2015+AP+P2+16th+century+Cyprus+and+Venice

**Historical - Alexis Roether**
During the Venetian rule in the early 15th century, there was already tension between them and the Ottoman Turks. Many attacks and raids came from the Turks but it was not until the war of 1570 that the Ottoman Empire finally took reign of Venice. Cyprus is an island that was apart of Venice, however was only seen as a military base for Venice to have trade with the east. Cyprus was taxed very heavily but, during this arising conflict, many architects went to prepare for the Ottoman attacks by created massive walls around the cities of Famagusta, Nicosia and the Kyrenia castle. By the end of the massive war, 60,000 troops perished with 20,000 of them being Nicosians and Famagusta was the last to be seized in 1571. Today, the Ottoman Turks are viewed as the enemies to the Greek Cypriots and have now created part of the Greek identity in modern times. Shakespeare took this knowledge into his own power when writing Othello, and used it to produce an irony within the play. In Othello, the first act takes place in Venice while the last four acts takes place in Cyprus however, the setting takes place before the war of 1570. “As Shakespeare and his audiences must have known, Cyprus was definitively taken by the Turks a few months after the setting of the play in 1570, which adds the extra irony that the Venetian republic has only temporarily averted the barbarian threat and is soon to be defeated” (Cox 40). Othello, did make history with Shakespeare’s originality as well as the hidden context of the history of the Ottoman Empire and how Venice was affected as a country those centuries ago. Without the history behind the setting, Othello would not have the same unique setup for the rest of the plot like some stories tentatively lack.

**Sources:**
Cox, Marian. //Philip Allan Literature Guide (for A-Level): Othello//. Philip Allan, 2010. 40-42. Print.

Snell, Melissa."Cyprus: Historical Setting." Medieval History. About.com, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

**Cultural - Katherina Marchese**


The island of Cyprus was originally held under Venetian control, allowing Venice access to Levantine trade, which was rich with products which as cotton and sugar. The island of Cyprus was considered a target for the expanding Ottoman Empire, ruled by Sultan Selim II, and was previously deemed part of the Islamic lands. His officials wished to purge Christianity from the Mediterranean, and “Venice was in a grim battle to preserve her maritime empire; that is to say, to preserve her very identity” (Knox 1). The culture of the Venetian lifestyle was imposed onto the Cypriots, dictating their lives to follow the strict, judicial system that the Venetians followed. This conflict in the differing regions and cultures created a harsh divide between the two areas. However, Cyprus was held with importance because of the economic prosperity it brought. Religious ideologies would partly be involved in the Cyprus War, however would not create a large issue, as “the Turks allowed [Greek Cypriots] a degree of autonomy as long as they complied with the demands of the sultan” (Snell 1). That of course, not including the hundreds of Cypriots that were murdered or captured into slavehood. Ottoman control over the island would weaken at times, then become oppressive based off of the poor economic conditions and Sultan of the time period. Up until the end of World War 1, the island of Cyprus would remain under overpowering Ottoman rule, lasting almost three centuries. The culture of Cyprus under Venetian and Ottoman rule would continue to form a Greek identity and nationalism, and even though the Ottoman Empire would collapse, this Greek culture and identity would be resilient.

Knox, Dr. Ellis. "Venice during the Reformation." //Venice in the 16th and 17th Centuries.// Boise State University, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. Snell, Melissa. "Cyprus: Historical Setting." //Medieval History.// About.com, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

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Cyprus, in the sixteenth century, became a battleground that would grant its conqueror economic power and geographic influence. Naturally, conflict arose between Venice and the Ottoman Empire over their opposing desires in Cyprus. According to the //Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs//, “The Island of Cyprus, which is geographically an extension of the Anatolian peninsula, has been a land of many conquests due to its proximity to the Middle Eastern countries and its strategic location at the cross-road of East and West” (“Cyprus (Historical Overview)” 1). Due to its strategic geography in shipping and trading, Cyprus was a valuable component to a powerful economy and an extensive influence. For this reason, Venice, which controlled Cyprus at first, battled the Ottoman Empire when it invaded the island. Additionally, the //Cambridge University Cypriot Society// explains, “. . . its agricultural, timber and mineral resources made it a cultural and commercial entrepot, while its strategic value made it an object of invasion and conquest” (“Culture - History” 1). Coupled with the trading value of Cyprus, its abundance of natural resources made the island a strong economic center in the Mediterranean. With these two major components of Cyprus in mind, the reason that 16th century Venice and Ottoman Empire battled over the Cyprus was for the economic support and influence that it granted. Additionally, these two powers understood that whoever controlled this economic powerhouse could exert its influence on the region as it would control how a substantial portion of the goods entering the Mediterranean would be distributed. ======



In many of the plays that Shakespeare composed, he gained many of his ideas from somewhere in the Italian culture, or with traces of Italian influence in mixed throughout the works. Throughout the play, Shakespeare has used knowledge of the state of the city of Venice and the city of Othello, in order to convey meaning in the play. The use of Italian cities where there were warring cities in one place, and sophisticated political happenings in others, allowed Shakespeare to “ tackle sensitive political topics without risking the displeasure of England’s rulers,” (Mosto 1). The Italian background, the money and culture of the country, were greatly factored into the plays that Shakespeare created, and heavily contributed to the plot lines and the influence from these plays can still be seen in Italy today. It is believed that Shakespeare most likely got many of his ideas from the people of the Venetian streets, listening to their conversations, and observing the ways of their lives, in order to then incorporate that into his plays which then directly affected the readers, as they were able to relate closely. Not only that, the plays of Shakespeare, could have also been a channel way for those in other countries to see the problems that were occurring in the country at the time, through the way they are shown in the plays themselves. Since Shakespeare got his ideas directly from the people themselves, he is able to craft his plays in a way that will grasp them on a personal level and pull them into the story being told. This makes the plays stronger, and more likely to gain an audience, because they have background behind them that actually has a backbone, and the meat of the plays, are depicting real life situations.

Works Cited

Hunt, Maurice. "Shakespeare's Venetian Paradigm: Stereotyping and Sadism in the Merchant of Venice and Othello." //Papers on Language and Literature// 39.2 (2003): n. pag. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

Mosto, Francesco. "Shakespeare's Italy." //BBC//. BBC, 10 May 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.