Synopses & Reviews
Along with
Hamlet,
King Lear, and
Macbeth,
Othello is one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies. What distinguishes
Othello is its bold treatment of racial and gender themes. It is also the only tragedy to feature a main character, Iago, who truly seems evil, betraying and deceiving those that trust him purely for spite and with no political goal. This edition, the first to give full attention to these themes, includes an extensive introduction stresses the public dimensions of the tragedy, paying particular attention to its treatment of color and social relations. Designed to meet the needs of theatre professionals, the edition includes an extensive performance history, while on-page commentary and notes explain language, word play, and staging. Collated and edited from all existing printings, this entirely new edition uses modern day spelling to make readings smoother. Appendices are included which explain the dating problems many have found in the play, describe the music that has traditionally accompanied it, and provide a full translation of the Italian novella from which the story derives.
Like all editions of the Oxford Shakespeare in the Oxford World Classics series, Othello includes a full index to the introduction and commentary. It is illustrated with production photographs and related art, and features a durable sewn binding for lasting use. The Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative texts from leading scholars in editions designed to interpret and illuminate the plays for all modern readers.
Review
"Neill is excellent in bringing out the sexual innuendo never far below the linguistic surface, the emerging intimacy in the central scenes between Iago and Othello, and verbal echoes that create "a terrible irony" at key moments. The new Oxford Othello is quite simply a major achievement, a volume alive with exemplary editorial and critical thought. It sets a landmark in Shakespeare studies and fully serves to become the preferred edition for many years to come." -- Times Literary Supplement
Synopsis
What is being done in cities around the globe to solve the problems of poor housing and environmental degradation? Where are the worst cases of urban poverty found? At what rate (and in which directions) is the problem of urban poverty spreading? What can we expect from the fact that more than
half of the world's population will soon live in urban centers?
The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (a/k/a Habitat) commissioned thirty of the world's leading experts to write reports and essays addressing these questions. In collecting these papers, An Urbanizing World offers a comprehensive, up-to-date, and systematic review of conditions and
trends in cities and towns worldwide. This book also assembles a large and varied amount of recent census data, highlighting the numbers behind those areas now experiencing urbanization.
Rich in case studies and firsthand accounts, this weighty reference shows the positive and negative sides of cities. The need for good governance is emphasized, as is the potential shared by all human settlements to combine safe and healthy living conditions, cultural treasures, and environmental
advantages.
About the Author
Michael Neill is a Professor of English at the University of Auckland in Australia. He has also edited Shakespeare's
Anthony and Cleopatra for the Oxford Shakespeare.