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Introduction to the play
InOthello, William Shakespeare creates powerful drama from a marriage between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona that begins with elopement and mutual devotion and ends with jealous rage and death. Shakespeare builds many differences into his hero and heroine, including race, age, and cultural background. Yet most readers and audiences believe the couple’s strong love would overcome these differences were it not for Iago, who sets out to destroy Othello. Iago’s false insinuations about Desdemona’s infidelity draw Othello into his schemes, and Desdemona is subjected to Othello’s horrifying verbal and physical assaults.
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The Folger Shakespeare
Our bestselling editions of Shakespeare's plays and poems
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster
—Iago
Act 3, scene 3, lines 195–196
… Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely, but too well
—Othello
Act 5, scene 2, lines 403–404
From the audio edition of Othello
Full recording available fromSimon & Schuster Audioon CD and for download.
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Essays and resources from The Folger Shakespeare
Othello
Learn more about the play, its language, and its history from the experts behind our edition.
About Shakespeare’s Othello
An introduction to the plot, themes, and characters in the play
Reading Shakespeare’s Language
A guide for understanding Shakespeare’s words, sentences, and wordplay
An Introduction to This Text
A description of the publishing history of the play and our editors’ approach to this edition
Shakespeare and his world
Learn more about Shakespeare, his theater, and his plays from the experts behind our editions.
Shakespeare’s Life
An essay about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived
Shakespeare’s Theater
An essay about what theaters were like during Shakespeare’s career
The Publication of Shakespeare’s Plays
An essay about how Shakespeare’s plays were published
Related blog posts and podcasts
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Shakespeare and Beyond
Q&A: John Douglas Thompson on playing Othello at the Royal Shakespeare Company
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Author
Esther Ferington
John Douglas Thompson, who is playing the title role in Othello in the Royal Shakespeare Company production, shares his insights about the character and the play.
Fred Wilson Installation Draws in Visitors
Folger Story
Fred Wilson Installation Draws in Visitors
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Author
Andrea Boston
As visitors enter the Folger’s Shakespeare Exhibition Hall from the west lobby, before discovering the playwright’s stories and related artifacts in the interactive galleries, a majestic black mirror centered on a scarlet wall beckons them to take a closer look.
Fred Wilson on His New Work for the Folger
Shakespeare Unlimited
Fred Wilson on His New Work for the Folger
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The contemporary artist reflects on his new piece for the Folger’s Shakespeare Exhibition and how his work uses museums’ collections to explore their histories.
Re-thinking "Honest Iago"
Shakespeare and Beyond
Re-thinking "Honest Iago"
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Author
Austin Tichenor
Austin Tichenor grapples with the larger question of whether Iago deserves the sympathetic re-evaluation found in Iago: The Green Eyed Monster.
Excerpt: "The Great White Bard"
Shakespeare and Beyond
Excerpt: "The Great White Bard"
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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond
Farah Karim-Cooper explores the way that race is represented by Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello, in this excerpt from her new book, The Great White Bard.
Farah Karim-Cooper on The Great White Bard
Shakespeare Unlimited
Farah Karim-Cooper on The Great White Bard
Posted
Can we love Shakespeare and be antiracist? Farah Karim-Cooper’s new bookexplores the language of race and difference in plays such as Antony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus, and The Tempest.
Teaching Othello
Use the Folger Method to teach Othello. Become a Teacher Member to get exclusive access to lesson plans and professional development.
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The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
Teaching Resource
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
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- Professional development
- Shakespeare and race
- Video
Lessons from the Folger Guide to Teaching Othello
Teaching Resource
Lessons from the Folger Guide to Teaching Othello
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- Othello
- Professional development
- Video
Pairing Texts Across Time, Place, and Experience
Teaching Resource
Pairing Texts Across Time, Place, and Experience
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- August Wilson
- Shakespeare
- Fences
- Othello
- Professional development
- Video
Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient
Teaching Resource
Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient
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- Macbeth
- Othello
- Romeo and Juliet
- Professional development
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“Officers and Torches: Race and the Editing of Othello” with Patricia Akhimie
Teaching Resource
“Officers and Torches: Race and the Editing of Othello” with Patricia Akhimie
What’s the connection between race and the power and uncertainty of editing? Get the inside scoop of Patricia Akhimie’s findings and process as she discusses her experience while editing a scholarly edition of Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. This lecture was recorded on March 9, 2022.
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- Othello
- Professional development
- Shakespeare and race
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Text Set: AMERICAN MOOR Talks Back to OTHELLO
Teaching Resource
Text Set: AMERICAN MOOR Talks Back to OTHELLO
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- American Moor
- Othello
- Lesson plan
- Shakespeare and race
Historical Characterization of Othello
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Historical Characterization of Othello
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Paired Texts: Boy Willie from The Piano Lesson and Othello 1.3
Teaching Resource
Paired Texts: Boy Willie from The Piano Lesson and Othello 1.3
What interesting ideas might students unearth when they have two characters speak across time and region?
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- August Wilson
- Othello
- The Piano Lesson
- Lesson plan
3-D Shakespeare: Othello 1.1
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3-D Shakespeare: Othello 1.1
Get the whole class working together to put a scene on its feet as they question the text and cite evidence--sneaky close reading!
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Choral Reading: Othello 3.4 Handkerchief Scene
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Choral Reading: Othello 3.4 Handkerchief Scene
Let your students discover for themselves the drama and tension of this moment from Othello.
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- Othello
- Lesson plan
Pre-reading Othello: Tossing Words and Lines
Teaching Resource
Pre-reading Othello: Tossing Words and Lines
Set the tone for a language-focused, student-driven study of Othello.
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- Othello
- Lesson plan
Understanding Race and Religion through Othello
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Understanding Race and Religion through Othello
What can this tragedy teach us about race and religion?
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- Othello
- Shakespeare and race
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Pre-reading: A Snapshot of Othello
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Pre-reading: A Snapshot of Othello
Introduce the language and story of Othello and prepare your students for courageous conversations about race and power. A twist on 20-minute plays.
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- Othello
- Lesson plan
Is Othello Shakespeare’s American Play?
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Is Othello Shakespeare’s American Play?
Might Othello be the best Shakespeare play for discussing race, sexuality, and status in America?
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- American Moor
- Othello
- Shakespeare and race
- Video
Editing Shakespeare: Word Choice in Othello
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Editing Shakespeare: Word Choice in Othello
A world of "sighs" or "kisses"? How does word choice affect what a line--maybe even a play--means?
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- Othello
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Cutting a Scene: Othello 1.1
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Cutting a Scene: Othello 1.1
Ask students to cut the opening scene of Othello in half, and be amazed at what happens.
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- Othello
- Free resources
- Lesson plan
Who is the Moor? Choral Reading American Moor and Othello
Teaching Resource
Who is the Moor? Choral Reading American Moor and Othello
What does a black actor at an audition in today's world have to say to Shakespeare's Othello? This choral reading mashup will ignite bold discussion.
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- American Moor
- Othello
- Lesson plan
- Shakespeare and race
Dr. Kim Hall’s lecture “Othello Was My Grandfather: Shakespeare in the African Diaspora”
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Dr. Kim Hall’s lecture “Othello Was My Grandfather: Shakespeare in the African Diaspora”
Find out what's wrong with calling Shakespeare "universal."
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- Shakespeare and race
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Master Class: Teaching Othello
Teaching Resource
Master Class: Teaching Othello
What matters most when we teach Othello? How can all students grapple with the language of race, religion, gender, and power?
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- Othello
- Professional development
- Video
Early printed texts
The textual history of Othello is opaque. The play was first published in 1622 as a quarto (Q1) and then, a year later, in a different version in the 1623 First Folio (F1). F1’s version of the play is about 160 lines longer than Q1, with some of those lines clustering into distinct passages that do not have an equivalent in Q1. There are also different readings of hundreds of words including, most famously, the discrepancies between Q1’s Othello reporting that Desdemona rewarded him with a “world of sighs” while F1 has a “world of kisses” (Act 1, scene 3). There is no scholarly consensus on the origins of these differences or on which text to use as the basis for an edition. The Folger edition is based on Q1, indicating Q-only words with pointed brackets and F-only lines with square brackets.
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