When researching Othello I found these interesting facts about the name.
The name Othello means "wealth" in Old German. The Spanish descent means "prosperous."
One in every 702, 302 Americans are named Othello.
It can be estimated that as of 2009 there are 439 people named Othello in the United States.
It is more common to be a first name rather than a middle or last name.
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5 comments:
If Othello's name means prosperous (name meaning sites often have different meanings, could you post where you got your info?), then Shakespeare was most likely being ironic, since it is a tragedy.
And since this got me interested in names, I decided to look up everyone's favorite jerk, Iago's name meaning. First I got something about grasping by the heel, but then I got the meaning of "supplanter", which isn't really a word, but supplant means to replace or supersede. This definitely fits Iago, as most of the play is Iago wanting to replace Cassio as Othello's lieutenant.
This is a really interesting find. I think Iago meaning grasping at the heel makes alot of sense, especially he's always playing second fiddle to everyone in the play. That definition also reminded me of the story of Cain and Abel. I dont know if Shakespeare was making a reference to that, but its interesting either way.
To follow the theme I wound this on wikipedia: "The name Desdemona may come from the Greek κακότυχοσ which means "ill-fated". Léone Teyssandier notes that it may indeed be how Othello views his wife, calling her an "ill-starred wench"
I also found that Desdemona can mean misery. Both of these definitionis seem to fit the play.
If "Iago" means "grasping by the heel" it is derived from the name Isaac, because that is what "Isaac" means. Although this story is reminiscent of Cain and Abel, I think that the Isaac and Jacob story is closer to this one. What do you think?
And here is something totally unrelated - "Jessica" was invented by Shakespeare for use in The Merchant of Venice. It is derived from a Hebrew name that means "he sees." Sort of cool? I always liked that Shakespeare invented my name, but I wish I liked the character of Jessica a little bit more. However, I do love these lines from Act 5 of the Merchant of Venice when Lorenzo and jessica are sitting alone outside of Portia's palace, and he says to her:
"How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold:
There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins;
Such harmony is in immortal souls;
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it."
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