Matthew d'Ancona's culture: This Othello is a tour de force

Matthew d'Ancona's Culture: This Othello is a Tour de Force

At the core of Tom Morris’s brilliant production is Toby Jones’s astonishing portrayal of Iago, which stands as the finest performance of the role I have ever witnessed.

The great Shakespearean scholar AC Bradley described Othello as “a being essentially large and grand, towering above his fellows, holding a volume of force which in repose ensures pre-eminence without an effort, and in commotion reminds us rather of the fury of the elements than of the tumult of common human passion.”

David Harewood embodies this vision in Morris’s production, reprising the role he first played at the National Theatre in 1997—a landmark casting, as no Black actor had previously taken on Othello there. Harewood’s Othello exudes immense dignity as a Venetian general of legendary feats, making his eventual psychological collapse deeply gripping.

Significantly, Caitlin FitzGerald’s Desdemona breaks from the traditional passive ingénue stereotype; she is portrayed as a woman profoundly in love yet openly frustrated as the marriage is threatened by deceit and manipulation, captured in her line, “O, these men, these men!”

Above all, Toby Jones’s incomparable Iago is the powerful centerpiece of this exceptional production.

Author’s summary: Tom Morris’s Othello features standout performances, with Toby Jones’s Iago and David Harewood’s dignified Othello bringing Shakespeare’s complex tragedy vividly to life.

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The New European The New European — 2025-11-01

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