Plot
This is a modern, Pirandellesque one-act comedy in two parts. As the director of a theatre troupe is looking for a work, the ghosts of Clytemnestra, Faust and Othello appear in turn, all suggesting the tragedies in which they appear. The director is taken with Othello, and preparations for the performance begin. Othello is played by Alekos, with his wife Marika as Desdemona. Mitsos, a long-standing friend and possible ex-lover of Marika, is cast as Iago.
Wishing to present a truly passionate perfomance, the director stirs up jealousy in Alekos, who eventally becomes unable to distinguish between theatrical make-believe and reality. Incensed by Desdemona and Iago's on-stage flirtation, he ceases to function as an actor and reacts as a betrayed husband; during the bedroom scene he abandons the text and attacks Marika. The audience think that he has really killed her, but at the end of the performance the actors appear on stage alive.
Writing history
Written on Aegina in 1936, at the time when Kazantzakis was translating Pirandello for the Royal Theatre.
Greek editions
- N. Kazantzakis, O Othellos xanayirizi, Nea Estia, vol. 72, issue 848 (1.12.1962) 1522-1569
Performances
- "Theatrikos Kyklos" Troupe, at the National Theatre in 1988. Directed by Nikos Charalambous
- Municipality of Keratsini Theatre, in the National Theatre Empty Space, 2001. Directed by Takis Tzamargas
