E X T E N S I O N IS THE STORY ORIGINAL? Shakespeare based the tragedy of Othello on a tale from a collection, called Hecatommithi, written in 1565 by the Italian Giraldi Cinthio. In this story the heroine, called Disdemona, falls in love with a Moor (with no name) and marries him even though her family is reluctant. After a period in Venice, the couple moves to Cyprus where the Moor is sent to fight with his troops. The ensign, Affemio (Iago in Shakespeare s tragedy), in love with Disdemona, is convinced that she preferred the captain (Cassio in Shakespeare) to him. So he decides to plot against Disdemona, not against the Moor. The captain loses his job because of a fight with another soldier, and Iago steals1 Disdemona s handkerchief and places it in the captain s house. Together, the Moor and the ensign kill Disdemona by hitting2 her on the head with a sandbag3. Then they make the roof collapse4 so that it looked like an accident. In the end, the Moor is killed by one of Disdemona s relatives and Affemio is tortured to death for another crime. The ensign s wife (Emilia in Shakespeare) has known of the intrigue all along. 1. steal: rubare. 2. hit: colpire. 3. sandbag: sacco di sabbia. 4. collapse: crollare. Othello tells his adventures (H. J. Fradelle, c. 1850). 45