Othello

American  

[oh-thel-oh, uh-thel-oh] / oʊˈθɛl oʊ, əˈθɛl oʊ /

noun

1. a tragedy (1604) by Shakespeare.

---

Othello Cultural  

1. A tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character, a Moor, or dark-skinned Muslim, is a general commanding the forces of Venice. The villain Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona, the general's beautiful and faithful wife, has been guilty of adultery; at the end of the play, Othello smothers Desdemona. A famous line from the play is Othello's description of himself as “one that loved not wisely but too well.”

---

Example Sentences

As Othello, Mr. Quinn is at first surprisingly soft-spoken, not putting too much polish on the character’s transfixing eloquence—“the Othello music,” as critics have called it—in his recitation of how he won Desdemona’s love.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

With a few minor and necessary exceptions dictated by the dramatis personae in certain scenes, Mr. Tucker primarily confines himself to the role of Iago while Mr. Quinn plays Othello.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

He compares his Creasy to Hamlet or Othello.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Meanwhile, one of the most expensive productions on Broadway, Othello, led by Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, was snubbed completely in the nominations.

From BBC • May 1, 2025

Now there he was across the aisle, bent over his copy of Othello.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng