Othello

Начало книги

      Iago and OthelloAbout the TextKey FactsThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of VeniceTextual NotesQuarto Passages That Do Not Appear in the FolioScene-by-Scene AnalysisOthello in Performance: The RSC and Beyond

      Four Centuries of Othello: An Overview

      At the RSC

      The Director’s Cut: Interviews with Trevor Nunn and Michael Attenborough

      Antony Sher on Playing IagoShakespeare’s Career in the Theater

      Beginnings

      Playhouses

      The Ensemble at Work

      The King’s ManShakespeare’s Works: A ChronologyThe History Behind the Tragedies: A ChronologyFurther Reading and ViewingReferencesAcknowledgments and Picture Credits

INTRODUCTION

VENICEFor Shakespeare’s original audience, the title The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice would have instantly suggested a meeting of the familiar and the strange, of East and West. “Venice” was synonymous with European sophistication, “Moor” with the atmosphere of the Orient. Yet the short Italian novel on which the play is based makes little of the Moor’s status as an outsider. Written by Giraldi Cinthio, it was one of a series of exemplary stories concerning marital infidelity. Its purpose was to show how “it sometimes happens that without any fault at all, a faithful and loving lady, through the insidious plots of a villainous mind, and the frailty of one who believes more than he need, is murdered by her faithful husband.” In Venice, a Moor, dear to the Senate because he has served the interests of the republic in battle, marries a virtuous lady called Disdemona. The Venetian lords decide to change the guard in Cyprus and the Moor is chosen as commandant. Disdemona insists on going with him; they arrive safely in Cyprus (no storm, no Turks).

Читать дальше →