Ramsay – Campion Great Books Podcast: Episode 4 Shakespeare’s Othello – Part 2

Welcome to the 2023 Ramsay – Campion Great Books Podcast Series.

The series continues with the second of two conversations on Shakespeare’s Othello – the story of a general who kills his wife, having become convinced of her infidelity, only to realise he’s made a terrible mistake.

In this podcast Dr Stephen McInerney, Director of the Centre for the Study of the Western Tradition at Campion College is joined by Dr Colin Dray, Lecturer in Literature at Campion College, together with Dr Kishore Saval, Senior Lecturer in the Western Civilisation Program at Australian Catholic University.

In this conversation, the presenters consider the role of women in the play, and in particular Desdemona’s position as one of the most challenging female characters in Shakespeare’s entire body of work. We then explore how the action of the play collapses inward, from the broad field and high seas of war to a particular home, a particular chamber, and a particular bed, the scene of murder. We conclude with a consideration of Iago and the enigma of evil.