Written around 1603, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice was first performed at Whitehall Palace in London on 1st November 1604.

Whilst the play is concerned with racial difference, in it Shakespeare undermines the expected contemporary theatrical stereotypes, instead depicting the black Othello as noble and Christian, while the white soldier, Iago, is the villain of the piece. Many such challenges to traditional Western symbology are made by Shakespeare in his development of this story from the collection 'Hecatommithi' by Giovanni Giralido (surnamed Cinthio).

Additional resources:

Wikipedia: Othello
Wikipedia: William Shakespeare
Sparknotes.com: Othello
absoluteShakespeare.com Study Guide: Othello

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