Othello is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman-Venetian War fought for the control of the Island of Cyprus, since 1489 a possession of the Venetian Republic.

The port city of Famagusta finally fell to the Ottomans in 1571 after a protracted siege.

The play is set in motion when Othello, a heroic black general in the service of Venice, appoints Cassio and not Iago as his chief lieutenant.

Jealous of Othello's success and envious of Cassio, Iago plots Othello's downfall by falsely implicating Othello's wife, Desdemona, and Cassio in a love affair.