I am aware, that there are many, many people who enjoy and love Shakespeare and I understand how fascinating and impactful his revolution of theater and the drama was for the arts. His language is fascinating and his plays, tragedies and comedies alike captivated audiences until this day.

Still, I can only gave this 2.5 stars, and now I am here to humbly justify myself in front of the long line of Shakespeare fans out there, because I think this review might reflect the feelings of other people in my situation.

So, for understanding: I am German and in Grade 11 and have to read Othello in my English class this year, because of all the shakespearean drama this one is my teachers favorite. I have been studying English for five and a half years now and so this is my review of Othello.

Aside from the fact that the edition we got, is, while undoubtedly good study-material, hideous and hard to read because of its floppy and strange format, there are two main factors that keep me from enjoying this story.

1. Drama and Tragedy

First off, my experience with drama as a literary format is limited. And I am stressing this: If you are a beginner to the drama format: Do not start with Shakespeare and his original language. It is hard to work through and adjust to the dialogue form as it is.

I also, in general, am a fan of extensive world building and heavy fantasy stories, so save to say, drama is just not my thing.

And then there is the tragedy. Because is this tragic? In my opinion, it is just not. And that largely comes from the fact that I cannot emphasize with Othello at all, so his death and desperation is, to me, not delivered as sad, but as hin getting what he deserves. Because he killed his wife. He killed her because he saw it as a just punishment and he only regretted it, when he found her to be innocent.

So tragedy? A bit, but not because of Othello. We'll come later to that.

Also the charters just seem very shallow and basic to me and I am not a fan of the typical Renaissance hero type Othello, nor the innocent angel Desdemona represents.

So let's move on, because the second factor is:

2. The Language

And do not get me wrong here, the language is super interesting and everything is well written. The problem is only, that I have difficulties understanding it, which takes away from my immersion.

So a part of my problem with Othello, is simply that I am not at a high enough label to fully enjoy the story from a linguistic point of view.

So what saved the story for me?

Emilia, the savior

Emilia. Surprisingly. While readingI suddenly, to my amazement, because at that point I had almost given up, and was now painfully slow forcing myself from act to act, started to immensely enjoy one of the characters. And that character was Emilia.

Emilia is Iago's wife and Desdemona's companion and a faithful, witty and honest young women.

I think I started to fall in love with her, when she and Desdemona started to discuss adultery in Act 4, Scene 3. Setting aside the song before that, with both of them bonding, which is also beautiful, let's have a short look at Emilia's answer to Desdemona's question about wether or not she would cheat on her husband.

"[...] But for the whole world! Ud's pity, who would not make her husband a cuckold, to make him a monarch? I should venture purgatory for't."

I find this to be so interesting, not only because it ventures away from the other characters we see in the show, which are either good or bad, and moves to a more morally ambiguous character, but also because in a single paragraph it manages more honest characterization then in the entire play before.
It betrays much about Emilia`'s supposed background, because opposing Desdemona who always had everything, she apparently knows the value of having something and also tells a story about what she wants.

This becomes only more interesting later, when she betrays Iago and tells, that she was the one who found the handkerchief, showing that her mistress was innocent and Iago the villain of the story.
She would cheat on her husband, to give him the world, but she is not willing to witness the murder of Desdemona, even if she could rise in social status after that, which Iago possibly being promoted and all of that.

And she also saves the tragedy. I briefly talked about the willow song, that Desdemona sang to her companion. So Iago kills Emilia and then she lies next to her friend and attempts to sing the song. This was a genuine, and heart wrenching scene and I loved every line of it.

So thank Emilia, because she saved Shakespeare for me.
( )

This was the most interesting and plot twist heavy play I have ever read. My favorite Shakespeare so far. ( )

This was the most interesting and plot twist heavy play I have ever read. My favorite Shakespeare so far. ( )

Shakespeare was a master story-teller, able to keep your attention with his plot twists and affect your emotions with his wonderful writing and keen insight into the human psyche. I admire his ability to weave poetry into his plays so casually that you hardly notice a poem spoken by a character among his other dialogue.

This particular play, Othello, was a heartrending tragedy. It portrayed to the worst degree how damaging the effects are when we choose to believe gossip without checking to see if there is a shred of truth to it. This tragedy also shows how devastating it is for one to succumb to caustic emotions like hate and jealousy. The play is a powerful argument against seeking out revenge because we can never be sure we know the whole story despite what seems like certain evidence. I love Shakespeare's works, and I love that you walk away contemplating your humanity after reading his plays. ( )

Arden Shakespeare series