Othello (Barnes & Noble Shakespeare)

This is one of Shakespeare’s most subtle plays. Iago is an amazing villain, and I am always fascinated to see the play unfold around Iago’s designs. The other great tragedies (Hamlet, Lear, Macbeth) all have something supernatural and existential about them. Not Othello, though, and I think one of the most amazing things about it is how Shakespeare was able to craft such a masterpiece that depends entirely on Iago’s cunning and Othello’s psychology. I highly recommend giving it a read.I think the Dover editions of Shakespeare are fine and get the job done. They’re very affordable, obviously, and the play is readable. The footnotes are helpful, I just don’t love the glossy jackets and the size of the pages. Still, a fine way to read Shakespeare’s plays.

I purchased this edition of Othello for the students in my English One class. Othello is a very exciting play, and a great read. It is wise to be aware of some fairly adult aspects of the play, including sexual references, questions of fidelity, questions of virginity, and murder. This particular edition is laid out nicely, and is compact enough to take the 'fear' factor of reading a longer book away from reluctant students. The footnotes are of fair quality, but given the nature of Dover editions-- they are purchased by people like me who need educational copies, but may not have a lot of money to invest-- I think better footnotes or more room to write in the margins would have improved my students' experiences. In the end, however, the only way to get a better value is to use free ebooks. Since that technology is not yet widely available at every school, Dover Othello it is.

I'm using this as a more portable version of the same plays in Norton's Shakespeare by Greenblatt, which is too darn big to lug around conveniently. So I ordered the Dover plays at their cheap price for convenience. Don't let the price make you think they aren't worth much. They are great for taking notes in and contain all the information I need. I can always look online for more info if I need it. These are a great bargain. Norton's Shakespeare by Greenblatt is the best, yes, but it's seriously like 12 lbs or so....and not cheap.

Nice, inexpensive copy of a classic book, which I had to buy for my son's 10th grade English class (he did not want to carry around my 1000+/- Complete Works of Shakespeare). Unfortunately, paperbacks get beat up easily, but this was a good value for the price. I'll re-read my more durable copy, if need be.

Very few, subtle translation changes.

I didn’t think that I would like Shakespeare until this book. This book is a mysterious dramatic love story with a lot of betrayal and jealousy.

I was looking for a small book for my college class on shakespeare and all i could find was these gigantic books of his workds but with other peoples interpretations. Not what i wanted. then i just so happens that i stumbled upon the Dover Editions and they are great they contain just the individual work. Perfect!

Thanks for making it cheaper than the college book store, college can be expensive, this is an affordable way to get the books I need.

The book was found to be very old stock and pages including cover was dark brown in color. Please see photo. No happy with this purchase.

To read Shakespeare presents the reader with a dilemma and he either gets into the play and the personalities as the author presents them, in his realism as he understands their psychology, which is a world away from the soap operas and film world, and you may agree or disagree with the ancient playwrights view. Here we are in the ancient worlda city, as an existence unto itself. The city prospers it needs to be defended raise money and so on and sofourth and functions almost like a country..here we have the moorish othello in to defend the nation, the city of Venice, and the ancient politics of Rome with its senate and republican system of government seems to have fascinated Shakespeare in a different way from his own nations history, and he often plays these stories, from a history drawn from his own sources, but its the characters he creats, the poems, the love, virtue, lust, fall from grace, debauchery and all this exists within a christian world. Some live to the heights of the ancient christian view, perfections or virtues and others live lives of privation, or deprivation..Othello is one of his best and among all the stress and strain of being a battlefield commander lies the heartache of his attempt to realize love and his thought hes been cuckolded. That is the drama..adultery not only as a fact, but more succinctly his love does not love him anymore in thought..her love is elsewhere..and DEsdemona is on eof his most beautifully realized creations and she comes off best radiant in her defense a s a christian woman of the middle ages slandered, and abused in aa cutthroat world. "let heaven and men and angels let them all.cry"(p 87)..at the break up of a loving relationship much more than any concern for marriage. The whole of creation mourns..as God's work being frustrated.Othello believing he's cuckolded laments as a military man "yet she must die,else she'll betray more men..light restore"(p 81)..the idea of restoration, a better world without the betrayor or betrayed. IN defense DEsdemona complains "I am a christian"..a common defense for the religious in the middle ages, and women accused by men, whose bond to a god above assured their loyalty to men below. THe men who sew the ideas in Othello's mind, of DEsdemona's infidelity know otherwise.."what an eye she has..perffection."(p 30)..and eyes are frequent topics of description in this beautiful play and Desdemona shines as well as the frailty of Othello, a man not capable to trust and perhaps to enter into love with his cherished Desdemona..and the many around them jealous of the love he has, seeking to destroy his relationship, as a way of destroying everything about him, but that to is a theory and theories have no place in works of art they should be enjoyed for the drama and take from it what one.."our wills are gardeners..weed up"(p 18).."lust of the blood..will come..moors are changeable in their wills..cuckhold him..pleasure..sport"..the characters in Shakespeare the ones who show grandeur have strong wills, imposing themselves on their surroundings, at times models of virtues..or they fall..and what is the reason in these finely chiselled out portraits that makes them be the people they are..great tragedy..

I read this book while in school and now my kids are reading it. They will grow to appreciate Shakespeare.

Still an amazing play!

Othello, comes out as a man wronged and tried to right a wrong and the only way in those days was by murder most foul, but it is the way of that world.