The Tragedie of Othello, the Moor of Venice

by William Shakespeare, Andrew Murphy

Overview

The "Shakespearean Originals" series aims to provide readers of modern drama with 16th- and 17th-century playtexts which have been treated as historical documents, and are reproduced as closely to their original printed forms as the conditions of modern publication will permit. Each volume in the series comprises a general series introduction, an introduction to the play, the original text, a select bibliography, full annotations and some sample facsimile pages from the text itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138466968
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/28/2017
Pages:	164
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

William Shakespeare

Date of Death:

2018

Place of Birth:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Place of Death:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Table of Contents

General Introduction, Introduction, Select Bibliography, Textual History, Text: The Tragedy of Othello, the Moore of Venice, Endnotes, Appendix

Editorial Reviews

Some may wonder what Lester is up to here. A novelization of Shakespeare's "Othello"? Why not just read the play? But in his well-reasoned introduction, Lester tackles that subject head-on, and his answers should convince even purists that there's a place for this book. After all, it's common knowledge that Shakespeare took plots from other works, so Lester is only following the Bard's example. Moreover, Lester firmly states that his book is not a substitute for the play but, rather, a re-imagining of the story Though he follows the original story line, Lester has made significant changes in the characterizations. Now Iago and Emilia (Emily in the play), like Othello, are black. Lester wanted race to be a more central theme of his novel, and by repositioning these characters, he brings a new and powerful dimension to that aspect of the story. In portraying Othello, Iago, and Emily as Africans who have come to England (the new setting) together, Lester gives them a mutual history that also adds psychological depth to his new conceptualization Another goal of Lester's is to make his book a bridge to the play. Since Shakespeare's language can be an inhibiting factor for young people, this more modern rendering makes the story accessible. But Lester does not entirely remake Shakespeare's style. Sometimes Lester paraphrases; at other times, he uses exact wording, which is printed in boldface, a useful, if occasionally awkward device There's only one problem with the book, and it's one that has played around the edges of Shakespeare's work as well. Othello's dramatic about-face concerning Desdemona, ending in her murder, comes with a quickness that will probably startle young readers. Despite the pyschological motivations Lester has tried to establish, Othello's haste to distrust does not seem to mesh with the image of the noble general that's been presented. Perhaps because of the intimacy a novel engenders, this jump seems more jarring here than it does in the play. On the whole, however, this is a fascinating effort. The story of "Othello", with its questions about perceptions, race, and the nature of love and friendship, will be a natural draw for young people, just as it has been for readers worldwide, for centuries.

Ilene Cooper