William Shakespeare’s powerful and disturbing tale of jealousy and betrayal, ‘Othello’ has become one of the most popular and admired of Shakespeare’s tragedies.
Othello, we learn, is a triumphant and influential Moorish general, happily married to his beloved Desdemona, who has defied her family by falling in love with and marrying a black man. Iago, Othello’s friend, feels slighted when overlooked for promotion, and plots revenge against Othello by convincing him – wrongly – that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Initially refusing to believe this slander, Othello finally concludes that Iago’s evidence is irrefutable and Othello begins to plan for Desdemona’s demise.
Often cited as among Shakespeare’s most moving and brilliant works, ‘The Tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice’ is presented here in its original and unabridged format.
About the author
William Shakespeare is generally acknowledged as the greatest dramatist in the history of English literature. Also a poet and actor, Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where he received an education at the local grammar school, but whether he attended any educational institution subsequent to his early tutelage is unknown. By eighteen, Shakespeare was married – to an already-pregnant Anne Hathaway – and the couple would go on to have three children, Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith. (Hamnet died at 11 years old.) Shakespeare moved to London soon after the birth of the twins and began publishing poems (‘Venus and Adonis’ (1593) and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ (1594)) and joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Men as an actor and playwright. Shakespeare stayed with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men throughout his career, producing some of his finest work – ‘King Lear, ‘ ‘Macbeth’ and ‘The Tempest’ among them – after the company fell under the patronage of King James I and became The King’s Men. During his career, Shakespeare penned 38 plays, two narrative poems and over 150 sonnets and enjoyed considerable financial success, eventually buying New Place, one of the largest homes in Stratford. Following his death in 1616 at the age of 52, thirty-six of his plays were collected and published as the First Folio and his entire canon – including his extant plays, sonnets and poems – were published as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s plays are the most produced dramatic works in existence and they have been translated and adapted into countless stage, screen and television productions over the years. Entire theatres are devoted to producing his works and his writings are studied and analyzed in literature classes around the world.
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