Othello. Critical guide

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Compelling dramatizations of key scenes from Shakespeare's tragedy are analyzed by two noted Shakespearean experts-Stanley Wells and Russell Jackson of the Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon. Themes and topics include the motives of Lago, and whether his evil is as complete as most commentators suggest; Victorian objections to the interracial relationship between Othello and Desdemona; evidence of racism within Shakespeare's characterization of Othello; the role of opposing forces (good and evil) in relationships and events; Desdemona as victim or manipulative conniver, responsible for her own downfall; Othello as victim, ruled by emotion rather than logic; the conflict between Othello's identity as a Christian commander of the Venetian force and as a social and racial outsider; and the use of women as characters vital to plot development.