How old is Othello and Desdemona?

My guess would be that Othello's somewhere between 30-40, maybe late thirties. Desdemona is probably about 18-22, old enough to get married on her own and have had some suitors. But another thing that's interesting about this age gap is the literary tradition that Shakespeare is drawing on.

What is the age difference between Othello and Desdemona?

In the play, Othello is thirty-five and Desdemona is eighteen. Therefore, there is an age gap of seventeen years between the ill-fated couple.

What is the age of Othello?

And for the most part, that's true for Othello. Iago is 28 years old. He tells Roderigo, “I have looked upon the world for four times seven years” (I. iii.

Was Othello a black man?

Although Othello is a Moor, and although we often assume he is from Africa, he never names his birthplace in the play. In Shakespeare's time, Moors could be from Africa, but they could also be from the Middle East, or even Spain. American actor John Edward McCullough as Othello in 1878.

Is Desdemona white?

Desdemona is a beautiful, young, white, Venetian debutante. And she's a total Daddy's girl... until she falls head over heels in love with Othello. She refuses to marry any of the rich, handsome Venetian men that everyone expects her to marry.

Desdemona - Othello Analysis

Is Othello white?

It's all but certain that Shakespeare's first Othello was Richard Burbage, a white Londoner. It's even more likely that Burbage would have worn dark makeup, as actors in Britain did until the late 1980s (Michael Gambon was one of the last, at Scarborough in 1990).

What race was Othello?

Iago makes several references to Othello's race as well, referring to him as an "old black ram" (1.1. 88-89), a "devil" (1.1. 91), and a " Barbary horse" (1.1. 111-12).

Did Othello slept with Iago's wife?

One of the reasons Iago gives for his hatred of Othello is the rumor that “'twixt my sheets he has done my office,” I surprisingly polite way for Iago to say that Othello slept with his (Iago's) wife, Emilia.

Was Othello real?

That Othello and Desdemona, whose real name was Palma, really existed, is clearly proved. Even the mad jealousy of Othello is historical. It is true that he did not murder his wife, but he often beat her cruelly.

What age is Iago?

Iago, the great deceiver of Othello, is 28 according to Shakespeare – but actors have a habit of tweaking the lines ...

What was the age of Romeo and Juliet?

In Shakespeare's original story, Romeo is given the age of 16 years and Juliet is given the age of 13 years. The Montague and Capulet families originated in the Divine Comedy by the Italian author Dante Aligheri, rather than in Shakespeare.

How old is Juliet in Romeo and Juliet?

Juliet Capulet, on the cusp of 14 years old, falls in love with Romeo, the son of her family's enemy.

Does Iago have siblings?

He is part of a royal menagerie in the Arabian city Agrabah and is named after the villain Iago in the play Othello by William Shakespeare, as evidenced by a mention in the TV series, revealing that he has a twin brother called Othello.

Is Othello wealthy?

Othello is a Moor, and a successful mercenary general who works for the state of Venice. He is a middle-aged bachelor who elopes with and marries a wealthy young Venetian, Desdemona. Othello is posted to Cyprus as governor during the Turkish conflict.

How does age social position and race impact the relationship between Othello and Desdemona?

In the late sixteenth century, the man was generally from a higher class then the woman, hence why Desdemona and Othello's relationship was objected to. Social position was an influence in Othello's belief of Desdemona's betrayal, as he thought that he wasn't good enough for her.

Is Iago in love with Desdemona?

Iago also mentions that he is attracted to Desdemona himself: “I do love her too” (2.1.). Neither of these reasons seem totally sufficient for just how much Iago hates Othello, and notably, he declines to answer when Othello asks him his motivation at the end of the play, saying only “Demand me nothing.

Was Iago and Emilia married?

Emilia's super-bitter take on her married life with Iago contrasts with Desdemona's (temporarily) idealistic marriage to Othello.

Who slept with Othello's wife?

At the end of Act I, scene iii, Iago says he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia: “It is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office” (I. iii. 369–370 ).

What race is Desdemona?

Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian military prodigy. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the Republic of Venice, Desdemona accompanies him.

What Colour is Othello?

We discover that Othello is black from the beginning of the play, when Iago refers to him as 'an old black ram,' although it is interesting that he only refers to Othello's skin when he is trying to incense Brabantio against the idea of his daughter marrying a black man.

Is Othello Arab?

The parallels in context, and content, are striking. Othello, a Moorish Arab—and clearly Muslim in this version of the play—immigrant of a Western state, rose up to the ranks of general and led his ostensibly Christian army against the Muslim “heathens” of the Ottoman Turks.

What is Iago's poison?

In Act I Scene 1 the ensign says that he wants to 'poison his [Brabantio's] delight' (I. 1.67) so that he can make trouble for Othello. Iago's jealousy of the Moor is so strong that it 'Doth like a poisonous mineral gnaw my inwards' (II. 1.295).

What race was Macbeth?

A Scottish noble and an initially valiant military man, Macbeth, after a supernatural prophecy and the urging of his wife, Lady Macbeth, commits regicide, usurping the kingship of Scotland.