Geographical juxtaposition is not uncommon in William Shakespeare's works of genius. In his famous play, Othello, Shakespeare exploits the strong contrasts in the two settings of the story, the two cities of Venice and Cyprus. Shakespeare presents the environmental, moral, and behavioral dichotomies between Venice and Cyprus (and of the characters in said environments) in relation to the central meaning of trusting one's instincts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe environments of Venice and Cyprus, respectively, cultivate the instincts and rationality of its citizens. Venice, north of Cyprus, is a place where law and order dictate society; civilization prospers and, as the overwhelming number of wealthy senators (e.g. Senator Brabantio, Desdemona's father) in Othello suggests, many are prosperous. The orderly environment of Venice is pertinent to the idea that one must trust one's instincts. In Venice you can think rationally because the city is not in the midst of pandemonium like its opposite (the city of Cyprus). For example, the Duke of Venice - when bombarded by Brabantio's absurd thesis that Othello uses witchcraft to woo his daughter Desdemona - uses his sensitivity (cultivated by his environment) to refute the claim which would later be rejected in a formal process. He can trust his instincts because he is impervious to the chaotic environment of Cyprus (I. I). On the contrary, the chaos of Cyprus clouds the thinking and rationality of the various characters. Cyprus serves as the landscape for the scenes in which the evil Iago's plan to murder Desdemona's character unfolds and he forces Othello to believe nonsense after making multiple claims (that Desdemona is unfaithful to her lover Othello). Othello should have trusted his initial thought (in Venice) that Desdemona was a faithful wife; yet Cyprus's frenetic environment of perpetual war and invasive colonization fractures its sound logic. The contrasting morals of the standards of Cyprus and Venice also connect to Othello's central message of trusting your instincts. The text of Othello clearly indicates that the Venetians attach great importance to morality; in Cyprus the same standard does not exist for Cypriots. Venetians are known for their upright moral character, while the people of Cyprus have more of an unbalanced moral compass. Shakespeare presents these moral discrepancies in the very first scene where Iago begins to reveal his plan to destroy Othello. When Iago and Roderigo claim that someone has robbed Senator Brabantio's property (to turn Brabantio's attention to his daughter's secret suitor, Othello), Brabantio responds, “What about robbing? This is Venice.” (II 108-9) His initial reaction indicates that he believes the Venetians are above robbery. If he had ignored the absurd claims as his instincts would have encouraged him, he would not have had to receive the heartbreaking news that his daughter married the Moor - information he would have preferred to ignore. The inhabitants of Cyprus, on the other hand, consider theft normative since a crime was probably commonplace given the relaxed law and order system. Finally, the behavioral dichotomies of the Venetian characters in Cyprus reinforce the idea that one must trust one's intuition. For example, Cassio, Othello's second-in-command, is one of the most respectable men in the play in both his words and his actions; however, Iago murders Cassio's character when he pushes Cassio to drink. Drinking causes Cassio to get into a fight that will seal poor Cassio's fate. In Venice, he initially hated it.