116. Othello by William Shakespeare

It has often been assumed that Shakespeare simply made up the name ‘Othello’. It does not appear in his chief source, Cinthio’s Hecatommithi (where the main character is simply ‘a Moor’), nor is it found in any previous text. But one theory suggests a possible precursor in French medieval romance. The person in question is Sir Othuel (or Otuel/Otuwel). Sir Othuel was a Moor, a companion of Roland who had converted to Christianity (as Othello had in Shakespeare’s play, but significantly had not in Cinthio), and a man of noble birth (again in Shakespeare, but not in Cinthio). Shakespeare could easily have Italianized Othuel by adding a final ‘o’, thus giving the name a Venetian ring. The theory hinges on whether Shakespeare knew the romances. There seems little doubt that that he did: other names he very probably filched from them include Oberon and Fortinbras.

Consulted:
Guilfoyle, Cherrell: ‘Othello, Otuel and the English Charlemagne Romances’, The Review of English Studies, 1987, XXXVIII (149)