Othello Ignatius Critical Editions

One of the four great tragedies—alongside Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth—Othello is among the darkest of Shakespeare’s plays, illumining the shadows of the gloomiest recesses of the human psyche and serving as a damning indictment of the world in which it was written. A cautionary tale of the destructiveness of sin and the ruinous consequences of bad philosophy, Othello seems to express Shakespeare’s rage at the cynicism and brutality of the age in which he lived. From the Machiavellian menace of Iago to the blind and prideful jealousy of Othello, this classic of world literature shows us the shadow falling over a society that has turned its back on the light and life of virtue. The Ignatius Critical Editions present a tradition-oriented approach to reading Western classics. While many critical editions view literature through the lens of modernism and post-modernism, this series offers critical examinations informed by the Judeo-Christian heritage as passed down through the ages—the same heritage that provided the crucible in which the great authors formed these classic works. Edited by acclaimed literary biographer Joseph Pearce, the Ignatius Critical Editions provide essays and footnotes that analyze works in light of the Western tradition, allowing the reader to meet the authors in their element. The series is ideal for academic study and for anyone wishing to understand the great literary works of Western civilization in the company of some of the finest literature professors alive today.