Othello

Author's name: William Shakespeare

It is a five-act tragedy by the English writer Shakespeare. The play addresses multiple themes, focusing primarily on the conflict between good, represented by Othello, and evil, represented by Iago. It also addresses other themes such as jealousy and betrayal. It was translated into Arabic by the poet Khalil Mutran. It is believed that this play was written in 1603 AD and that it was inspired by the story of Qamar al-Zaman and his lover from the One Thousand and One Nights. The play was first published in 1565 AD. The events of the play begin in the Italian city of Venice, where a naval confrontation with the Turkish fleet takes place in the eastern Mediterranean Sea near the island of Cyprus. The experienced and brilliant commander, Othello, is called upon to end this tension. Othello prepares and travels with his army, and the play moves to the island of Cyprus. Shakespeare focused on dramatic events in this play, as we see a clear change in Othello's character due to the rumors spreading from Iago, the standard-bearer, driving him mad and searching for a solution to confront and verify what he has heard. Othello's character is presented in a positive light, despite his ethnicity being different from the inhabitants of the region in which the play takes place. This portrayal of the character was unusual in English literature in the time of playwright William Shakespeare, as non-European peoples were usually portrayed as being of a lower status.