Here's a confession. I've never really loved Othello. Or, rather, I don't see how it earns its place alongside other genuinely Great (capital G) Shakespearean tragedies. It's packed full of folly and nonsense and so much of its plot machinations hinge on ridiculous coincidence. At any point, if Othello turned to Desdemona and asked, ‘Have you done anything dodgy with that handkerchief I gave you?’ she'd explain that she hadn't, and the play would be over.
But, then, that's Shakespeare's cowed and terrified Desdemona; bewildered and astonished by her spouse turning against her. Toni Morrison's smart, sly and triumphant Desdemona is another thing altogether.
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