Introduction to the play
In Othello, William Shakespeare creates powerful drama from a marriage between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona that begins with elopement and mutual devotion and ends with jealous rage and death. Shakespeare builds many differences into his hero and heroine, including race, age, and cultural background. Yet most readers and audiences believe the couple’s strong love would overcome these differences were it not for Iago, who sets out to destroy Othello. Iago’s false insinuations about Desdemona’s infidelity draw Othello into his schemes, and Desdemona is subjected to Othello’s horrifying verbal and physical assaults.
The Folger Shakespeare
Our bestselling editions of Shakespeare's plays and poems
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster
… Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely, but too well
—Othello
Act 5, scene 2, lines 403–404
From the audio edition of Othello
Full recording available from Simon & Schuster Audio on CD and for download.
Othello in our collection
A selection of Folger collection items related to Othello. Find more in our digital image collection
Essays and resources from The Folger Shakespeare
Othello
Learn more about the play, its language, and its history from the experts behind our edition.
About Shakespeare’s Othello
An introduction to the plot, themes, and characters in the play
Reading Shakespeare’s Language
A guide for understanding Shakespeare’s words, sentences, and wordplay
An Introduction to This Text
A description of the publishing history of the play and our editors’ approach to this edition
Textual Notes
A record of the variants in the early printings of this text
A Modern Perspective
An essay by Susan Snyder
Further Reading
Suggestions from our experts on where to learn more
Shakespeare and his world
Learn more about Shakespeare, his theater, and his plays from the experts behind our editions.
Shakespeare’s Life
An essay about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived
Shakespeare’s Theater
An essay about what theaters were like during Shakespeare’s career
The Publication of Shakespeare’s Plays
An essay about how Shakespeare’s plays were published
Related blog posts and podcasts
“God help the wicked”: Searching for redemption in Shakespeare
Austin Tichenor explores how the shift of a narrative’s perspective can offer answers to questions about which characters deserve redemption and our forgiveness, from Lear to Iago to Richard III.
Q&A: John Douglas Thompson on playing Othello at the Royal Shakespeare Company
John Douglas Thompson, who is playing the title role in Othello in the Royal Shakespeare Company production, shares his insights about the character and the play.
Fred Wilson Installation Draws in Visitors
As visitors enter the Folger’s Shakespeare Exhibition Hall from the west lobby, before discovering the playwright’s stories and related artifacts in the interactive galleries, a majestic black mirror centered on a scarlet wall beckons them to take a closer look.
Fred Wilson on His New Work for the Folger
The contemporary artist reflects on his new piece for the Folger’s Shakespeare Exhibition and how his work uses museums’ collections to explore their histories.
Re-thinking "Honest Iago"
Austin Tichenor grapples with the larger question of whether Iago deserves the sympathetic re-evaluation found in Iago: The Green Eyed Monster.
Excerpt: "The Great White Bard"
Farah Karim-Cooper explores the way that race is represented by Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello, in this excerpt from her new book, The Great White Bard.
Teaching Othello
Use the Folger Method to teach Othello. Become a Teacher Member to get exclusive access to lesson plans and professional development.
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
Free resource
Lessons from the Folger Guide to Teaching Othello
Lessons from the Folger Guide to Teaching Othello
Pairing Texts Across Time, Place, and Experience
Pairing Texts Across Time, Place, and Experience
Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient
Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient
“Officers and Torches: Race and the Editing of Othello” with Patricia Akhimie
“Officers and Torches: Race and the Editing of Othello” with Patricia Akhimie
Text Set: AMERICAN MOOR Talks Back to OTHELLO
Text Set: AMERICAN MOOR Talks Back to OTHELLO
Historical Characterization of Othello
Historical Characterization of Othello
Paired Texts: Boy Willie from The Piano Lesson and Othello 1.3
Paired Texts: Boy Willie from The Piano Lesson and Othello 1.3
3-D Shakespeare: Othello 1.1
3-D Shakespeare: Othello 1.1
Free resource
Choral Reading: Othello 3.4 Handkerchief Scene
Choral Reading: Othello 3.4 Handkerchief Scene
Pre-reading Othello: Tossing Words and Lines
Pre-reading Othello: Tossing Words and Lines
Understanding Race and Religion through Othello
Understanding Race and Religion through Othello
Free resource
Pre-reading: A Snapshot of Othello
Pre-reading: A Snapshot of Othello
Is Othello Shakespeare’s American Play?
Is Othello Shakespeare’s American Play?
Free resource
Editing Shakespeare: Word Choice in Othello
Editing Shakespeare: Word Choice in Othello
Free resource
Cutting a Scene: Othello 1.1
Cutting a Scene: Othello 1.1
Free resource
Who is the Moor? Choral Reading American Moor and Othello
Who is the Moor? Choral Reading American Moor and Othello
Dr. Kim Hall’s lecture “Othello Was My Grandfather: Shakespeare in the African Diaspora”
Dr. Kim Hall’s lecture “Othello Was My Grandfather: Shakespeare in the African Diaspora”
Free resource
Master Class: Teaching Othello
Master Class: Teaching Othello
Early printed texts
The textual history of Othello is opaque. The play was first published in 1622 as a quarto (Q1) and then, a year later, in a different version in the 1623 First Folio (F1). F1’s version of the play is about 160 lines longer than Q1, with some of those lines clustering into distinct passages that do not have an equivalent in Q1. There are also different readings of hundreds of words including, most famously, the discrepancies between Q1’s Othello reporting that Desdemona rewarded him with a “world of sighs” while F1 has a “world of kisses” (Act 1, scene 3). There is no scholarly consensus on the origins of these differences or on which text to use as the basis for an edition. The Folger edition is based on Q1, indicating Q-only words with pointed brackets and F-only lines with square brackets.
See more primary sources related to Othello on Shakespeare Documented
