Comment on how the setting of Act 1, Scenes 1-3 help Shakespeare prepare the reader for tragedy.

There are two main settings in 'Othello' - Venice, an Italian city, and Cyprus, a place of war. Venice was considered to be the 'heart of Europe' while Cyprus was thought of as the binary opposite and the differences between the two places already suggest that tragedy will be achieved as there will inevitably be a clash and development of conflict between the Venetians and the Turks.

In the 1600s, when 'Othello' was written, Venice was considered to be a place of thriving economy and wealth. People of high status and ranking - such as Othello - resided there. Again, this idea of status within Venice could imply that the play will end in tragedy, as a common convention of the genre is that the initially successful or popular hero will suffer a great downfall.

On the other hand, as Venice was not particularly multi-cultural, with the majority of people being white Europeans, Othello is considered an outcast through being a "moor". In fact, throughout Act 1, Scene 1, he is not referred to as Othello but as "thick lips" and "devil", names that would only be given to black people in the time. In tragedies, a common theme is for the hero to be separate and isolated from the other characters involved and as many of the Venetians were frightened and prejudice against Othello by default, his race may have been seen by others as a flaw during the time. This again shows that he fits the functions of a hero, as the hero must be flawed in order for the tragedy to take place.

Cyprus at the time was a place filled with violence and war, with the Muslim East fighting against the Christian West. Much like Othello, the Turks were viewed by the Venetians as barbaric and unworthy of trust and for this reason, they were considered outsiders. Here, Shakespeare could be using setting as a symbolic device, suggesting that this rival empire represents Othello. It could however be argued that Othello challenges this in Scene 2 of Act 1, as it is not he who comes across as uncivilised, but Brabantio - a Venetian - who refers to Othello as a "thing" who has used "chains of magic" to enchant Desdemona. Othello acts very calm and politely in response to these racial terms, showing that he is not similar to the Turks.