Othello: Texts and Contexts (Bedford Shakespeare) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Kim Hall (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312398980 | ISBN-13: 978-0312398989 | Publication Date: December 27, 2006 | Edition: First Edition

This edition of Othello reprints the Bevington edition of the play accompanied by six sets of thematically arranged primary documents and illustrations designed to facilitate many different approaches to Shakespeare. The text includes tracts on marriage, travel literature, military manuals, maps, ballads, royal proclamations, early modern descriptions of Africa and the Middle East, nineteenth-century scripts for performances of Othello, and scenes from contemporary re-envisionings of the play. The primary documents contextualize race and religion in the Renaissance, gender relations, military life, the passions, the notion of the "Other" in early modern England, and the afterlife of Othello on the stage.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; First Edition edition (December 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312398980
• ISBN-13: 978-0312398989
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,462 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.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, October 22, 2010

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This review is from: Othello: Texts and Contexts (Bedford Shakespeare) (Paperback)

I was assigned "Othello: Texts and Contexts" for a class on race in Shakespeare. I'd read "Othello" before, but I really felt that this edition deepened my understanding of the play. The Cinthio story that inspired Shakespeare to write "Othello" is included, there are many informative essays and first-hand sources. These are divided into chapters such as "Race and Religion" and "Marriage and the Household" that make it easy to find the information you're looking for. In addition to essays on attitudes during Shakespeare's day, there's a section entitled "Encounters with Othello" that focuses on interpretations of "Othello" throughout history. Included in this section are exerpts from fiction, artistic representations, poetry, and even scripts for controversial Black face performances. The introduction also has some interesting arguments about color blind casting of the play, including Patrick Stewart's "photo negative" performance from 1997. The essays and sources included are relavent and understandable. I also appreciated the guideline questions that preface them.

"Othello" is one of Shakespeare's greatest works. It combines themes of race, alienation, and loyalty and betrayal, asking more questions than it gives answers. "Othello: Texts and Contexts," can give any reader insights into the play, and to the cultures that have performed it. Great for students and Shakespeare enthusiasts.