Othello
A Contextual History

"Othello: a contextual history represents a genuinely new way of doing Shakespeare studies; a synthesis of performance and context histories that works only because it is so intelligently and compellingly historicised." Meridian

"As dramaturg for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival's 1996 production of Othello, I had the opportunity to peruse and use the contents of a full library shelf devoted to Shakespeare's tragedy. None of these works, however, proved more helpful than one that came in the mail shortly before we began rehearsal: Virgina Mason Vaughan's Othello: A Contextual History....this book provides a balanced, insightful, and original contribution to the field of Othello scholarship. What sets it apart from other works in this crowded field is that it also manages to be an invaluable aid for a theatre practitioner, as my dog-eared and much higlighted copy can testify." Geron E. Coale, Theatre Studies

"This eloquently written book offers, a mix of the old and the new....Despite the familiarity of some of its materials and the ease of some of its arguments, Othello: A Contextual History is full of fresh and informative discussion....Anyone interested in the rich web of meanings that Shakespeare's Othello has created and absorbed will want to start here, with Othello: A Contextual History." Emily C. Bartels, Modern Philology