While I am not usually one to go in for tragedies, I do thoroughly enjoy this particular play. The story is expertly woven, with each twist in the plot simultaneously wrenching the reader's / viewer's heart. We know exactly what is going on, even though the characters do not, and this is what makes "Othello" such a very tragic story. And yet, in the end we are left with a sense of resolution and justice, not merely empty sorrow, and perhaps this is what appeals to me about this play.

Nevertheless, I do not think the play is perfect (though my 4-star rating here is in comparison with Shakespeare's other works, and not drama in general; against most other drama I would award it a 5-star rating). While I do think Iago is a brilliant character, I cannot help thinking that his hatred for Othello seems rather disproportionate to the wrongs he thinks have been done against him. He is upset over not being given the lieutenancy, but is this reason enough to bring about so many deaths? There is also the fact that Iago suspects his own wife, Emilia, has been unfaithful with the Moor, but Iago has no actual proof of this. However, this disproportionality is one I am willing to overlook for the sake of enjoyment of the play. What bothers me slightly more is that Othello, presumeably a very intelligent man, would allow a mere suspicion to grow into such an intense state of jealousy when he has no definite proof of his wife's infidelity. One would think he would do some investigation for himself, rather than being content to have Iago feed him all the "facts."

I now wish to comment on the particular edition of this play that I read - the 1993 "New Folger Library" printing, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. I have read several of of the Folger versions of Shakespeare's plays, and have found them unbeatable as far as making Shakespeare's works accessible to the layman. The book is laid out with the text of the play appearing on the right-hand page of each two-page spread, while the left-hand page contains textual notes that are of tremendous help in understanding the play. Words and phrases that have become obsolete since Shakespeare's day are defined clearly, and any allusions that would not be obvious to a modern reader are also explained. The fact that one can access these notes without having to flip back and forth through the pages makes it much easier to maintain one's place and train of thought.

Another thing I like about this particular edition is that it contains the entire play. Two versions of "Othello" were published in Shakespere's day - a Quarto, which was a small and slightly condensed version, appeared in 1622, and the longer Folio version was published in 1623. Each version is slightly different, containing bits and pieces not present in the other. This printing of the play contains the entirety of both versions combined into one, with brackets around those words that appear in only one or the other of the original printings.

In addition to the play itself, this book contains an excellent introduction, with information about the play, the language of the time, drama in general, Shakespeare himself, theater in Shakespeare's day, a bit about his other works, and some editorial notes on this particular edition of "Othello." Thus, even the rankest newcomer to Shakespeare will not be at a loss here, though the book is equally suitable for those already familiar with Shakespeare and his works. At the end of the book is a brief but interesting and well-written essay entitled "Othello: A Modern Perspective" by Susan Snyder which offers further analysis of the play. I highly recommend the Folger editions of any of Shakespeare's plays to all readers. They are wonderful for use in the classroom, and also make it much easier to delve into Shakespeare on one's own.


Absurd And Overrated.   July 14, 2006
 3 out of 15 found this review helpful

For the most part, I really do like Shakespeare's plays. But this one play I consider an utter flop. It would seem any time romance is involved, people tend to make the material more than it is. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it fails miserably. The most annoying thing about this play is that except for Iago, all of the characters are major simpletons. And while this may work in comedy (like it does in Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors") it does NOT work here. The sotry revolves around Othello who marries Desdemona to the disapproval of many parties, including Roderigo who wanted Desdemona for himself. Basically Iago (the so called villain) is willing to help destroy Othello supposedly to aid Roderigo. While Iago is supposedly a villain, the truth is any reasonable person in Iago's shoes would have been angered. (1) He was turned down for promotion in favor of Cassio, and everything from the play indicates that Cassio is Iago's inferior. (2) He has reason to believe that his wife has been messing around with Othello AND Cassio.) While some people have tried to write this off as another lie, this isn't too sound seeing that Iago expresses these reasons in a soliloquy where this no point whatsoever in being dishonest. One of the major annoying things about this play is that everyone keeps saying how nobel Othello is, but nothing in the play really justifies this. And as term 'noble' keeps repeating, it ends up sounding increasingly sarcastic. (Not unlike the way Antony destroys Brutus by the repeated term of 'honorable'.) Anyway, it doesn't take long for Othello to show his hypocrisy. He claims to love Desdemona, but the truth is it would seem more that he is just sexually attracted to her. (Most of you saw the "Titanic." And Rose's fiance Calvin SEEMED nice at first. But he didn't love Rose. He was only attracted to her and saw her as a piece of property. Later, he didn't have any problem with slapping her or firing gunshots in her direction. Jack LOVED Rose, and he sacrificed his life so she could live!) I think "Romeo and Juliet" is overrated, but AT LEAST Romeo LOVES Juliet, and he kills himself because he thinks she is dead. If Othello loves Desdemona, why is he so ready to jump on the issue of adultery? Iago manipulates Othello so much it is laughable. And here the devil would have such a great time confronting Othello with his own hypocrisy. (1. Iago has reason to believe that Othello has been messing around with his wife. 'Shame to him, whose cruel striking, kills for faults of his own liking!' (2) Even in "Dante's Inferno," crimes of passion and adultery are the most lightly punished ones in hell.) Iago continues to walk Othello through his degeneration until Othello becomes guilty of the unforgivable murder of someone he CLAIMED to love for something she didn't even do. Othello proves himself to be the most repulsive and unsympathetic protagonist in any of Shakespeare's writings. By the way in "Excalibur" King Arthur SAW his wife sleeping with Lance A Lot and he could NOT bring himself to kill them! In "King Lear," Albany's wife Goneril is plotting his death AND messing around with Edmund. And he remains calm and just doesn't kill his wife! In "The Scarlet Letter" Roger KNEW Hester was cheating on him, and he remained more respectable: "Even if I imagine a scheme of vengeance, what could I do better for my object than to let thee live...Live therefore and bear about thy doom with thee in the eyes of men and women in the eyes of him who thou didst call thy husband." I find it most fitting to conclude with a quote to Othello from Slayer: "Hell Awaits."


Shakespeare's domestic tragedy   July 11, 2001
 2 out of 5 found this review helpful

In this modern day and age, many readers can have trouble relating with even such brilliant Shakespearean characters as Hamlet, Macbeth and Prince Hal. Deeply human as each of these are, how many of us can really identify with medieval Danish, Scottish or English royalty? Of course, master playwright that he was, Shakespeare was always able to beautifully surmount the structures of monarchy to reveal the human spirit; and yet in a play like Othello, we can find just as penetrating an examination of human nature in the context of a much more familiar social situation. Here, as in Hamlet and even Macbeth, the concerns are of love, jealousy, and crimes of passion -- but without the cloak of kings and courtiers. Further, Iago may be the single most intense character created by an author known for his characters' condensed intensity. Some try to go even further and claim that this is a play about race relations; however, in fact Othello's status as a Moor is of very little significance in the play as written, coming to the surface only once or twice early on. Instead, he is the tragedic everyman: the profound lover whose mind is twisted by the voices of those around him, the military man who finds himself lost and out of place when he returns to start a family. I heartily recommend this masterpiece for anyone looking for Shakespearean genius in a strikingly modern form.