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Othello was my favorite Shakespeare I've read in a long time. I'm not quite sure what it was about it, but I really enjoyed it from start to finish (though it did take me a while to read it). Every summer, I try to read a Shakespeare play. I'm very glad I chose this one. The characters were interesting, the betrayals were many, and the themes and ideals behind this play are especially intriguing.
Of course, a subtly large part of this play is race. Othello is really treated differently by many of the characters. Desdemona's father dies of shock when he learns of her marriage to "The Moor of Venice". Iago is extremely jealous and his racism comes off very clearly when he talks about how he should be in a much higher station, especially considering his master, and is equivocally resentful towards Othello because he thinks he deserves much, much better than to be standard-bearer to a Moor. Race is the biggest thing that interested me, and I'm in the process of reading more about race in Shakespeare's time and theatre, and how such things were treated and discussed.
The love between Desdemona and Othello was sweet and passionate, but ruined wholly by Iago's tampering. It frustrates me so much when so much conflict comes from misunderstanding! Alas, such is life. Poor Cassio, too, ever loyal and then betrayed and stabbed for no reason. I did feel very bad for Othello, especially after reading the article at the back: "Othello: A Modern Perspective" by Susan Snyder. If only he knew who to trust from the beginning. I can also see why the parrot from Aladdin got his name from Iago. He was awful and even killed his wife just to try to keep his secret plan hidden. Well, it all worked out in the end.
Again, although this story was very sad, I really enjoyed it. I would definitely read it again some other time. **Quick update: I just finished reading an article by Martin Orkin about race in Othello, and it was fascinating. Shakespeare seems to have tried so hard to directly go against the racial prejudices and stereotypes that existed back then. The dichotomy between Iago and Othello demonstrates how he flipped things, with the white character being morally "evil" and the black character valuing honor and justice. You can plainly see that Iago and Roderigo are the more explicitly racist characters, but also he portrays Othello as a person with many good qualities to where all these people in positions of power, like the Duke and Cassio, really respect and love him. Also it makes me wonder, because Othello is obviously aware of how he can be perceived, and the racial stereotypes and prejudices that exist in his world, if he so blindly trusts Iago because of his race. I mean, he doesn't believe him right away, but multiple times he refers to Iago's honestly and trustworthiness, and it made me think that perhaps Othello thought he should believe him because he is white and therefore stereotypically "more trustworthy" than black people were perceived to be at that time. Lots of things to think about with this, which is maybe why I enjoyed the play most of all!
Of course, a subtly large part of this play is race. Othello is really treated differently by many of the characters. Desdemona's father dies of shock when he learns of her marriage to "The Moor of Venice". Iago is extremely jealous and his racism comes off very clearly when he talks about how he should be in a much higher station, especially considering his master, and is equivocally resentful towards Othello because he thinks he deserves much, much better than to be standard-bearer to a Moor. Race is the biggest thing that interested me, and I'm in the process of reading more about race in Shakespeare's time and theatre, and how such things were treated and discussed.
The love between Desdemona and Othello was sweet and passionate, but ruined wholly by Iago's tampering. It frustrates me so much when so much conflict comes from misunderstanding! Alas, such is life. Poor Cassio, too, ever loyal and then betrayed and stabbed for no reason. I did feel very bad for Othello, especially after reading the article at the back: "Othello: A Modern Perspective" by Susan Snyder. If only he knew who to trust from the beginning. I can also see why the parrot from Aladdin got his name from Iago. He was awful and even killed his wife just to try to keep his secret plan hidden. Well, it all worked out in the end.
Again, although this story was very sad, I really enjoyed it. I would definitely read it again some other time. **Quick update: I just finished reading an article by Martin Orkin about race in Othello, and it was fascinating. Shakespeare seems to have tried so hard to directly go against the racial prejudices and stereotypes that existed back then. The dichotomy between Iago and Othello demonstrates how he flipped things, with the white character being morally "evil" and the black character valuing honor and justice. You can plainly see that Iago and Roderigo are the more explicitly racist characters, but also he portrays Othello as a person with many good qualities to where all these people in positions of power, like the Duke and Cassio, really respect and love him. Also it makes me wonder, because Othello is obviously aware of how he can be perceived, and the racial stereotypes and prejudices that exist in his world, if he so blindly trusts Iago because of his race. I mean, he doesn't believe him right away, but multiple times he refers to Iago's honestly and trustworthiness, and it made me think that perhaps Othello thought he should believe him because he is white and therefore stereotypically "more trustworthy" than black people were perceived to be at that time. Lots of things to think about with this, which is maybe why I enjoyed the play most of all!