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What’s Up With the Title?

Today, we know the play as simply Othello. But check out the title page of the 1622 quarto (the first published edition of the play): The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice.

The full title not only suggests that the play is about some guy named "Othello"; it also alerts us to the fact that Othello's status as a black "Moor" in (a mostly white) "Venice" is going to be a pretty big deal in this play.

Check out "Why Should I Care?" and our discussion of the theme of "Race" for more on this.