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The History of Othello

The History of Othello. Shane é Sullivan. In Breif. A.K.A. The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice Based on a Italian short story: Un Captiano Moro (A Moorish Captain) Centered around four themes: love, jelousy, racism, and betrayal. Performance History.

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The History of Othello

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  1. The History of Othello Shaneé Sullivan

  2. In Breif • A.K.A. The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice • Based on a Italian short story: Un Captiano Moro (A Moorish Captain) • Centered around four themes: love, jelousy, racism, and betrayal

  3. Performance History • Has not been a decade when Othello was not staged (except during the time of commonwealth) • First known performances of Othello was in 1604 in WhiteHall for King James VI (Richard Burbage as Othello) • Other performances include royal performances in honor of King James VI’s daughter in 1613 and many performances in the Globe, Blackfriars Theatre and at the Hampton Court from 1610-1636

  4. Performance History • Commonwealth collapse (1660) Charles II reopened theatres • Charles II a royal warrant stating that only women should play the parts of women; that year Margaret Huges (Desdemona) and this prologue was written for the occasion: “ I saw the lady dressed. The woman plays today: mistake me not; No man in gown, or page in petticoat; A woman to my knowledge, yet I can't (If I should die) make affidavit on't.'

  5. Edits • In the 1700’s Othello was molded to fit the style and expectations of the period (offensive speeches were removed from the play) • In the 18th century, Othello’s character was molded to fit traditional hero standards (lines were cut from the play to mask Othello’s rougher character flaws) • Desdemona and Cassio in bed • Othello’s Epileptic Fit • Lines from the Willows Song

  6. Character History • Othello • Richard Burbage- First to play Othello • Edmund Kean- Normally played Iago • Ira Aldridge- first black actor to play Othello in England • Paul Robeson- first black actor to play Othello in USA • Henry Irving and Edwin Booth- alternated roles of Othello/ Iago • Orson Welles • James Earl Jones • Patrick Stewart- portrayed the Moor as a white man and other characters were black actors • Lawrence Fishburne

  7. Othello in Different Genres • Opera • Gioacchino Rossini- No handkerchief, Iago was a reject admirer • Giuseppe Verdi's- closer to Shakespeare’s text, cut from 3500 lines to 800 lines, left out act 1 • Film • Orson Welles (1952) • "O“ • Othello (1995) • Television • Othello (PBS) • Sanford and Son • Ballet • José Limón- The Moor's Pavane (1949) • John Neumeier- Othello (1985)

  8. Fun with Othello • Othello Rap

  9. Works Cited • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/othello/ • http://www.rsc.org.uk/othello/about/stage.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othello

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