Name: Orthello
Rating: 3.798850574712644 (522 reviews)
ISBN: 9780774032223

William Shakespeare

Coles Editorial Board

Orthello

Othello

Romy

Not my favorite Shakespeare piece, but damn Iago. Wish we’d had more of Desdemona.

A discussion of the sources and historical background of the play accompanies the text and critical commentaries.

I feel like Iago should've come up with a better lie, because clearly he hasn't educated himself on the art of sleeptalking. However, I do applaud him for making it slightly gay. 

Othello should've fact checked quicker, too. Ya know, before hell broke loose? Othello, there were so many people you could have used as an early 17th century google. How many did you think to ask before it was too late? None. Thanks for being a little bit gullible, Othello, because you gave this story a teensy bit of plot. All of that for a snotty rank hankie that you were told to give to your wife. Maybe Cassio borrowed it and forgot to give it back? Maybe he liked it and wanted to see where she got it from? Maybe they're human beings that really don't love eachother?

Poor Desdemona for having so many pairs of male eyes constantly watching her.  Another man rocks up each scene and secretly confesses that they too love this woman. Sorry to break it to you all, but there are other women out there. Especially ones that aren't happily married. 

Also let's not forget about Montano. That one guy who got stabbed at the end of act 2 and only came back when everyone he was staying with was actively fighting in a civil war between themselves. I'm glad he lived to tell the traumatic tale, but he wasn't present for most of it.

Iago, you were the one character I couldn't care less about. You get stabbed and I think "great, he's gonna die in the mess he started with all of the other corpses bleeding on the floor." Nope. One of the only ones that lived. Also, Iago, get over it mate. Just because your friend has a nice pretty wife does not mean that you need to take it out on everyone around you because you think your marriage is dying. Go to therapy instead. Or anger management. Don't, you know, try to instantly break them up and then start a rampage when it doesn't work out? Maybe let them live next time. Work on that buddy. Isn't that a nice thing to do?

Alesha Clifford

I feel like Iago should've come up with a better lie, because clearly he hasn't educated himself on the art of sleeptalking. However, I do applaud him for making it slightly gay. 

Othello should've fact checked quicker, too. Ya know, before hell broke loose? Othello, there were so many people you could have used as an early 17th century google. How many did you think to ask before it was too late? None. Thanks for being a little bit gullible, Othello, because you gave this story a teensy bit of plot. All of that for a snotty rank hankie that you were told to give to your wife. Maybe Cassio borrowed it and forgot to give it back? Maybe he liked it and wanted to see where she got it from? Maybe they're human beings that really don't love eachother?

Poor Desdemona for having so many pairs of male eyes constantly watching her.  Another man rocks up each scene and secretly confesses that they too love this woman. Sorry to break it to you all, but there are other women out there. Especially ones that aren't happily married. 

Also let's not forget about Montano. That one guy who got stabbed at the end of act 2 and only came back when everyone he was staying with was actively fighting in a civil war between themselves. I'm glad he lived to tell the traumatic tale, but he wasn't present for most of it.

Iago, you were the one character I couldn't care less about. You get stabbed and I think "great, he's gonna die in the mess he started with all of the other corpses bleeding on the floor." Nope. One of the only ones that lived. Also, Iago, get over it mate. Just because your friend has a nice pretty wife does not mean that you need to take it out on everyone around you because you think your marriage is dying. Go to therapy instead. Or anger management. Don't, you know, try to instantly break them up and then start a rampage when it doesn't work out? Maybe let them live next time. Work on that buddy. Isn't that a nice thing to do?

If anything, Othello has increased its stature as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies ever since it was first written, between 1603 and 1604, due to the victimisation suffered by its tragic hero, Othello, as a result of his skin colour. Othello is a "noble Moor", a North African Muslim who has converted to Christianity and is deemed one of the Venetian state's most reliable soldiers. However, his ensign Iago harbours an obscure hatred against his general, and when Othello secretly marries the beautiful daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio, Iago begins his subtle campaign of vilification, which will inevitably lead to the deaths of more than just Othello and Desdemona.

rory

britt

Here are the books that help teach Shakespeare plays without the teacher constantly needing to explain and define Elizabethan terms, slang, and other ways of expression that are different from our own. Each play is presented with Shakespeare's original lines on each left-hand page, and a modern, easy-to-understand "translation" on the facing right-hand page. All dramas are complete, with every original Shakespearian line, and a full-length modern rendition of the text. These invaluable teaching-study guides also include: Helpful background information that puts each play in its historical perspective. Discussion questions that teachers can use to spark student class participation, and which students can use as springboards for their own themes and term papers. Fact quizzes, sample examinations, and other features that improve student comprehension of what each play is about.

Othello (Shakespeare Made Easy)

Jeweliet Coffee

Zeke Taylor

Emmm :p

My favourite of Shakespeare's plays! Delves into race and dissects stereotypes.

Rex Gibson

Vicki Wienand

Richard Andrews

Jane Coles

An improved, larger-format edition of the Cambridge School Shakespeare plays, extensively rewritten, expanded and produced in an attractive new design. An active approach to classroom Shakespeare enables students to inhabit Shakespeare's imaginative world in accessible and creative ways. Students are encouraged to share Shakespeare's love of language, interest in character and sense of theatre. Substantially revised and extended in full colour, classroom activities are thematically organised in distinctive 'Stagecraft', 'Write about it', 'Language in the play', 'Characters' and 'Themes' features. Extended glossaries are aligned with the play text for easy reference. Expanded endnotes include extensive essay-writing guidance for 'Othello' and Shakespeare. Includes rich, exciting colour photos of performances of 'Othello' from around the world.

Jamieson

No problems with Othello, but don't find it to be Shakespeare's best play, you feel? 

I really love (or love to hate) Iago though. He's such a clever and well constructed villian and I find him to be one of the most cunning and intriguing characters because his motivations and aims are never 100% clear and I like that. 

Some iconic lines though "beware of jealousy, for it is the green eyed monster" I mean it's classic Shakespeare. Also I feel so sorry for Cassio bc he honestly just came out here to have a good time and then he gets attacked outta nowhere by Iago and peer pressured into drinking too much like it's not really not a great time for Michael Cassio

Also Iago is such a drama queen lmao I mean "I am not what I am" pls you're so pretentious don't quote the bible to me 

But yeah don't love it, definitely don't hate it. (Although! reading the script is such a bore I'm seeing a play version of it next week and that'll be much better)

elizabeth church

** spoiler alert **
           Guysssssss why did no one tell me Shakespeare was good?? Have u heard of him, he's got some talent this guy. This was prob the first Shakespeare that I actually really really enjoyed. I was annotating this book like crazy. Iago is a crazy evil coocoo guy and I hate him. Othello is EVEN WORSE I reallyyyyy hate that guy. HE KILLED HIS WIFE WITH NO PROOF!! Like sir shouldn't you get a little more proof before you go around killing people. And even if Desdemona was having an affair... YOU DON'T KILL HER FOR IT!! OH MY GOSH and the worst part... he literally asked her if she was sleeping with Cassio and she said no and the he just kept on calling her a liar. WHAT THE HECK!! OH MY GOSH aaaand instead of getting a just punishment and spending the rest of his life in jail he kills himself!! So he doesn't even serve a sentence in prison!! WHAT THE HECK!! Even though we didn't really get to know a lot about Desdemona, I still love her. Oh and Emilia is a total girlboss!! She stood up to Othello and Iago and called them out on their bullshit even after she was being threatened... and then Iago KILLED HER!! Why are all the good people dying in this play (maybe because it's a tragedy dummy).

Celeste Richardson

You can find this review and more at Novel Notions. 

Yesterday I had a random hankering for some Shakespeare. Weird craving, I know, but it just hits me every once in a while. However, I feel like I can’t fully appreciate any of his work by simply reading it. So what I do is grab my giant collection of his plays, plug in either a film or dramatized audio version of whichever play I’ve chosen, and read along. Shakespeare never intended for his work to be read; it was written to be performed. Since it was a rainy afternoon, I could afford to devote three hours to simultaneously reading and listening to Othello, and it was by far the most I’ve ever enjoyed this particular play.

I’ve read all of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets (it was a requirement for my undergrad degree), but I’ve never really connected to his tragedies. Even as a teacher, works like Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear were works to be trudged through, and I tried to make them as painless as possible for my students, skipping them all together when I could in favor of lighter works such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream (my favorite) and Much Ado About Nothing. But I thoroughly enjoyed Othello this go round. Whether that’s due to being older or not having to teach it, or because the audio drama I found was incredible, or a combination of all the above, it was an absolute pleasure to read. Even if I knew it was all going to end horribly.

As I stated above, the fully dramatized audio version of Othello I stumbled upon was absolutely exquisite. It was a production from London’s Donmar Warehouse (and is available for free download here), and featured a phenomenal voice cast including Ewan McGregor, Tom Hiddleston, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Fairley, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello. It was pretty incredible to hear young Obi-Wan, Loki, Mary Watson, Catelyn Stark, and Solomon Northrup all together as one cast, losing themselves in rolls that were penned centuries ago. 

Something that I find amusing every time I revisit anything Shakespearean is how tightly linked his name has become with high-brow entertainment. Because nothing could have been further from the truth during his lifetime. His humor is rude and ribald, and always has been. If he were alive today, his social media would be filled with rude jokes and NSFW pics, and I doubt the modern scripts he wrote would be considered heart-breaking works of staggering genius. And yet the stories he crafted have more staying power in our modern culture than anything outside of the Bible. How often have these plays been adapted under different names? How deeply do these stories influence newer books and movies and television shows with or without the writers consciously realizing it? 

While not his most popular play, Othello is another demonstration of this staying power. This play and its characters have influenced who knows how many stories since it was first written and performed, especially regarding race and jealousy. Iago remains one of the most chilling villains I’ve come across in fiction, and jealousy rooted in false information and imagined slights is a very dominant theme in many modern works. A few years ago I watched Shakespeare Live! From the RSC, and there was a jazz dance of the climax of Othello’s jealousy, and this dance has stuck with me for years. I could still see and hear it in my mind, even as I read. I’ve combed YouTube in search of the clip, but to no avail. I might have to give in and buy a copy of the entire show just so I can see that dance again.

I’m going to be on the lookout for other dramatized, full cast audio versions of Shakespeare’s work, especially his tragedies as they’ve always been more difficult for me to enjoy. Because, you know, they’re tragic. But I strongly believe that, even though Shakespeare would laugh at how his work as been embraced as entertainment for the upper echelon of society, the fact that it has maintained an important roll in our culture for four centuries means that it’s worth a slice of your time.

nina

i loved this more than i thought i would.

Deniz Erkaradağ

Othello was written right after Hamlet and we can hear Hamlet's echoes in it. However we can see characters' inner worlds in Hamlet where we see outher world in Othello.

Eleanor Luhar

Like The Great Gatsby, I am studying this for part of my A Level course and have this particular edition which includes notes and definitions. 

And like with my last review, this is only going to be short. (Mostly because I'm so tired of studying this book that I don't want to spend extra time on it now.)

In classic Shakespearean style, there's a hell of a lot of misunderstanding and, of course, death. There's even a love-driven suicide at the end, which Shakespeare was rather fond of including it seems.

This play is renowned for addressing a number of topics such as race, class differences, love and jealousy. Mostly, it is about the latter.

It's always hard to get into these plays, but other than that it's pretty good. Iago is possibly one of Shakespeare's best villains, has he is so cunning and clever with his acts. 3 stars.

Caitlyn DeRouin

Gosh, I forgot just HOW tragic Othello is.

Also, if your first thought upon hearing the line "Have you prayed tonight, Desdemona?" is the My Junk scene in Spring Awakening, then you've maybe seen Spring Awakening too many times (I'm speaking from experience, I almost laughed out loud)

Maggie Clark

I didn’t enjoy this play as much as I have enjoyed Shakespeare’s other works, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have anything to offer. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys dramatic irony. This play made me consider how women feel when they are stuck in an unhappy marriage, and it caused me to question if I am too trusting of others. While Othello was the main character, Emilia stole the show for me. She is a victim, yet she does find a way to fight back when the other characters do not.

~Spoilers~
Othello is clearly not very bright. If he had just listened to his wife, or questioned Iago’s intentions for one minute, this play would have a much happier ending. Once Desdemona had died, and Emilia had exposed Iago, Othello can see his own stupidity. Desdemona’s character might come off as weak since she does not attempt to physically fight off Othello when he is attempting to kill her, but I believe that her attempt to beg for her life shows her awareness that she would stand no chance in a physical fight against Othello. In her last line, it might seem like she is defending Othello by blaming herself for her death, but I don’t think was her intention. It seems like Desdemona said this because she has come to the understanding that none of the tragic events of the play would have unfolded if she had not fallen for Othello. 

~Emilia~
While it could be argued that Emilia is an antagonist because she does give Iago the handkerchief, that’s simply incorrect. Emilia is just as much of a victim of spousal abuse as Desdemona is. It makes sense that she is trying to help Iago because it means that he might show her affection or at least not abuse her. When she tells Othello he is stupid for believing Iago, she is not just reprimanding him, but she is also reprimanding herself for believing her husband. Emilia showed bravery when she spoke against Iago, and that made her my favorite character.

Orthello

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