William Shakespeares classic play Othello, featuring valuable tools for educators and readers, from the esteemed Folger Shakespeare Library, home to the worlds largest collection of Shakespeares printed works.

In Othello, 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 couples strong love would overcome these differences were it not for Iago, who sets out to destroy Othello. Iagos false insinuations about Desdemonas infidelity draw Othello into his schemes, and Desdemona is subjected to Othellos horrifying verbal and physical assaults.

The authoritative edition of Othello from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:

Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

Scene-by-scene plot summaries

A key to famous lines and phrases

An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Librarys vast holdings of rare books

An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play