Inexorably poisoned against the woman he loves by his trusted friend Iago Shakespeare's
Othello is a timeless tragic figure. This Penguin Shakespeare edition is edited by Kenneth Muir
with an introduction by Tom McAlindon. 'O! beware my lord of jealousy It is the green-eyed
monster which doth mockThe meat it feeds on.' A popular soldier and newly married man Othello
seems to be in an enviable position. And yet when his supposed friend Iago sows doubts in his
mind about his wife Desdemona's fidelity and his friend Cassio's true intentions he is
gradually consumed by suspicion. In this powerful tragedy innocence is corrupted and trust is
eroded as every relationship is drawn into a tangled web of jealousies. This book contains a
general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre a separate introduction to
Othello a chronology suggestions for further reading an essay discussing performance options
on both stage and screen and a commentary. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John
Shakespeare and Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about
38 plays (the precise number is uncertain) many of which are regarded as the most exceptional
works of drama ever produced including Romeo and Juliet (1595) Henry V (1599) Hamlet (1601)
Othello (1604) King Lear (1606) and Macbeth (1606) as well as a collection of 154 sonnets
which number among the most profound and influential love-poetry in English. If you enjoyed
Othello you might like Richard III also available in Penguin Shakespeare. 'Uncannily
brilliant ... truly fascinating because it makes evil specific and precise and human'Sam Mendes
director of American Beauty
