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Cover of Othello

Classic Fiction

Othello

Jealousy destroys the marriage between an older black man and a younger white woman in 1500s Venice.

First published
1604
Length
27,858 words
Reading time
About 1 hr 57 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

Othello was written in 1603 and first performed in 1604. The underlying story is based on “A Moorish Captain,” one of the stories in Cinthio’s Gli Hecatommithi , written in 1565.

Othello is a Moorish black general in Venice, known for his military prowess. He elopes with Desdemona, a noble Venetian lady, who is the daughter of Brabantio, a senator. When Othello promotes Cassio to be his lieutenant over Iago, his ensign, the evil Iago gets his revenge by alleging an affair between Cassio and Desdemona, sowing doubt in the mind of Othello.

This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright’s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

First published 1604; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 27,858 words arranged in 7 navigable sections.

About the author

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is described by Wikidata as English playwright and poet (1564–1616), with citizenship or national association recorded as Kingdom of England.

Recorded occupations include playwright, poet, stage actor, writer, actor, and dramaturge. Languages recorded for William Shakespeare include Early Modern English, British English, and English. The structured record associates William Shakespeare with English Renaissance. Wikidata lists Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Shakespeare's sonnets among William Shakespeare's notable works. Open Library identifies Hamlet as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 12947 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, and Othello under William Shakespeare's authorship.

Reading options

  • A complete text with direct section navigation in the browser reader.
  • A downloadable EPUB for phones, tablets, desktop reading apps, and compatible ereaders.
  • Book and contributor metadata are checked against the source edition before indexing.

Themes and ideas

  • Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Tragedies
  • Jealousy--Drama
  • Blacks in the theater
  • Interracial marriage--Drama

Table of contents

Open reader
  1. Dramatis Personae
  2. Othello
  3. Act I
  4. Act II
  5. Act III
  6. Act IV
  7. Act V