Rating: 
Summary: One of Shakespeare's Best
Review: I agree with the critics on this one. I feel that 'Coriolanus' doesn't get enough credit as a play; I think 'King Lear' receives far too much credit; but I think 'Othello' rightly deserves to be considered one of Shakespeare's greatest Tragedies. I even consider 'Othello' to be among Shakespeare's greatest plays even when all the Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories are judged together. This is a very powerful play and shows how a good, honest, successful man can destroy his life by having his fatal flaw of insane jealousy manipulated against him by his enemy. The one thing that bothers me about this play is my contention that the entire mess could have been averted if Othello simply sat down with his wife and simply had a real and honest conversation with her. If Othello communicated properly with his wife there could have been a very happy ending and Shakespeare could have called this play 'Much Ado About Nothing II'. I very highly recommend this play and I consider this to be Shakespeare's third greatest Tragedy right behind 'Coriolanus' and 'Hamlet', respectively.
Rating: 
Summary: Arkangel's Recording of Othello Disappoints
Review: I bought this recording with high hopes. What better complement to reading Shakespeare than hearing him, right? Well, not with this recording. The cast is made up of "distinguished actors," the insert proclaims, but it's obvious that these actors haven't done Shakespeare since they were in junior high school. Nor have they improved since then: none of the actors has any feel for the Shakespearean line. The speaking is stiff and mechanical, and half the time it sounds like a Monty Python farce! When there are no visual effects to distract us, low-quality acting really sticks out. For audio recordings, you need the best voices. Too bad Arkangel didn't realize this. My advice? Grind up these CDs and use them to fertilize your nasturtiums.
Rating:
Summary: Julius Lester's version is Wonderful!
Review: I haven't read Shakespeare's version of Othello... yet. Hey, I'm only 13, I don't get the "thees" and "thous"! 'Othello, the Novel', is the NIV of Shakespeare. This story brought me to tears at the end. Any book that can make me cry, I'm sure, is book worth your reading. Geez, what was Iago's problem?
Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare's Slump
Review: I love Shakespeare, but this is one play I consider an utter flop. Why it is as popular as it is, I have no idea. Except for Iago, all of the characters are major simpletons. Furthermore, if Othello is suppose to be so noble, why is he so ready to be duped into suspecting his wife of infidelity with hardly any evidence. If he loves his wife, why is he capable of killing her only days after they were married? I can not understand why no one even suspected Iago of being untruthful. Finally, I don't think this was Shakespeare's intention, but Iago comes off as a man who had several valid reasons to be angry. He was turned down for promotion in favor of Cassio (who from what we can gather from the play) is certainly Iago's inferior. He had reason to suspect Othello was screwing around with his wife, and he had reason to believe Cassio was messing around with his wife. While some people believe Iago is simply telling more lies when he speaks of this, we must remember, he reveals these things in soliloquies where there is no point in telling lies. Now if Othello was so enraged at the possible infidelity of his wife, how does he explain his crime of messing around with Iago's wife? Othello's end speech (and for that matter his other so called noble speeches) are infinitely unheroic and unconvincing after he brutally murders his wife. If you want to read a play that shows degeneration, stick with "Macbeth." Or if you want to see a magnificent villain, stick with "Richard III."
Rating: 
Summary: Challenging, but good!
Review: I only started reading Shakespeare this summer, yet I have become a fan. As a non-native English speaker I struggle with the language, but I still enjoy Shakespeare's writing. This play is not called Shakespeare's greatest tragedy for nothing. This is a story of hate, lies and evil. The protagonist Othello, a black general, and his beautiful wife, Desdemona, a white senator's daughter, are deeply in love. Yet, his ensign Iago is able to manipulate Othello into believing his wife is cheating on him. This play shows how easily a perfectly honest man can be manipulated to the point where he is capable of killing the person he loves. A powerful play. Highly recommended! PS: If you buy the book in "the New Penguin" edition you will find in the beginning of the book a good introduction explaining the play and the language, a little bit on the history, which you will find helpful as you get on to read the play.
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Summary: Easy way to understand what shakespeare meant
Review: I think that as the author explained in the intro the original is hard to understand due to the venacular at use. The author took the story and munipulated it to fit the style of our times. He did this well and kept the story captivating and uses actual words for the story. He also eases the reader by making it a novel with inside feelings and thoughts which are harder to comprehend in play form. Its a great book to read. I recommend it for anyone that has ever had to read shakespeare and not completly understood what they were reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Othello
Review: I thought it was a great book. I was a little hard to understand at first, but take your time with it. Read it slow and make sure that you understand what characters are talking. I think some of the fighting acts with Iago verses Rodrigo are pretty powerful. There is alot of jelousy that comes with this book. People back in the dark days seemed never to get along. Desdamona is one person in this book that really stands out she is Othello's wife; tell the evil ------ ? I won't spoil it for you that way you have to read this book for yourself. I think you will enjoy it give it a try.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: I'm not a person who enjoys reading books so when I was assigned to read Othello I wasn't thrilled. Othello became the best book I have ever read in my life. I would recomend this book to anyone. I was shocked at how entertaining this book was being that it was written so long ago by Shakespeare. I could relate to the book because people are still just as devious today. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, it showed the difficulties in having a relationship with a person your family doesn't agree with but also shows how tragic it can turn out by someone elses lies. Many movies are comming out that have the same plots as William Shakespeare's plays. The movie "O" has some what of the same plot as Othello. I read Othello first and then when I saw the movie I was dissapointed. The book was much better and alot more realalistic. If any one was dibating on reading this book there should be no question, get it and read it!
Rating:
Summary: One of Shakespear's Best
Review: If you have read anything by the Bronte sisters you will love this play, even if you don't love Shakespear. It is excellent practice if you have to read Shakespeare for school. It has every element that makes Shakespeare so wonderful. Read it now!
Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare's domestic tragedy
Review: In this modern day and age, many readers can have trouble relating with even such brilliant Shakespearean characters as Hamlet, Macbeth and Prince Hal. Deeply human as each of these are, how many of us can really identify with medieval Danish, Scottish or English royalty? Of course, master playwright that he was, Shakespeare was always able to beautifully surmount the structures of monarchy to reveal the human spirit; and yet in a play like Othello, we can find just as penetrating an examination of human nature in the context of a much more familiar social situation. Here, as in Hamlet and even Macbeth, the concerns are of love, jealousy, and crimes of passion -- but without the cloak of kings and courtiers. Further, Iago may be the single most intense character created by an author known for his characters' condensed intensity. Some try to go even further and claim that this is a play about race relations; however, in fact Othello's status as a Moor is of very little significance in the play as written, coming to the surface only once or twice early on. Instead, he is the tragedic everyman: the profound lover whose mind is twisted by the voices of those around him, the military man who finds himself lost and out of place when he returns to start a family. I heartily recommend this masterpiece for anyone looking for Shakespearean genius in a strikingly modern form.
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