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The time is the late sixteenth century. The place is the small island of Cyprus, in the
eastern Mediterranean. The struggle between the Muslim Turks and the Christian
Venetians for supremacy in the region is briefly focussed on this island. The Venetians
appoint a converted Muslim, an experienced Moorish soldier, to lead their defensive
expedition to Cyprus. With him he takes his beautiful new (and much younger) bride, an
aristocratic white Venetian lady. He also takes his longstanding companion-in-arms, a
non-officer but a good soldier; and a handsome young upper-class Venetian officer as his
deputy. These are the ingredients of one of the world's most famous stories of jealousy,
resentment, suspicion, murder and suicide. It's also about race, class and gender. It's called
Othello.
About Simon Haines
Professor Simon Haines is Chairman of the English Department at the Chinese
University of Hong Kong. He graduated with First Class Honours and a University
Medal in English from the Australian National University. He won a Commonwealth
Scholarship to Oxford where he wrote his DPhil on the poetry of P.B. Shelley. He
is Editor of European Romanticism: A Reader (General Editor Stephen Prickett),
which won the Jean-Pierre Barricelli Prize for the best book on Romanticism
published in 2010. He is also the Director of the Research Centre for Human
Values where he advocates values discussion. His current research interests include
Romantic and post-Romantic literature, the concept of recognition in Shakespeare,
and the importance of the Humanities in contemporary society.
One loved not wisely but too well
Date: 16 March 2016 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:00pm
Language: English
Venue: The Chinese University Press (Lady Ho Tung Hall, Clinic Road.
Next to High Block, Pentecostal Mission Hall Complex)
