In William Shakespeare's (1954) Othello and in Ann-Marie MacDonald's (1998) Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet, one of the devices used by the playwright is the transference of the action from one geographic locale to another. This occurs despite the literary requirement of "unity of place," which is designed to confine action in a drama to one place in order to ensure that the action is sufficiently focused to allow for adequate development of character, plot and theme. The choices made by both Shakespeare (1954) and MacDonald (1998) with respect to essentially "moving' or "relocating" the action in their plays reflects their individual recognition that such a geographic shift added an element of drama and possibility to the plays.
In Othello, Shakespeare (1954) moves the action from Venice to the Island of Cyprus for several reasons. First, Othello's new command is located on that island. Second, by removing Desdemona from the possible protection of the Venetian court, Othello gains more autonomy with respect to his treatment of his wife û who is effectively separated from her father, her friends, and even Cassio, her former suitor. Cassio's subsequent posting to Cyprus provides Iago û the villain of the work û with an opportunity to play upon the natural jealousy and inferiority complex of the Moor, Othello. Third, on Cyprus, there are few restraints likely to operate on Othello, who an behave as he pleases without the oversight of the Venetian authorities.
In MacDonald's (1998) play, Constance (an academic investigating the potential for rewriting two of Shakespeare's plays, Othello and Romeo and Juliet) to avoid the tragic deaths that occur therein, moves her action from Cyprus to Verona to permit Constance to become involved in both tragedies. Symbolically, Constance becomes enmeshed in the action of two plays, becoming the "other woman" in each of them. This further permits her to reveal Desdemona as a ...