#7 Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

I don't think the audience ever know for sure how much time passed throughout this play, but I would personally suggest that it occurred over 7-10 days. Shakespeare needed a length of time that would not appear to long and cumbersome to his audience and one that was long enough to encompass all of the action he wanted in the play. Othello needed enough time to get to Cyprus and Iago needed time to plan and scheme, although, personally, I believe it came very easily to him. The would come the manipulation and the paranoia which is characteristic of any good Shakespearean tragedy (oh joy). The element of time primarily gives the audience a timeline to follow. However, it also gives them the ability to get excited, scared, worried, and frustrated. Although the play would be relatively short, the audience would have experienced a wide array of emotions by the end. Also, I think the time of the play allowed the audience to become attached to the "good" characters. I think that if everything had happened to fast, then nobody would understand Othello. Also, it allowed the audience to see the true characteristics of the characters.