Photo of two people on a candlelit stage.

Othello Resources

These resources were supplied in support of our 2024 production of Othello.

Othello engages with many themes including gender, mental health, violence, and domestic abuse. Race is a crucial context of the play and a powerful undercurrent in the events that occur. We have gathered some suggested resources for those who may be affected by the play’s themes, or for those who want to read further about Shakespeare, this production, Anti-Racist Shakespeare and more. This is not an exhaustive list, but we hope it provides some useful information.

You can read The Globe’s Statement of Intent here.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues explored in this production, you can find support here:

EXPLORE FURTHER

Watch/Listen now:

  • Shakespeare For All – an online deep dive with Professor Farah Karim-Cooper
  • Anti-Racist Shakespeare webinars
  • Trybe House Theatre – a theatre collective which aims to equip young black men to thrive in creative spaces and beyond. Watch them interviewing the Company of Othello here.
  • What to expect from Othello with Director Ola Ince
  • The Mask (Maya Angelou)

More from Shakespeare’s Globe:

Further reading:

  • The Great White Bard, Professor Farah Karim-Cooper
  • The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race, ed. Ayanna Thompson
  • The Invention of Race in Europe, Geraldine Heng
  • The Racial Code, Nicola Rollock
  • White People in Shakespeare, ed. Arthur L. Little Jr.
Books and documentaries used to inform this production:
  • The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois
  • The Devil You Know, Dr Gwen Adshead
  • Kill the Black One First, Michael Fuller
  • The Met, BBC
  • Cops on Trial: Dispatches, Channel 4
  • The Work, 2017