Why did Iago facilitate the deaths of the much-honored general he serves and his wife, Desdemona? That's the question Annibale Malipiero, Venice's chief inquisitor, wants answered. More questions: Was Iago a nutcase acting alone? Is he part of an Ottoman conspiracy? What, in fact, is the nature of evil? Shakespeare took much of his material from earlier sources and has in turn inspired writers for centuries; two of my favorite books this year, Arthur Phillips's The Tragedy of Arthur and Chris Adrian's The Great Night, play on the Bard. Snodin, who's helped produce Shakespeare plays for the BBC, should be in tune with his source.
Today the literary world is honoring the life, and death, of William Shakespeare. While his exact birthday isn’t really known, we observe it on April 23, the date he died at age 52. And while there are scores of classics inspired by William Shakespeare’s writing, like Moby Dick, by Herman Melville; Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley; Shakespeare […]