In the plays of William Shakespeare, the greatest humiliation a man can face is being made a cuckold—a situation the playwright used time and again for both comic and tragic purposes. Nowhere is this as clear as in “Othello,” brilliantly brought to life by director Sam Gold and actors Daniel Craig and David Oyelowo at the New York Theatre Workshop.
The armed forces of Venice are a power to be reckoned with thanks to their general, Othello (Oyelowo). While respected by the troops and trusted by the country’s ruler (David Wilson Barnes), Othello has never truly felt the comfort of belonging. As a Moor, Othello is seen by some to be beneath the other citizens of Venice.
Othello’s most recent sting came from Brabantio (Glenn Fitzgerald), a Venetian senator whose daughter Desdemona (Rachel Brosnahan) has secretly wed Othello. Brabantio cuts all ties to Desdemona when she chooses to stand by her husband rather than end the marriage.
