Othello: Book Review

• Author: William Shakespeare   
• First Published: 1603
• Genre: Classics, Play   
• Rating: ★★★★

Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings. Or does it?

You don't even have to be a fan of Shakespeare's works to know that this one doesn't end in sunshine, rainbows, and sweet nothings whispered into the fade out of the scene. No, my friends, the story of Othello, which is a solid 4-stars in my opinion, is one rife with deceit, lack of trust and communication, and tragedy. Juicy.

I will be quick to admit that I unapologetically love Shakespeare's works, and this one was no different. Unlike some of his other works, which I've read, reread, and devoured retellings and reimaginings of in I don't know how many ways, this was my first exposure in full to the story of Othello. I don't know what took me so long to get to this one, but I'm glad that I was older when reading this one than the others because I feel like this one had more nuiances and pleasant surprises given the era that it was written in. Yes, I'm talking about the inclusion of diversity and making said person not the villian from the beginning, showing that it was the crooked European intervention that made him so. Thrilling!

As for the relationship between Desdemona and Othello, how idyllic, at least at first! As someone who is in a relationship with someone from a different culture I think I connected with her far better than I would have as a teenager. I also think it says a lot that Shakespeare was openly showcasing relationships between different cultures on stage, and no I don't mean the ones where it's nobles marrying their cousins who are of a myriad of nationalities all by themselves, but to go beyond that and present more attainable and relatable people, how bold! While I don't think Desdemona was the strongest of characters, I do like that he presented her with her own strengths, including independance, confidence and kindness. Of course, all of this was combined with a deadly amount of naievité, but it wouldn't be a Shakespearean tragedy without it. I even found myself liking how Iago was presented and how, even after all of these years, Shakespeare can still reach across the page or stage and make you absolutely dispise someone. Hats off to you, sir!

The setting was the only part of it that I was a little iffy on, which is probably why this is one of the better plays to see rather than to read. I had a little more difficulty picturing where exactly they were supposed to be and how the characters were supposed to the interacting with each other in terms of body language. I think some of his other works such as Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, and Hamlet do a better job of immersing you into their worlds.

All in all, what a story to read around the most romantic time of year. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this play that I've been putting off for forever.

Do you like plays? Are you a fan of Shakespeare? Which of his works do you like? What other plays should I read?

Cheers!