Othello (Shakespeare in Production) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Julie Hankey (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521542367 | ISBN-13: 978-0521542364 | Publication Date: June 13, 2005 | Edition: 2

This second edition of Othello updates the first (Bristol Classical Press, 1987), both chronologically and conceptually. It considers productions of the last seventeen years, and reconsiders earlier material in the light of more recent critical attitudes. Post-colonial and feminist studies have had an impact on the way Othello is perceived and interpreted. Shakespeare himself has not escaped the charge of racism. Equally, the position of Desdemona has received more focused attention.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I cannot recommend too highly the whole series to all theatre lovers, theatregoers, theatre practitioners, and anybody who enjoys Shakespeare.' Robert Tanitch, What's on in London

'...ground breaking in the specific area it covers... Lukas Erne, Professor of English, University of Geneva

Book Description

Post-colonial and feminist studies have impacted on the way Othello is perceived and interpreted. The question of blacked-up/black/colour-blind casting and the significance of white and/or black audiences in different political and racial contexts have become much more clearly articulated. In the process, Shakespeare himself has not escaped the charge of racism. First published by Bristol Classical Press in 1987, this second edition of Othello takes account of these developments in criticism, in the theatre, on film, and in the adaptations which set out to interrogate Shakespeare's text.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (June 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521542367
• ISBN-13: 978-0521542364
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #962,252 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.