James Shapiro, America and Othello
James Shapiro spoke with Fintan O’Toole at the Dalkey Book Festival on America’s connection with Shakespeare.
Read MoreJames Shapiro spoke with Fintan O’Toole at the Dalkey Book Festival on America’s connection with Shakespeare.
Read MoreA webinar introduction to teaching Othello, especially in the Leaving Certificate, on Wednesday 10th September 2025.
Read MoreJason Allen-Paisant’s Self-Portrait as Othello is a thought-provoking collection of poems.
Read More54 exercises to discuss key quotations when revising Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello, with the rationale behind them, and an example from a key scene in Macbeth.
Read MoreToni Morrison’s play Desdemona gives voice to the silenced women from Shakespeare’s story.
Read More10 revision exercises on quotations in Othello. They are designed for pair-work 15-minute sessions in class, but work perfectly well for individuals. The purpose is to generate ideas and debate about the play, and they should only be done once you know the play well, particularly as retrieval practice.
Read MoreKiernan Ryan’s new overview of Shakespeare’s tragic oeuvre is magisterial and consistently interesting. Here are some notes on his chapter on Othello.
Read MoreThere is a revision series using quotations from Othello, by Act: this set combines all those quotations into one Quizlet.
Read MoreThe fifth in a revision series using quotations from Othello, by Act.
Read MoreThe fourth in a revision series using quotations from Othello, by Act.
Read MoreOthello’s Secret: the Cyprus Problem, by R.M. Christofides, is an unusual mixture of the academic and the personal, and a recommendation for anyone studying or teaching the play.
Read MoreThe third in a revision series using quotations from Othello, by Act.
Read MoreThe short scene at the start of Act I scene iii, when the Duke and his advisors work out what to do about the Turkish fleet, prefigure significant issues in Othello: how to judge, how to weigh evidence, how to get to the truth.
Read MoreAn analysis of the opening scene of Othello, looking at how Shakespeare presents us with ideas of how we can or can not ‘know’ truths, and how we can or can not be ‘satisfied.’
Read MoreGraham Bradshaw’s short commentary on Othello is provocative and thought-provoking.
Read MoreThe second in a revision series using quotations from Othello, by Act.
Read MoreOthello: Language and Writing by Laurie Maguire, Professor of English at Oxford University, is in the Student Skills series from Arden Shakespeare, but is also an excellent refresher for teachers.
Read MoreThe first in a revision series using quotations from Othello, by Act.
Read MoreEmma Smith’s This is Shakespeare is one of the best books of recent times to examine the plays (20 of them). This post looks at her chapter on Othello.
Read MorePatrick Page goes deep into Iago’s character in this fascinating talk for Red Bull Theatre’s Chicago 2020 project.
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