Examine the Quarto and Folio editions of Othello’s speech in Act 1, Scene 3, lines 149-196 (but especially ll.161ff), where Othello recounts his story, and compare them to our modern edition. Then, using the OED, look up the historical meanings of some of the passage’s keywords, specifically “travel” “travail” “travellers tale” and “history.” Given the meanings you have found, how might you interpret Othello’s words?
The writing of Othello is usually placed around 1604. In 1601, the works of Pliny were translated into English for the first time in The Historie of the World, Commonly Called The Natural Historie of C. Plinius Secundus (London 1601). Pliny (as translated by Philemon Holland) describes “Scythians called Anthropophagi… savage and wild men, living and conversing usually among the brute beasts, who have feet growing backward, and turned behind the calves of their legs…” Looking at Pliny and having considered the keywords above, to what extent do we think Othello’s listeners believe his stories? Is he a well-respected travailer? Or are his stories to be dismissed as “mere Traveller's Tales”?
The First Quarto edition of Othello can be accessed here. Othello's speech can be found on page 9 / 48.
The First Folio edition of Othello can be accessed here. Othello's speech can be found on page 414 / 458.
The Historie of the World can be accessed here. The passage on anthropophagi can be found on page 108 / 729.
