Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living… in early modern Venice, in an Italy unfriendly to non-Europeans.
Visiting… Cyprus, where he was sent to protect the island from invading Turks.
Profession… general in the Venetian army. Othello has many stories to tell of the strange lands he’s traveled to and the battles he’s fought. In fact, that was how he won his wife, Desdemona—she was enthralled by the stories she overheard him telling her father, and they fell in love.
Interests… fighting battles and telling stories. Othello is a good storyteller, and he’s not unaware that other Venetians find him exotic, as he is not only a “Moor,” but also the first one to become a Venetian general. He likes to pass time with his friends Cassio and Iago and, of course, with his wife.
Relationship Status… married and still in love. His wife, Desdemona, is the daughter of a duke of Venice. They fell deeply in love, but now Iago is hinting that maybe Desdemona is no longer faithful. Othello find it hard to believe, and yet… Doubt plagues the general, as he cries, “O! now, for ever/Farewell the tranquil mind; farewell content!”
Challenge… distinguishing truth from lies. Is Desdemona cheating on him? Is Cassio betraying their friendship? Is Iago leading him astray? Othello can fight as well as any man, but it’s much harder to navigate this web of deceit. He doesn’t want to believe his friends are betraying him, but he also does not want to play the fool.
Personality… loving and brave, but easily manipulated. A strong leader in battle, Othello is a good man who falls too easily to others’ insinuations. Like he describes himself, Othello is "one that lov'd not wisely but too well [...] one not easily jealous, but, being wrought [...]Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away / Richer than all his tribe.”
Get to Know him in...
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The evil Iago pretends to be friend of Othello in order to manipulate him to serve his own end in the film version of this Shakespeare classic.
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The New York Theater Workshop's production of Othello, starring Daniel Craig and David Oyelowo, and directed by Tony award-winning director Sam Gold, opens in November. This production is sponsored in part by The Pelican Shakespeare series and Penguin Classics.
This edition of Othello is edited with an introduction and notes by Russ McDonald and was recently repackaged with cover art by Manuja Waldia. Waldia received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators for the Pelican Shakespeare series.
The legendary Pelican Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans. Each book includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare’s time, an introduction to the individual play, and a detailed note on the text used. Updated by general editors Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller, these easy-to-read editions incorporate over thirty years of Shakespeare scholarship undertaken since the original series, edited by Alfred Harbage, appeared between 1956 and 1967. With stunning new covers, definitive texts, and illuminating essays, the Pelican Shakespeare will remain a valued resource for students, teachers, and theater professionals for many years to come.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. -
When a secret marriage is planned between Othello, a Moorish general, and Desdemona, the daughter of Senator Brabantio, her old suitor Roderigo takes it hard. He allies himself with Iago, who has his own grudge against Othello, and the two conspire to bring Othello down. When their first plan, to have him accused of witchcraft, fails, they plant evidence intended to make him believe Desdemona is unfaithful.
