The Critics Debate: "Othello" (The Critics Debate)

In the first part of this study six critical approaches to Othello are outlined: genre; historical and social; dramatic convention and decorum; character and psychological; the play as dramatic poem and archetypal criticism. The second part of the study offers the author's own, contextual approach. He takes into account the historical and social context in which the play was written, the context of the play in performance and the context in which contemporary audiences see and read "Othello".