In the 1550s, Elizabethan adventurers had set out to the coast of Africa, where they raided the villages and kidnapped some of the inhabitants, bringing them back to England. Othello himself describes how he was briefly imprisoned as a slave.

Was Othello a black Moor?

Is Othello black? ... Although Othello is a Moor, and although we often assume he is from Africa, he never names his birthplace in the play. In Shakespeare's time, Moors could be from Africa, but they could also be from the Middle East, or even Spain.

Is it important for Othello to be black?

Othello's race and colour are explored in the play, especially in terms of his interracial marriage with Desdemona and therefore are very important and significant. ... However, even though Bradley's aspiration to respond to race in a humane manner is hesitant, it is reasoned as he focuses on character and motivation.