Part 1:Introduction 5
The life of William Shakespeare 5
The Elizabethan theatre 8
The sources of Othello 12
The context of Othello 15
A note on the text 17
Part 2:Summaries 19
A general summary 19
Detailed summaries 19
Part 3:Commentary 62
Themes 62
Setting 65
Character and characterisation 68
Part 4:Hints for study 93
Characters 94
Essay questions and revision 96
Passages to learn by heart 104
Part 5:Suggestions for further reading 105
The author of these notes 107