The construction of any piece of literature is governed by the need to make choices. These choices are usually made by the writer with two needs in mind – the need to transmit meaning and the need to make his or her work enjoyable or dramatic. From this general understanding, we can proceed to make the observation that change in setting in Shakespeare’s Othello was engineered with both thematic and dramatic concerns in mind. Setting which can generally be understood as the time and place in which a piece of work is set therefore has implications for the development of themes and the general development of the play as an instance of drama. With the relationship between dramatic effect, theme and setting thus established in this brief introduction, the rest of this essay will discuss the dramatic as well as thematic significance of the shift in setting in Shakespeare’s Othello. The first dramatic significance of the shift in the setting of the play from Venice to Cyprus relates to the development of character. In the play, we see that most of the characters that move from Venice to Cyprus are the ones that can be termed as round characters. Those that do not move to the new setting of the play remain flat. Therefore such characters as Brabantio and the Duke of Venice are not developed in the play. However, characters such as Iago, Othello, Roderigo among others are seen to progress and evolve due to their association with the new environment of the play. To take Iago as an example, we can see that his character as a manipulator is more readily expressed in Cyprus where he feels more confident and less restricted than in Venice. Cyprus allows him to conveniently place his wife, Emelia, in the service of Desdemona. She therefore serves as a means through which he manipulates both Othello and Desdemona to their tragic end. The shift in setting also helps in the development of the character of Iago because it makes it easier for him to maintain his disguised role of protector. The new setting therefore helps Iago to achieve his goal of causing Othello’s fall from grace to grass. Another way in which we can see the dramatic significance of the shift in setting of the play is how it contributes to t