Shakespeare sets Othello apart from the very beginning by referring to him as "The Moor of Venice," emphasizing his difference in the title of the play. Who were moors in Othello? Africans (or Moors, as they called them then.) For centuries, Christian groups challenged Muslim territorial dominance in al-Andalus and slowly expanded their territory. The Moors were a Muslim people of mixed Berber and Arab descent who populated the Maghreb region of northwest Africa during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. In this course, we'll read William Shakespeare's Othello and discuss the play from a variety of perspectives. Photo courtesy Library of Congress While the question is logical to me, as a reader, a director, and a lover of Shakespeare, it's not. Nathan Murphy received his B.A. o Othello was based on a short story in a collection of 100 domestic stories in the book Hecatommithi , written by the Italian writer Cinthio Giambattista Giraldi ( 1504 - 1574 ) . Is Othello a Venetian soldier? Moors became a popular source of inspiration for European authors and playwrights in the decades and centuries following the Reconquista. Where is the land of the Moors? that time made no distinction between Africans from North Africa What is are the functions of diverse organisms? In Othello, Othello is described as having dark skin and is a general in the Venetian army fighting for Christianity. Cyprus - Is an island, Looks more like a resort than a place to live, Has a very large city almost directly in the center of the island. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. They spread their technology, crops, and other innovations to the region. Iago recounts that Cassio supposedly called out to Desdemona in his sleep, telling her to be cautious and hide their love. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. This presence even impacted broader European culture, traditions, and literature. However, once Iberia was captured from the Visigoths during the Middle Ages, they began to move more and more into modern-day Spain and Portugal. In Shakespeares time, Moors could be from Africa, but they could also be from the Middle East, or even Spain. The Moor's origins in Spain begin here when North African Moors were conquered by the Islamic empire and agreed to help begin an invasion of Europe. Because they were there so long, they had a long-lasting impact on Spanish culture as well as the European relationship with Islam. When he suspects Desdemona cheating on him, Othello says her name is now "begrimed and black / as mine own face." Moorland habitats mostly occur in tropical Africa, northern and western Europe, and neotropical South America. Flag. Editor of. While it can mean many things, it's certain that the term is racially and culturally charged, and not in a flattering way. Specifically, in Act 1, Scene 1 of the play, Othello is talked about for a long time, yet his name is never mentioned. Moors were people who lived in North Africa and this word is used generally by European sometimes to denote Muslims or Black people. It was staged on 2/ 30/1610 at the Globe Theatre, and at Oxford in 9/1610. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved What are the Physical devices used to construct memories? They instead believe that they are descended from the Moors of Spain and North Africa. Moor in original Greek simply means black. The reason experts struggle to assume Othello was black is because of the ambiguity of the word Moor during Shakespeares time. What if we could clean them out? He described Moors as one of five main population groups on the continent alongside Egyptians, Abyssinians (Abassins), Arabians and Cafri (Cafates). to kill her. The Moorish style is popular in many countries like the United States and European countries that don't traditionally have a large Muslim population. The characters follow suit and perpetuate that ''otherness'' throughout the play. Although most of them live in Morocco, Moors can also be found in Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Niger, and Gambia. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. After time in Venice, Othello is appointed general in the Venetian Army. How do I choose between my boyfriend and my best friend? Tintoretto is best known for his paintings that still hang as they did centuries ago in the churches and famous public buildings in Venice, including the Doges Palace. I feel like its a lifeline. It can also be used in verb form: the act of othering is the act of making someone an other, which is precisely what happens to Othello. The Moors were a Muslim people of mixed Berber and Arab descent who populated the Maghreb region of northwest Africa during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. There were people of different races, including Moors in England at the time but they weren't treated in the way they were in pre civil war . The Moors introduced cotton as well as many other crops to the region. Although Othello is a Moor, and although we often assume he is from Africa, he never names his birthplace in the play. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The constant use of the term "Moor" is meant to make Othello feel as though he is an "Other" or an outsider from the mainstream culture. Who were the Moors and Venetians in Othello? Many all of Europe, in the Elizabethan period and before, were primarily Catholic and Christian. They were Muslims from the medieval era in Northwest Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. This culminated in 1492, when Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I won the Granada War and completed Spains conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Updates? Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. What do they call Othello? The Spanish occupation by the Moors began in 711 AD when an African army, under their leader Tariq ibn-Ziyad, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from northern Africa and invaded the Iberian peninsula 'Andalus' (Spain under the Visigoths). Moors, nomadic people of the northern shores of Africa, originally the inhabitants of Mauretania . Othello sometimes makes a point of presenting himself as an outsider, whether because he recognizes his exotic appeal or because he is self-conscious of and defensive about his difference from other Venetians. The play was written in the first few years of the 17th century, and it's supposed to have taken place in the latter part of the 16th century. Most Christians in Europe regarded Venetians as dishonest people who would happily trade with Muslims and heretics if it were profitable. In the play Othello (and in any other work in English from the 5 Who were the Moors and what did they do? 1.Who were the Moors? Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Othello, being not white, would therefore be even more likely to be singled out as the Moor of Venice. a short duck . 2. Iago manipulates Othello through lies and innuendo into thinking that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. His race is constantly being pointed out before his identity, and by the end of the play, it is obvious that it weighs on him. In Othello, the Moors were people of dark skin from eastern Africa and were Muslim. same period) the word "Moor" meant "African". They were known for being fierce warriors, as was Othello. This was the beginning of almost 800 years of Islamic control in the peninsula which also had an incredible impact on Spanish and Portuguese culture. Some readers have suggested that Iagos true, underlying motive for persecuting Othello is his homosexual love for the general. I feel like its a lifeline. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The play derives its plot from Giambattista Giraldis De gli Hecatommithi (1565), which Shakespeare appears to have known in the Italian original; it was available to him in French but had not been translated into English. Instead, the concept of Moors has been used to describe alternatively the reign of Muslims in Spain, Europeans of African descent, and others for centuries. Othello has been played Between 711 C.E. He is the saint of conquest and triumph and remains relevant to Catholics in this region because of his connection to the Moors of Iberia. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the Republic of Venice, Desdemona accompanies him. Create your account. While a tax limits the ability to people to worship freely, in most European countries at the time people were not allowed to be Muslim at all and Jewish people were subject to constant persecution. Today, the term Moor is used to designate the predominant Arab-Amazigh ethnic group in Mauritania (which makes up more than two-thirds of the countrys population) and the small Arab-Amazigh minority in Mali. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The final and perhaps most devastating tragedy of Othello is that, in the end, Othello himself comes to be-lieve Brabantio. How many nieces and nephew luther vandross have? bdn Moor Moor, in English usage, a Moroccan or, formerly, a member of the Muslim population of al-Andalus, now Spain and Portugal. Advertisement What was the significance of the Venetians calling Othello the Moor? Throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Venetian and Ottoman empires were trading partnersa mutually beneficial relationship providing each with access to key ports and valuable goods (fig. Castles like Alhambra have a unique style which is not traditionally Muslim at all. She is Cassios jealous lover. Moors is a term generally used by Europeans to describe the Muslim people of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Many moors were dark-skinned with African features. This same year, the Spanish monarchs decided to fund Christopher Colombus which began the Age of Exploration and resulted in Spanish control of a majority of the New World from California to Chile and Argentina. flashcard sets. When he is contemplating why Desdemona might be likely to cheat on him, he thinks, ''Haply, for I am black, and have not those soft parts of conversation that chamberers have.'' In Othello, Othello is described as having dark skin and is a general in the Venetian army fighting for Christianity. 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The name was later also applied to Arabs and Arabized Iberians. Othello's entry into the play as a convert to Chris- tianity . Followers established a religious government and began to expand the empire into old weakened empires such as the Byzantines. This organization seeks to preserve the Moorish heritage and has temples all around the United States. Which is correct poinsettia or poinsettia? (In Shakespeares time, the port city of Venice was ethnically diverse, and the Moors represented a growing interchange between Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.) In A.D. 711, a group of North African Muslims led by the Berber general, Tariq ibn-Ziyad, captured the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal). The Spanish words for lemons, limes, oranges, watermelons, carrots, sugar, and saffron come from Arabic as well because since they introduced the crop to the region the Arabic words were the only word future Spanish speakers ever learned to call it. The mystery play therefore provided the source from which Shakespeare was able to find "a suggestion of the means When different people with different skin colour (like Othello's marriage) were considered above reproach in Shakespeare's time and were . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. There probably weren't a lot of nonwhite people to choose from, so he was most likely quite noticeable. They are almost entirely Muslim, as they have been for many centuries. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Iago bears a grudge against Othello for overlooking Iago for a lieutenant position. Again, when contemplating why Desdemona would cheat on him, Othello thinks, "Haply, for I am black, and have not those soft parts of conversation that chamberers have." At the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, defeats a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. Elizabethan England. Meaning being married to him has tarnished her reputation. The Moors and Turks were characterized by criminal and evil traits. Al-Andalus slowly became separate from the rest of the Muslim World and developed its unique culture which heavily influenced Spain, Portugal, their colonies, and Europe in general. He is using his own face as a comparison for something he sees as filthy and of degraded worth! Santiago is thought to have fought in a mythical battle that expelled the Moors from Spain and Catholics in Latin America celebrate him as a saint for this reason. 6 chapters | Shakespeare wrote three characters who were specifically 55). World authority on Shakespeare. Africans. Al-Andalus was at its height in 719 just after the invasion, however, Al Andalus would slowly begin to shrink as European empires united to push the Muslim government out of the continent. OTHELLO THE SPANISH MOOR. Othellos blackness is referred to several times in the play, and Shakespeare was no stranger to Christian Negroes. Once Al-Andalus was established more and more Moors migrated to Iberia and lived there for almost 800 years. Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. Some of Elizabethan playwrights were interested to dramatize the Muslims and Arab Characters in their dramatic writings(Al-Olaqi, 2012: 1767). Why was Iago jealous of Othello? Africans (or Moors, as they called them then.) Though Othello has proven that he is a loyal servant to the state, those around him still judge him based on his skin color. Othello is the one to blame for all that has happened to him. Between 711 C.E. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? Generally, we don't go around referring to people by their race or ethnicity. On 11/22/1629, and on 5/ 6/1635, it . The most famous Moor in the English-speaking world is of course the titular character in Shakespeare Othello. The Moors initially were the indigenous Maghrebine Berbers. They refuse to refer to him by name, choosing instead to call him "the Moor", a reference to his Middle Eastern descent, or simply, "him". 10.What relationships between men and women were considered above reproach? Another example of this in Spanish is algodon which means cotton. These people came to Europe around 756 and ere driven by their Islamic beliefs. Moor came to mean anyone who was Muslim or had dark skin; occasionally, Europeans would distinguish between blackamoors and white Moors.. 1. Who were the Moors? One of Earth's loneliest volcanoes holds an extraordinary secret. Where did the Moors come from in Othello? A very slim percentage of . The Alhambra, a Moorish palace and fortress in Granada, Spain, was described by poets as a "pearl set in emeralds. Clearly, he has been taught to think of his race as a negative attribute. and those from sub-Saharan Africa. What were the military duties of ranked officers? He reportedly was of Moorish descent, however, by this he simply meant he was related to a man from Central Africa. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 In an time were ethnic minorities were so unimportant that they were almost ignored, a black man rises and has a position of a general in Venice, and is a well respected and trusted by his white leaders. Over time, the constant highlighting of his race begins to weigh on Othello, and he begins to internalize their labels and feel as though he is lesser because of his race. "He was of Moorish stock, olive-skinned, and Shakespeare portrays him as 'black' for the purposes of theatrical emphasis and . All rights reserved. Othello and Desdemona by Frederick Richard Pickersgill, 1859. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com.