# Othello is performed at court on 1 November 1604

Date: 1604

## The fact

The Revels accounts record 'The Moor of Venis' performed by the King's Men at court on 1 November 1604. This is a dated household performance of the play later printed as Othello, not a metaphor.

## Context

Court performances were paid work and a form of protection. They do not make the play a statute. Othello's later print history (1622 quarto, 1623 Folio) is separate. The 1604 date is a performance Fact.

## Evidence and sources

The Revels account is a standard cited document in Shakespeare Documented and play histories. Birthplace Trust treats the 1604 court show as the earliest firm performance date. The account establishes a title, a company, a place, and a day. It does not establish [Shakespeare](/people/william-shakespeare)'s on-stage presence that night. Wikipedia is not used as a causal source.

## Significance

A court premiere is a distribution path into elite and then public audiences. Cohesion here is shared narrative, including a play about race, jealousy, and Venetian office. The play is not a race statute.

## What is established and what is not

Established: 1 November 1604 court performance by the King's Men. Not established: that Shakespeare acted Iago or Othello; that the play changed Venetian or English law. Confidence high on the Revels notice.

The event remains dated 1604-11-01. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men performed Shakespeare's Othello at court; he was a named patented player. A court performance put a new tragedy into the royal household calendar and then into the public repertory. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1604-11-01. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men performed Shakespeare's Othello at court; he was a named patented player. A court performance put a new tragedy into the royal household calendar and then into the public repertory. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1604-11-01. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men performed Shakespeare's Othello at court; he was a named patented player. A court performance put a new tragedy into the royal household calendar and then into the public repertory. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1604-11-01. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men performed Shakespeare's Othello at court; he was a named patented player. A court performance put a new tragedy into the royal household calendar and then into the public repertory. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1604-11-01. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men performed Shakespeare's Othello at court; he was a named patented player. A court performance put a new tragedy into the royal household calendar and then into the public repertory. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1604-11-01. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men performed Shakespeare's Othello at court; he was a named patented player. A court performance put a new tragedy into the royal household calendar and then into the public repertory. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

## People

- William Shakespeare: https://factrail.ai/people/william-shakespeare

## Drivers

- Social Cohesion: https://factrail.ai/drivers/social-cohesion

## Sources

- https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-plays/othello-moor-venice/
- https://shakespearedocumented.folger.edu/

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-othello-court-1604