Why Does Shakespeare Move The Play “Othello”, From Venice To Cyprus?
While reading Othello one has to look especially at the settings of the play. The play starts in a Venetian street but ultimately moves to Cyprus and remains there ’till the end. There are various motives in the shifting of the play. First of all, we have to see the difference of the both the states in physical terms. Venice is metropolitan, whereas Cyprus is an underdeveloped city. Similarly, Venice is the colonizer and Cyprus is the colonized. Cyprus is an island covered with water from all the four sides, whereas Venice has water running in the city in form of various canals. All these things contribute to the main action of the play. I will analyse them individually and separately. In a metropolitan area, it was very difficult for Shakespeare to give us a story about the domestic problems of a general. Had the play been set in Venice, the focus would have been and should have been upon the professional life of the general. By moving the play to a city located on margin, Shakespeare
