The play’s title character is an outsider—a dark-skinned Moor, successful in the military, but insecure in his human relationships.

The treacherous Iago soon leads Othello to believe that his wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful—leading to her death at Othello’s hand. He later commits suicide after uncovering the deceit of Iago and the innocence of his wife.

A textbook definition of “tragedy” if there ever was one—yet not all the music it has inspired is dark and brooding.

In this hour, Shakespeare's Othello, in music by Rossini, Liszt, Dvorak, Verdi, and more.

FEATURED RECORDINGS