Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library)

The Folger Shakespeare Library edition provides an excellent introduction to the play, making it accessible to both newcomers and experienced readers of Shakespeare. The introduction and annotations are informative and enhance the understanding of the text, especially for those not familiar with the language of the Elizabethan era. The character of Othello is masterfully portrayed, and his descent into jealousy and madness is both heartbreaking and thought-provoking. Iago's cunning manipulation is brilliantly depicted, leaving you questioning the depths to which human jealousy can drive a person. The themes explored in "Othello" are as relevant today as they were in Shakespeare's time, making this play a timeless exploration of human nature and the destructive power of jealousy and mistrust. Whether you're a Shakespeare aficionado or just looking for a compelling read, "Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library)" is a must-have addition to your library. It's a powerful work of literature that will leave a lasting impression and provide plenty of material for reflection and discussion. In conclusion, I highly recommend this edition of "Othello" to anyone who appreciates classic literature, intricate character development, and profound themes. It's a brilliant and enduring masterpiece that continues to resonate with readers of all generations.

Othello, or The Tradegy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, is a tragic play written by the illustrious William Shakespeare, who also wrote many more plays throughout his lifetime and is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. The first edition was written in approximately 1603, and the story is based upon a short Italian story called "Un Capitano Toro," or "The Moorish Captain." There have been many editions printed and to this day Othello is still performed in professional and communities today. It's impossible to shake the popularity of Shakespeare's works, if not all, as Othello has spawned numerous movie, opera, and book versions. The edition that I am reviewing is the electronic Kindle version, published by Public Domain Books, with 182 pages and in playwright form. Set in the beautiful city of Venice and the country of Cyprus, the story takes place in about the late 1500s, and the early 1600s. Othello, a courageous and skilled soldier, is married to the lovely Desdemona, with whom he is quite taken with. Though Othello has everything going for him there is one person who, unbeknownst to him, threatens to destroy that happiness. That person is Iago, Othello's appointed ensign. Hidden under a veil of honesty, Othello puts bestows great trust on Iago, though the latter is, in reality, a cruel and despicable man who will do anything to get what he desires. Including characters that simply add more thrilling drama and shocking intrigue, the play beautifully and darkly illustrates Othello's descent into madness, and leads up to the stunning conclusion that truly makes this a "tragedy." After Othello secretly elopes with Desdemona, a wealthy man named Roderigo who is upset at this arrangement complains to Iago, a soldier that serves under Othello. Iago and Roderigo share the shame ire towards the former but for different reasons. After having promoted the younger and less-experienced Cassio to lieutenant over himself, Iago plots to manipulate Othello into thinking that his wife is cheating on him. Iago proceeds to use his guile to toy with Othello's mind, shattering the trust he felt towards Desdemona, and morphing him into a vessel filled with rage, doubt, jealousy. Effectively, he utilizes Cassio and even his own wife to spite Othello. In a rage of grief and jealousy, Othello chooses to believe Iago's words, and more than one person has fallen to his serpent's tongue. Othello demonstrates the importance of trust. For example, Othello trusted Iago, and was therefore easily swayed by his words. His trust for Desdemona shatters with each moment of evidence that arises in favor of Desdemona cheating on him with Cassio. Another theme is believing what your eyes see versus reality. The force of Iago's manipulations made a greater force on Othello, rendering him paranoid and green with envy. Despite her husband's odd behavior towards her, Desdemona does nothing more than try to reinforce her love for him, despite his harsh words. Because of that love, she still has faith in him. Sadly, that faith doesn't pull through in the end... This play was nothing short of impressive. Beautifully written, nothing less from the great Shakespeare, it is a read that teens will find exciting, despite the year it was written. Though Othello is the title character, the one who shined the most to me was definitely Iago. He is the epitome of cruelty and manipulation, the kind of person that everyone loves to hate. Desdemona's love for Othello despite his mistrust of her was touching, and the ending left me deeply saddened, but had me cheering for its brilliance. This book is simply another gem from William Shakespeare and, dare I say it, possibly one of his best.

At this point true-believers of the archaic Stratford origins of Shakespeare suffer from either naive ignorance, arrogant ignorance, or a species of mental illness. It took an Oxfordian to demonstrate this tragedy's roots in Italian Commedia dell'arte, an amazing and probably unduplicated achievement by the Earl of Oxford who, when he was living in Venice, was turned against his wife by the poisonous suggestions of his "faithful" retainer Yorke. The anonymous nobleman was eventually "outed" as having been England's Best for Comedy (see Meres, Palladis Tamia, pub. 1598), so making use of a classic comedic form to deliver a tragedy should not have gone unnoticed for so long. The traditionalists have taught us nothing about Shakespeare. By the way, for the noodniks below, the "story" Shakespeare used was written in Italian and French, as were so many of his "sources." Kind of a lot of languages to learn and books to read while he was busy acting and writing and earning a substantial living in real estate and grain and raising a family. But maybe his local librarian read them aloud for him and the kiddies...

Very hard to follow - script not printed in an accessible way, font is aesthetically unappealing.

todo perfecto

very helpful for vce english

Reading Othello was significant for me in a special way. back in the 50s and I suppose for a time after that, supermarkets used to offer special collections of books at the rate of one book per week. They also did with dinnerware, cutlery etc. They would off individual volumes of encyclopedias etc. at very low prices to attract repeat customers. This was like the weekly serials that used to play in movie theatres. I remember my mother buying a hardbound copy of Othello in one of these offers from, I’m almost certain, Loblaws. The volume lay around out house for quite awhile. I tried to read it a few times but the language flummoxed me. I didn’t know what ‘Exeunt’ meant etc. However, the play did make an impression on my and I remembered the name ‘Iago’ all through my childhood. I became aware of the rudiments of the play over the years. I knew that Iago convinced Othello that his wife was unfaithful. However, I always thought that Othello strangled Desdemona rather than smothering her. That book that my mother bought was at the beginning of my life. Now in my 70 with my mortality becoming very real to me, I have embarked on a project to read all of the literature that I was assigned to read in school but didn’t. I’ve read all of the Shakespeare plays that I was assigned in high school and now am trying to read as many of the plays as possible in their Folger editions. I was looking forward to Othello coming up in this process because I would be able to read the book that I tried to read in my childhood over 60 years ago. I’m’ very glad that I did. I can’t match the scholarship that is available on this play However, I think that there is a way to view the play that is quite relevant to today’s world. The issue of social media and how it can be used by malefactors to seed discord and hatred is something that can be applied to the play. Iago preys upon people in much the same way that social media malefactors do. He does not try to convince people of something that they re already not predisposed to believe. He just supplies a slight nudge in much the same way advocates uses ‘nudges’ in public service advertising. He then just assists these people with continuing nudges to follow their own path to the conclusions to which they are prone. Thus, he is able to convince Othello and Rodrigo of supposed facts about that Desdemona that bear no basis in reality but fit their preconceptions. Othello was written over 400 years ago, but it is highly relevant of today. Social media is but a new venue for Iago-like malefactors to operate. It can make their activity more efficient but as Othello shows their tactics have been sued for centuries and likely millennia.

Arden Shakespeare is the best edition of all Shakespeare plays. Buy it all, read it all and make a collection. Arden Shakespeares are cheap and of good quality. They contain unabridged dramas, introductory notes, critical comments, annotations, essays and more. It is definitely worth buying.