Othello

William Shakespeare, 1622

GCSE and A-level set text Eduqas GCSE AQA A-level (Lit A)AQA A-level (Lit B)Edexcel A-level OCR A-level

A resentful officer works upon the relationships surrounding Othello, a general newly married to Desdemona.

Read the book Study guide

Listen free: the LibriVox audiobook, read by volunteers.

Length: 15 scenes
Reading time: About 1 hr 56 min
Words: 27,635

About the book

The play opens in a Venetian street with Iago explaining his resentment at being passed over for promotion. Othello's marriage to Desdemona has also disturbed those around them. Public standing, private desire and competing loyalties are entangled from the first exchanges.

Shakespeare gives the audience access to speech that other characters hear very differently. That uneven knowledge makes persuasion a visible dramatic action. Claims about loyalty and honesty require close attention, particularly when prejudice or wounded pride helps a speaker make suspicion sound like protective concern.

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GCSE set texts Plays Shakespeare

This edition

Text from Standard Ebooks, who proofread and typeset it and dedicate their edition to the public domain. William Shakespeare died more than 70 years ago, so the work is out of copyright in the UK. Includes the original dramatis personae.

Othello

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