Othello
Assigned by 3 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1603-1604
- Form
- Tragedy
- Language
- English
- Length
- Medium · 320 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendOthelloFolger Shakespeare Library (Simon and Schuster), 2004Affordable and well annotated; the notes track Iago's shifting language closely.
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Othello, a Moorish general in the service of Venice, secretly marries Desdemona, a senator's daughter, and is posted to Cyprus against the Turks. His ensign Iago, passed over for promotion, sets out to destroy him. With a stolen handkerchief and a series of staged half-truths he persuades Othello that Desdemona is sleeping with the lieutenant Cassio. Othello smothers her in their bed, learns the truth from Iago's wife Emilia, and kills himself.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Othello are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
