William Shakespeare; Othello

[SFG75]

Just finished reading this for the first time last night. I would have to say that this is the best work of his that I've read. My previous favorite was MacBeth. I really enjoyed Iago's character and how he was such a slimebag. I also (and the more obvious references) to racism and the depiction of the green monster in Othello. This was a real treat to read, I can't wait to see it done in a play.

 

[silverseason]

I will watch no more performances of Othello. The poetry is wonderful, but the scene where he strangles Desdemona is unbearable to me. He is judge and jury and executioner. They says this is a play about evil, but it feels more like a play about stupidity.

Verdi's operatic version is good. Somehow Desdemona's murder seems less terrible in the flow of the music, and you can hear how Shakespeare sounds in Italian.

 

[Champagne]

I find the emotional manipulations that led to the murder to be fascinating as well as horrifying. I don't find it easy to watch, but I must say Shakespeare knew how to get under people's skin.

I remember watching the San Francisco Ballet version of Othello, and the scene where he finally strangled Desdemona was played to the sort of intense silence in the audience where you know that everybody's attention is fully engaged. The story is so powerful that this came across even without the help of the words.