This book is great for people that have a difficult time understanding Shakespeare. The side notes are more elaborate than most of the other editions and they include an act by act summary so that you know exactly what's going on and don't get lost in all the wording.

For the most part, I really do like Shakespeare's plays. But this one play I consider an utter flop. It would seem any time romance is involved, people tend to make the material more than it is. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it fails miserably. The most annoying thing about this play is that except for Iago, all of the characters are major simpletons. And while this may work in comedy (like it does in Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors") it does NOT work here. The sotry revolves around Othello who marries Desdemona to the disapproval of many parties, including Roderigo who wanted Desdemona for himself. Basically Iago (the so called villain) is willing to help destroy Othello supposedly to aid Roderigo. While Iago is supposedly a villain, the truth is any reasonable person in Iago's shoes would have been angered. (1) He was turned down for promotion in favor of Cassio, and everything from the play indicates that Cassio is Iago's inferior. (2) He has reason to believe that his wife has been messing around with Othello AND Cassio.) While some people have tried to write this off as another lie, this isn't too sound seeing that Iago expresses these reasons in a soliloquy where this no point whatsoever in being dishonest. One of the major annoying things about this play is that everyone keeps saying how nobel Othello is, but nothing in the play really justifies this. And as term 'noble' keeps repeating, it ends up sounding increasingly sarcastic. (Not unlike the way Antony destroys Brutus by the repeated term of 'honorable'.) Anyway, it doesn't take long for Othello to show his hypocrisy. He claims to love Desdemona, but the truth is it would seem more that he is just sexually attracted to her. (Most of you saw the "Titanic." And Rose's fiance Calvin SEEMED nice at first. But he didn't love Rose. He was only attracted to her and saw her as a piece of property. Later, he didn't have any problem with slapping her or firing gunshots in her direction. Jack LOVED Rose, and he sacrificed his life so she could live!) I think "Romeo and Juliet" is overrated, but AT LEAST Romeo LOVES Juliet, and he kills himself because he thinks she is dead. If Othello loves Desdemona, why is he so ready to jump on the issue of adultery? Iago manipulates Othello so much it is laughable. And here the devil would have such a great time confronting Othello with his own hypocrisy. (1. Iago has reason to believe that Othello has been messing around with his wife. 'Shame to him, whose cruel striking, kills for faults of his own liking!' (2) Even in "Dante's Inferno," crimes of passion and adultery are the most lightly punished ones in hell.) Iago continues to walk Othello through his degeneration until Othello becomes guilty of the unforgivable murder of someone he CLAIMED to love for something she didn't even do. Othello proves himself to be the most repulsive and unsympathetic protagonist in any of Shakespeare's writings. By the way in "Excalibur" King Arthur SAW his wife sleeping with Lance A Lot and he could NOT bring himself to kill them! In "King Lear," Albany's wife Goneril is plotting his death AND messing around with Edmund. And he remains calm and just doesn't kill his wife! In "The Scarlet Letter" Roger KNEW Hester was cheating on him, and he remained more respectable: "Even if I imagine a scheme of vengeance, what could I do better for my object than to let thee live...Live therefore and bear about thy doom with thee in the eyes of men and women in the eyes of him who thou didst call thy husband." I find it most fitting to conclude with a quote to Othello from Slayer: "Hell Awaits."

Out of all the villains Shakespeare has crafted, Iago and Richard III take the cake. What I love about Iago is his passion for evil. While Richard III is evil because he wants something, it's sort of detached while simultaneously sexual. Iago's brand of evil is passionate and emotional. Some might say that Othello was Shakespeare's greatest hero, and therefore his downfall was the greatest tragedy in Shakespeare. Whatever the case may be, it's a riveting read and a definite must for anybody even remotely interested in Shakespeare.