Othello (Cliffs Complete) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Kate Maurer (Editor), Sidney Lamb (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764585738 | ISBN-13: 978-0764585739 | Publication Date: May 19, 2000 | Edition: 3rd

In the CliffsComplete guides, the novel's complete text and a glossary appear side-by-side with coordinating numbered lines to help you understand unusual words and phrasing. You'll also find all the commentary and resources of a standard CliffsNotes for Literature.

CliffsComplete Othello makes you familiar with one of the most staged of all of Shakespeare's plays. Othello is a tale of love and betrayal, secrets, passion, and intrigue. Psychology and wit pit strength and virtue against jealousy and evil agendas. The results leave no winners, only tragedy in the lives of the jealous Moor, Othello, and his wife, Desdemona.

Enhance your reading of Othello and save valuable studying time — all at once — with CliffsComplete Othello. Additional features include:

• A summary and insightful commentary for each scene
• Bibliography and historical background on the playwright, William Shakespeare
• A look at the historical context and structure of the play
• Discussions on the play's symbols and themes
• A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
• Review questions, a quiz, discussion topics (essay questions), activity ideas
• A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Streamline your literature study with all-in-one help from CliffsComplete guides!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Cliffs Complete provides everything you need to read and understand the great works of literature. The full text of the work is interspersed with highlights, commentary, summary, character study, notes on plot and theme development.

From the Back Cover

One of the most staged of all of Shakespeare's plays, Othello is a tale of love and betrayal, secrets, passions, and intrigue. Psychology and wit pit strength and virtue against jealousy and evil agendas. The results leave no winners, only tragedy in the lives of the jealous Moor, Othello, and his wife, Desdemona.

The CliffsComplete Othello is a revised and expanded study edition. It contains Shakespeare's original play, a glossary, and expert commentary in a unique, 2-column format. To enhance your learning, notes and definitions appear directly opposite the line in which they occur, and a review section follows the play. This edition also introduces you to the life, works, and times of William Shakespeare.

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes; 3rd edition (May 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764585738
• ISBN-13: 978-0764585739
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Books & Reading > Reference

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars CliffsComplete Othello, July 19, 2004

By 

Jennifer J Anderson (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Othello (Cliffs Complete) (Paperback)

Save your money. This study edition of Shakespeare's Othello is attractively laid out, with footnotes in the margins and helpful-looking commentary, but closer inspection reveals sloppy writing with many typos, misplaced modifiers, and (most importantly) serious misinterpretations of the play. Author Kate Maurer clearly needed a good editor, and did not get one. I wanted to throw my copy across the room!

Shakespeare deserves better and so do you. Skip this shoddy piece of work and find a better study edition for your Othello studies.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great teaching edition, January 17, 2012

By 

B. Talbot "askmrtalbot" (Rancho Cucamonga) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Othello (Cliffs Complete) (Paperback)

The Cliffs Complete series work wonderfully for in-class reading and discussion. The commentary is accessible and academic, while the in-text notes are informative and helpful. There's more than enough room for annotation around the text, too, which can aid students needing to analyze outside of the given commentary.