Othello

In Othello, Shakespeare deals three cards: (1) a splendid man who is a tower among men in physical and professional prowess, godlike in command–a hero whose rich voice tells stories that charm; (2) a beautiful young woman who personifies simple goodness and loving kindness; (3) and the wild card: a joker, diabolic as Satan himself, a genius of evil who has perfected the art of the half truth and the big lie.

It’s a tragic triangle, and the action it engenders both repels and attracts with inescapable intensity.