Lois Potter traces Othello 's acting tradition as it affected the playing of Othello, Desdemona, characters originally played by a white actor and a boy, respectively, and Iago. She examines the stage and screen versions of the play, including a full study of Paul Robeson's 1943 avatar of the character, that reflect or challenge current views about race and gender.

In Othello, Shakespeare creates powerful drama from a marriage between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona that begins with elopement and mutual devotion and ends with jealous rage and death. Shakespeare builds many differences into his hero and heroine, including race, age, and cultural background. Yet most readers and audiences believe the couple's strong love would overcome these differences were it not for Iago, who sets out to destroy Othello. Iago's false insinuations about Desdemona's infidelity draw Othello into his schemes, and Desdemona is subjected to Othello's horrifying verbal and physical assaults. The authoritative edition of Othello from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, is now available as an ebook. Features include: · The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference · Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation · Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play · Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play · Scene-by-scene plot summaries · A key to famous lines and phrases · An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language · Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books · An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the pla

Including twenty-one groundbreaking chapters that examine one of Shakespeare's most complex tragedies. Othello: Critical Essays explores issues of friendship and fealty, love and betrayal, race and gender issues, and much more.

With its focus on gender, power, race, sexuality, and violence, Othello is an important site for new critical approaches to the study of Shakespeare's works. Both criticism and culture are represented in this collection of recent essays which provides readers with examples of feminist, new-historicist, cultural materialist, deconstructive, and post-colonial perspectives on Othello. With discussions of recent stage and screen productions, and analysis of the use of the play in such contemporary events as the O.J. Simpson murder trial, this compelling critical volume presents a wide variety of ways of understanding the continuing significance of Shakespeare's play both in his own time and in ours.

FOLGER Shakespeare Library THE WORLD'S LEADING CENTER FOR SHAKESPEARE STUDIES The Folger Shakespeare Library is one of the world's leading centers for scholarship, learning, and culture. The Folger is dedicated to advancing knowledge and increasing understanding of Shakespeare and the early modern period; it is home to the world's largest Shakespeare collection and one of the leading collections of books and materials of the entire early modern period (1500-1750). Combining a worldclass research library and scholarly programs; leadership in curriculum, training, and publishing for K-12 education; and award-winning performing arts, exhibitions, and lectures, the Folger is Shakespeare's home in America. This volume of the Shakespeare Set Free series is written by institute faculty and participants, and includes the latest developments in recent scholarship. It bristles with the energy created by teaching and learning Shakespeare from the text and through active performance, and reflects the experience, wisdom, and wit of real classroom teachers in schools and colleges throughout the United States. In this book, you'll find the following: Clearly written essays by leading scholars to refresh teachers and challenge older students Effective and accessible techniques for teaching Shakespeare through performance and engaging students in Shakespeare's language and plays Day-by-day teaching strategies for Twelfth Night and Othello that successfully and energetically immerse students of every grade and skill level in the language and in the plays themselves -- created, taught, and written by real teachers

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in the series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. Betrayal and manipulation lie at the heart of Othello. Keep up with all the crosses and double-crosses of this tragic play with the CliffsNotes version of the play, which will help you form your own opinions about Iago's schemes, Othello's motives, and Desdemona's loyalty. Other features that help you study include Background information about the life and times of William Shakespeare to help you understand his influences A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters Glossaries to help you comprehend Shakespeare’s language Critical essays on the character pairs and major themes of the play A review section that tests your knowledge Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

A Study Guide for William Shakespeare's "Othello" (1995 lit-to-film), excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama for Students.This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama for Students for all of your research needs.