The Setting: Cyprus

Recommended Grade Level: 8–12

Suggested Area of Study and Discussion: The Tragedies of Shakespeare, Tragic Flaw, British Literature, Theatre, Verse Plays, Domestic Violence, the Nature of Jealousy

The Story:  Othello, a brave general in the Venetian army, is stationed on the island of Cyprus with his young wife, Desdemona, and his trusted ensign, Iago. When Othello overlooks him for promotion, the enraged Iago sets out to destroy his master’s happiness. When Iago hints that Desdemona has been unfaithful, he plants the seeds of sexual jealousy in Othello’s fertile imagination. Domestic in scale, but seething with epic passion, Othello is the most intimate of Shakespeare’s tragedies.