Othello: The Moor of Venice (Shakespeare on Stage Series, Vol. 8) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Learning Links (January 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0767508629
• ISBN-13: 978-0767508629
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,144,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Text for English Limited Elementary/Middle Students, August 24, 2008

By 

Ida Lizabeth "goodwin413" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Othello, the Moor of Venice (Shakespeare on Stage) (Paperback)

I first used the Shakespeare on Stage series with English limited students and middle school students new to Shakespeare in my drama class. Especially in situations where the whole class is not studying one play at length, but may be working on a number of scenes from a variety of plays, it is not always easy for the teacher to give every group of students the complete background, preparation, and explanation they need--much they have to tackle on their own by looking over scripts and choosing something that clicks with them. That's where the Shakespeare on Stage plays are very effective. Many of my middle school students, when choosing material on their own to perform, could not grasp versions of the play meant for a more experienced reader of Shakespeare. They easily grasped the story line and characters when beginning with this version, on the other hand. The text is moderately abridged, but Shakespeare's original language is used. The elaborate stage directions spell out character motives and movement. Often, when beginning with one of the Shakespeare on Stage books, students were quickly able to identify a scene they wanted to work on or characters they felt a connection with, and would then move to an unabridged version of the scene. In terms of the purpose for which this series was intended, I rate each play in the series highly. It is a great resource for teachers with students who need a little extra help connecting with the Bard.