The Society of Women in the History of Othello from Shakespeare to Verdi

The roles of women change unpredictably as the story of Othello takes shape between the Renaissance and the late nineteenth century. Following the variations chronologically, this article concentrates on four key versions of the narrative in transition, two of them notable works of art: Giraldi Cinthio's novella in his Hecatommithi (published 1565); Shakespeare's Othello (c.1602-04); François-Victor Hugo's translation of Shakespeare's Othello in his Œuvres complètes de W. Shakespeare (published 1859-65); and Verdi's Otello (first performed 1887).