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Othello in European Culture
Edited by Elena Bandín Fuertes, Francesca Rayner and Laura Campillo Arnaiz
[Shakespeare in European Culture 3] 2022
► pp. 225–246

Chapter 12
“It is not words that shakes me thus”

Othello on the ballet stage

| Université Sorbonne Nouvelle

Othello has been one of Shakespeare’s most frequently adapted plays on the ballet stage since the birth of the dramatic story ballet in the eighteenth century. Throughout the history of dance, choreographers have found innovative ways to represent some of the play’s themes that are difficult to express in a wordless genre, such as Othello’s psychological evolution, his shifting image of Desdemona, and Iago’s manipulation of his victims. This chapter argues that four interrelated themes have been particularly important in the choreographic transposition of Othello: madness, metatheatricality, gender and otherness. It reveals how the medium of ballet, which is not bound to Shakespeare’s text, has opened up new perspectives on Shakespeare’s controversial play.

Keywords: literature and dance, William Shakespeare, Othello, ballet, adaptation, intermediality, José Limón, Vakhtang Chabukiani, John Neumeier
Article outline
  • Madness and visions
  • Metatheatricality
  • Gender
  • Otherness
  • Conclusion
  • Adaptations mentioned
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 25 May 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sec.3.12buh
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