ABSTRACT
“Othello” is the drama of Jealousy, without cause or with cause, “poisons more deadly than a mad dog’s tooth”. “Othello” and “The Merchant” are both pictures of contemporary Venice. One learns far more from Venice than from the novel, because one can visit there the Sagittary where Othello housed Desdemona. “Othello” is not a history, but as the Venetian Senate never entrusted a military command to a Venetian, and the forces were foreign mercenaries, it was quite natural for the Moor to be in supreme command. The Moor had an heirloom, a handkerchief of magic origin and sacred associations, which he gave to Desdemona. But during Othello’s courtship Desdemona had shrunk from any speech upon this matter with Brabantio, and by innocent reserves and little dissemblings had kept him in ignorance of this great event in her history.
