Considered by many to be Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, Othello, the Moore of Venice, was first recorded as having been performed in 1604. It was probably written not long before that, although the text of the play was not published until eighteen years later in 1622, in the First Quarto. Although nearly 400 years have passed since the first production of Othello, there have not been many drastic changes in the way of staging. Directors, actors, and critics over the years have seemed to agree that the focus of the stage play lies with the actors, mainly those who play Othello and Iago, and not in the scenery or in the technical aspects. Reviews and written records of the play from the 1600s to the early 1900s seem to focus almost exclusively on the actors who played Iago and Othello, and what they brought to the play. Although there have not been drastic changes in the way of staging, directors of the play still have choices to make. They do this by cutting certain lines or scenes, or by making the focus of the play be on race or on jealousy. Over the years there have been many outstanding performances of Othello, each of which have left their

The debate seemed to be settled by Kean, being the first Othello to use light brown makeup as opposed to a much darker, almost black. It was reported in Leman Thomas Rede's 1827 book The Road to the Stage that "A tawny tinge is now the color used for the gallant Moor." (Barnet 221) Kean set the precedent for the next hundred years, and after that the color shifted back to a darker black, in part because more and more American black actors were assuming the role of Othello.

Aside from Kean changing the way Othello's race was seen, he was noted as one of the greatest Othello's. Writer William Hazlitt remarked "There is but one perfect way of playing Othello, and that was the way...he used to play it." (Barnet 222) Kean was one of the Othellos who felt that his violent side should be shown and focused on. He was passionate in his violence, trying to show the true nature of the Moore. It was at this time that many of the more violent scenes were brought back to the stage, as they had previously been cut out.

Salvini's Othello is described as very "African", again portraying the violent, aggressive side of the lead character. His was described as an "animal fury", and writer Henry James commented that Salvini's tremendous force "also made itself felt when he became magnificently quiet" (Honigmann, 97) The Victorian audiences were often terrified of his performance, but also deeply moved.

At the turn of the century there seems to have begun a dispute over Othello's race. Until this time, the actor in this role either was black, or was a white playing in blackface, and there seemed to be no doubt as to the fact that Othello was indeed supposed to be a black man. (Barnet 219) Debates were rampant as to Othello's background; should he be played as black, or tawny, or somewhere in between? Many seemed to believe that Shakespeare could not have meant for Othello to be black at all, but simply a darker skinned white man. (Vaughan 4)

The year 1660 brought with it the Restoration, not only of the throne but also of the theater. Othello was immediately performed, with a surprising change: a female actress was now in the role of Desdemona, for the first time. Prior to this, only boy actors had taken the stage, in male and female roles. Although the introduction of a woman actor had mixed reactions, from then on a woman was to play the role.

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