1. By William Shakespeare
Othello
By William Shakespeare

2. Major Players
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3. Themes
Jealousy (the sexual jealousy of Othello, Iago’s professional jealousy of Cassio)
Appearance vs. Reality (including honesty/dishonesty and loyalty/disloyalty)
Reputation
Public vs. Private Concerns
Racism (including ideas of alienation and belonging)

4. Imagery to look for when reading Othello
Animals- usually insulting imagery esp. when used by Iago: “An old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” As Othello comes under Iago’s influence, he echoes imagery: “I had rather be a toad…”
Poison and Disease- reflects corruption of Venetian society and Othello’s mind. Iago’s words, Othello’s jealousy…eventually we get to actual poison as a weapon.
Hell and the Devil: NUMEROUS reference to hell and damnation. Look closely at the names Othello and Desdemona.

5. Black and White
Of course we cannot ignore the black vs. white issue here. How it is used tells us a lot about the beliefs of society at the time.