Othello
1622
In the sun-drenched world of Venice and Cyprus, a general and a senator's daughter fall passionately in love and flee into marriage. Othello, the noble Moor whose courage has saved the republic, should be untouchable. But he carries within him a single vulnerability: his difference. He is black in a white world, an outsider who has married into power, and he knows it. When Iago, the soldier passed over for promotion, begins whispering questions about Desdemona's fidelity, the crack widens with terrifying speed. Not because Othello is weak, but because love makes him desperate to protect himself from humiliation. The tragedy unfolds with terrible clarity: we watch a man of extraordinary generosity become a murderer, convinced he is delivering justice. Desdemona, bewildered by her husband's transformation, can only protest her innocence and weep. Shakespeare strips jealousy down to its most poisonous element: not the moment of discovery, but the slow corruption of trust through language. Iago never tells a direct lie. He simply suggests, implies, and lets Othello's own insecurities do the rest. Four centuries later, the play still lacerates, because we recognize the mechanism. We know how suspicion grows in the dark.
Editions
X-Ray
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mockThe meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss,Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger:But O, what damnèd minutes tells he o'erWho dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!””
— William Shakespeare
“For she had eyes and chose me.””
— William Shakespeare
“Men in rage strike those that wish them best.””
— William Shakespeare
“The robb'd that smiles, steals something from the thief; He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.””
— William Shakespeare
“Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving. You have lost no reputation at all unless you repute yourself such a loser.””
— William Shakespeare
“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,Is the immediate jewel of their souls:Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;But he that filches from me my good nameRobs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.””
— William Shakespeare
“But I will wear my heart upon my sleeveFor daws to peck at: I am not what I am.””
— William Shakespeare
“I would not put a thief in my mouth to steal my brains.””
— William Shakespeare
“She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft I have used.””
— William Shakespeare
Link to this book
Add a free, dofollow link to Lex on your blog, forum, syllabus, or reading list.
<a href="https://lex-books.com/book/othello-45786c92-267b-4dc2-bdf7-fa0180ae6146"><img src="https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg" alt="Read Othello by William Shakespeare free on Lex" width="160" height="40"></a>[](https://lex-books.com/book/othello-45786c92-267b-4dc2-bdf7-fa0180ae6146)[url=https://lex-books.com/book/othello-45786c92-267b-4dc2-bdf7-fa0180ae6146][img]https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg[/img][/url]Read Othello by William Shakespeare free on Lex: https://lex-books.com/book/othello-45786c92-267b-4dc2-bdf7-fa0180ae6146Cite this book
Reading this edition for a paper or guide? Copy a citation.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Lex, lex-books.com/book/othello-45786c92-267b-4dc2-bdf7-fa0180ae6146.Shakespeare, W. (1622). Othello. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/othello-45786c92-267b-4dc2-bdf7-fa0180ae6146Shakespeare, William. Othello. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/othello-45786c92-267b-4dc2-bdf7-fa0180ae6146.
