildings showed signs of influence from a variety of cultures, religions, and regions. In the image above, you'll see evidence on this in the domes and arches of St. Mark's Cathedral.

For Paper 1, you are welcome to write on Othello. In what ways does place or setting produce meaning in the play? What ideas do you have about how you might incorporate our discussions of Othello into your assignment? into our broader conversations on the importance of place, space, and location in forming identity?