Reviews - Othello Annotated

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4.04k reviews for:

Othello Annotated

William Shakespeare

3.78 AVERAGE

giselnotgiselle's review against another edition

4.5

dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

emilymknight's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Iago - the ultimate shit stirrer.

This play I struggled to get into. From the start, I found it considerably harder to understand and grasp. I couldn’t quite work out Iago’s intentions and so I had to use online notes to understand what was going on better - and I had to continue using the online notes when reading the rest of the play. I did of course read it alongside watching the 2007 Shakespeare’s Globe on Screen stage play, which I always find very helpful. When I got to around Act 2, I was really struggling to find the motivation to pick this play up - it felt considerably longer than some of the other Shakespeare plays I have read, and I lost momentum a bit. However, by Act 3, it started to pick up a bit and it got much more interesting. And so, by Act 4 and 5, I was enjoying the play A LOT.

There was this whole web of lies that Iago had crafted and I came to really appreciate his unique character - even if his ulterior motives were vague.

Emilia’s death was probably the saddest one of them all. And the tragedy and heaviness of Othello and Desdemona’s death, in my opinion, somewhat mirrored that of Romeo and Juliet’s - nothing says Shakespeare quite like the death of the main couple.

Overall, not my favourite, but I can 100% see its importance with the themes of racism, deception, jealousy, and manipulation.

“Our bodies are gardens, to the which our wills are
gardeners; so that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce,
set hyssop and weed up time, supply it with one gender
of herbs or distract it with many, either to have it sterile
with idleness or manured with industry - why, the
power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills.”