Othello

A Moorish general in the service of Venice, Othello has won both military glory and the love of Desdemona, a senator’s daughter. But his trusted ensign Iago, passed over for promotion and consumed by resentment, sets out to destroy him. Through insinuation and planted evidence, Iago poisons Othello’s mind with jealousy, convincing him that his devoted wife has betrayed him. The tragedy tightens like a noose as love curdles into suspicion and rage, ending in one of the most wrenching scenes Shakespeare ever wrote. The play endures as a searing study of manipulation, insecurity, and the ease with which trust can be turned into a weapon against the person who holds it. Read it free in this PDF and EPUB edition.