Setting

Click on the images below to find out more about the setting of Othello and what we know about where the play is set.

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.
Cyprus is a place of conflict where a war is being fought.
There are not many civilians in Cyprus as it is a military base.
Cyprus has fewer rules and Venice is a place where there are strict social expectations.

Every performance of Othello will be set in a place that has all of the things above but they can do that in lots of different ways. For example, the play could be set in any situation of conflict, such as World War I or inside an underground terrorist movement, as long as the facts above are included.

Why do you think changing the world or setting of the play might be helpful for modern audiences? Where might you choose to set Othello?

Teacher Notes

On this page students can explore some of the key things that we know about the setting of Othello by clicking on the pictures.

You can use these pictures, or other images, as a starting point to discuss what they know about the setting of the play and to think about where they would set the play if they were creating their own production. A great way of doing this visually is for students to create a mood board or collage of images that could be used as design inspiration.

The activity in the Teacher Notes on the Productions page develops on this and asks students to think about Venice and Cyprus.