The First Quarto of Hamlet and the Date of Othello

The date that William Shakespeare wrote 'Othello' can be discerned to some extent from its influence on 'Hamlet.' An actor who played Marcellus in 'Hamlet' is thought to have incorporated words and phrases from 'Othello' into the former. If the pirated quarto of 'Hamlet' already existed in Jul 1602, then it is possible that 'Othello' may have been written in 1601. This is all the more plausible when considered under the events that happened close to that date. The exploits of the King of Portugal, the visit of an embassy of Moors in England and a play about a renegade Christian can all be considered as motivations for Shakespeare's creation of 'Othello.'