Othello — A Level Student Guide

Jealousy. Manipulation. Race. Reputation. A marriage destroyed by deception.

Shakespeare’s Othello is a devastating tragedy about how suspicion can be transformed into apparent certainty—and how trust can be deliberately exploited.

This comprehensive Coleman’s Notes® Student Guide takes students from a clear understanding of the complete play through detailed scene analysis, characters, themes and quotations to focused examination preparation.

Othello, a respected military commander, has secretly married Desdemona. His ensign Iago, resentful after Othello promotes Cassio instead of him, begins an extraordinary campaign of manipulation.

By exploiting Othello’s trust, Cassio’s friendship with Desdemona and the apparently insignificant handkerchief, Iago gradually convinces Othello that his wife has been unfaithful. The consequences are catastrophic.

Inside the guide: Plot Summary; Shakespeare & the Background to Othello; Play at a Glance; Main Characters & Relationships; detailed Act 1–5 Scene-by-Scene Companion; Detailed Character Studies; Character Development Tracker; Major Themes; Motifs, Symbols & Imagery; Language, Form & Structure; Key Quotations Explained; Top 10 Quotations in Full; Key Scenes & Turning Points; Historical, Social & Literary Context; Othello as Shakespearean Tragedy; Exam Board & Assessment Guide; How to Answer a Shakespeare Question; Five Essay Plans; Five Graded Sample Exam Answers; Common Mistakes & How to Improve; Practice Examination Questions; 25 Revision & Discussion Questions; Quick Revision Checklist; and Quick Recall.

Particular attention is given to Othello, Iago, Desdemona, Emilia and Cassio, together with jealousy, manipulation, race, gender, reputation, power, appearance and reality.

The guide also explores dramatic irony: the audience knows that Iago is manipulating events while Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and Roderigo repeatedly trust him. Race, gender and power are treated carefully, distinguishing the racist language and assumptions voiced by characters from Shakespeare’s dramatic presentation of Othello as a respected general, husband and increasingly isolated outsider.

Designed for A Level students, the guide helps students progress from understanding the play to analysing Shakespeare’s language and dramatic methods, planning essays and preparing confidently for examinations.

Individual Student Guide — £6.95
Complete Shakespeare Tragedies Collection — £25.95

UNDERSTAND • ANALYSE • REVISE • SUCCEED

Coleman’s Notes® is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by examination boards or other rights holders.