In this essay, retired Major-General Jonathan Shaw, who served as commander of the allied forces in southern Iraq in 2007, gives a vivid account of his role as military adviser during the rehearsals of Nicholas Hytner’s production of Othello at the National Theatre in 2013. Shaw explains why he focused his briefing of the actors on the dynamics of garrisoning, on how ‘command’ operates, and what the stresses and strains for soldiers are in these circumstances. Shaw’s first-hand experience as a military leader stationed in the Middle East during the Iraq War gave the actors fresh insight into how the play’s wartime setting, as much as Othello’s racial diversity, shapes his reaction to Cassio’s disorderly and drunken behaviour and to Iago’s accusation of infidelity against Cassio and Desdemona.

Adrian Lester talks us through his research in preparation for his portrayal of Othello at the National Theatre in 2013. His examination of the play’s racial politics in performance includes interviews with Iago (Rory Kinnear), Desdemona (Olivia Vinall), and the iconic James Earl Jones who has played Othello four times. In this chapter Lester argues that our reaction to the play is not based on Shakespeare’s intentions but based on Western culture’s manipulative, complex racial history and sexual politics – a history that clouds any attempt at a balanced view when looking at these subjects.