Othello was first performed by the King's Men at King James I's court on November 1, 1604.  Historians believe the story to be derived from Richard Knolles's The History of the Turks (1603) and Cinthio's (Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinzio) 1565 Italian prose tale about a Moorish general who is deceived by his ensign into believing that his wife is unfaithful.