When the well-known English dramatist William Shakespeare began writing Othello, he had already been educated in the classics and in literature. Although his contemporary Ben Jonson said that Shakespeare knew "little Latin and less Greek," scholars know that Shakespeare knew, at least, about Greek ideas about comedy and tragedy. He was not incredibly educated, but he was aware that his play would comment on ideas about comedy. By looking at a few crucial scenes in the play, this paper will demonstrate that, although most people consider Shakespeare's Othello a tragedy, it is actually a black comedy.

In Act V, Scene I (17-30) lines Iago comments comically on the murder scene he has set up himself. This is the scene:

Iago. O murderous slave! O villain! [Stabs RODERIGO]
Rod. O damn'd Iago! O inhuman dog!
Iago. Kill men i' the dark! Where be these bloody thieves?
How silent is this town! Ho! murder! murder!
What may you be? are you of good or evil?
Lod. As you shall......

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Title: Othello As Comedy
Approximate Word Count: 949
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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