Othello (18)

Ranks 18th on The Fictional 100

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"Put out the light, and then put out the light."

The following books will introduce you to Othello, who said these words in Shakespeare's Othello, Act V, scene ii.

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• Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (New Folger Shakespeare Library). New York: Washington Square Press, 1993.
  • Authoritative, paperback text with helpful notes on facing pages.
    
• Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy. St. Martin's Press, 1992.
  • The fact that this 1905 book is still in press is a testimony to its popularity as a starting point for any student of Shakespeare. Bradley's views on Othello may seem a bit patronizing, but his insights make him well worth the read.
    
• Davison, Peter. Othello. Macmillan, Humanities Press, 1988.
  • All-around best modern companion to Othello. Davison points the reader to the variety of critical responses and is especially good on Othello and racism.
    
• Bayley, John. The Characters of Love. London: Constable, 1960.
  • The chapter on Othello is one of the best available, illuminating his tragedy as one, not so much of jealousy, but of "incomprehension."
    
• Bayley, John. Shakespeare and Tragedy. Routledge, 1981.
  • Another offering from this profound critic and graceful writer.
    
• Kaul, Mythili (Ed.). Othello: New Essays by Black Writers. Howard University Press, 1997.
  
• Bloom, Harold (Ed.). William Shakespeare's Othello (Modern Critical Interpretations). Chelsea House, 1987.
  • Critical extracts and essays by noted writers and critics.
    
• Verdi, Giuseppe. Otello in Full Score. Dover, 1986.
  • Verdi's popular opera, first performed in 1887, adapts Shakespeare's tragedy, with text by Boito.
    
• Hepokoski, James A. Giuseppe Verdi: Otello (Cambridge Opera Handbook). Cambridge University Press, 1987.
  
• Jones, Emrys. Scenic Form in Shakespeare. Clarendon, 1985.
  • Jones points out how Othello's plot follows many of the conventions of Shakespeare's comedies (e.g., lovers' misunderstandings), but turns them to tragic ends.
    
• Sprague, Arthur Colby. Shakespeare and the Actors: The Stage Business in his Plays (1660-1905). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1944.
  • This venerable authority seems to know every detail of Shakespearean performance history, including that for Othello, which is second only to Hamlet in popularity.

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