Oxford School Shakespeare: Oxford School Shakespeare: Othello - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198328737 ISBN 13: 9780198328735

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2009

Synopsis

Oxford School Shakespeare is an acclaimed edition especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. Othello is a popular text for study by secondary students the world over. This edition includes illustrations, preliminary notes, reading lists (including websites) and classroom notes.
This title is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent GCSE and AS/A level specifications.

About this title

Review:

If anything, Othello has increased its stature as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies ever since it was first written, between 1603 and 1604, due to the victimisation suffered by its tragic hero, Othello, as a result of his skin colour. Othello is a "noble Moor", a North African Muslim who has converted to Christianity and is deemed one of the Venetian state's most reliable soldiers. However, his ensign Iago harbours an obscure hatred against his general, and when Othello secretly marries the beautiful daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio, Iago begins his subtle campaign of vilification, which will inevitably lead to the deaths of more than just Othello and Desdemona.

An extraordinary play, both for its dramatic economy and power as well as its remarkable language, from Othello's bombastic "traveller's history" to Desdemona's elegiac "willow song", the play raises uncomfortable questions about ongoing questions of not only racial identity but also sexuality, as Othello and Desdemona's sexual relationship becomes the voyeuristic site of Iago's attempt to destroy them. Particularly fascinated with the question of what it means to "see", Othello also contains one of the greatest tragic death scenes in all of Shakespeare, with Othello's final identification with "a malignant and a turbaned Turk". --Jerry Brotton

Review:

This edition of Othello is a fantastic copy. There are ample notes alongside the text, which contribute to the understanding of the play. Well spaced text, also allows for clear reading and annotation. There are also plenty of activities for both in and out of the classroom, aiding student revision and coursework. (5 star Amazon review)

About this edition

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0198328737
• ISBN 13: 9780198328735
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 174