Othello: A Critical Guide (1997)

The Shakespeare academics in 'Othello: A Critical Guide' are Professor Stanley Wells and Dr Russell Jackson of the Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon. They address, among others, the following questions: What are the motives of Iago, and is his evil as complete as most commentators suggest? What are the roots of Victorian objections to the interracial relationship between Othello and Desdemona? How much evidence of racism is there within Shakespeare's characterization of Othello? Is Desdemona simply a victim or is she in some way responsible for her own downfall? How far is Othello a victim, ruled by emotion rather than logic? What is the conflict between Othello's identity as a Christian commander of the Venetian force and as a social and racial outsider?