tragedy

The Comedy of Othello: Commedia dell’Arte and Shakespeare the Genre-Bender
Episode 5 with Richard Whalen

September 3, 2012

Does Shakespeare’s bleak tragedy of jealousy and betrayal have roots in Commedia dell’Arte? Richard Whalen, co-editor of the Oxfordian edition of Othello, reveals the play’s surprising comic underpinnings, and addresses the mystery of Shakespeare’s knowledge of Italian comedy. How did Shakespeare come to be so deeply influenced by a style of theater that was not performed in England during his most active writing years?

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