Shakespeare’s meditation on the downfall of a volatile hero and the poison of jealousy finds its match in Verdi’s bold, turbulent music. The opera thrusts the audience into the turbulent world of the protagonists—characters of deep heroism, unmitigated malice, idealistic love, and jealous despair—and their larger-than-life passions. Otello is the second of Verdi’s three great Shakespeare adaptations and a devastating portrayal of a man who is deceived into murdering the woman he loves.