Here is my copy of Othello with the felty suspicious looking fox bookmark that Karen made for my birthday:



He's protecting this book, and doesn't trust anyone!

Othello would have done well to be a little less trustworthy. Silly Moor.

A bunch of other reviews I noticed have pointed out that this is in some way a great study of sexual jealousy. I think this is an interesting reading of the play, and really more telling of the reader and his or her own feelings / history than the play itself. If this had been a play delving into the psyche and torment of someone in the throes of sexual jealousy would be more like taking Othello and sending making him behave more like Hamlet. I'd say that Othello isn't tormented by sexual jealousy, that would involve some kind of introspection on his part. It would involve a level of imagination that is remarkably absent in Othello. Othello's lack of imagination is one of the traits that allows Iago to manipulate him so perfectly. Othello would need to think to be tormented by jealousy, if he did this then there is a chance that the tragedy of this play would be averted, instead his only reaction is rage.

That isn't to say that the play isn't about jealousy, it is. That is the central motivating factor, but it's not the Jerry Springer who is sleeping with who and now we beat each other up for the viewers enjoyment type of jealousy, but a more subtle kind. It is Iago's jealousy of Cassio that propels the action, and sets into motion the destruction one expects in a Shakespearean tragedy. Iago is the character who suffers the torments of jealousy, because he can reflect on it and has the allowed himself to be so consumed by these feelings that he attempts to bring about the destruction of everyone around him so that everyone can suffer with him. It really should be his play, he's much more interesting than Othello, who reminds me more of one of those little cars from the 80's that you put a penny on the back of and then pulled back on and let them race off in a straight line. Maybe fun to watch, but not terribly interesting or surprising. Is that what I think of this play? No, I really liked it, I just think that there are much more interesting things going on then this review mentions or that saying it's a play about sexual jealousy; neither of which do much justice to the play.