Tragedy takes hold as the cunning and hateful Iago drives the heroic Moor of Venice first to suspicion, then to homicidal rage against his love Desdemona, in one of the Bard's darkest plays.This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:• An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater• A special introduction to the play by the editor, Alvin Kernan• Selections from Giraldi Cinthio's Hecatommithi, the source from which Shakespeare drived Othello• Dramatic criticism from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Maynard Mack, and others• A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions• Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text