Your first step in “modernizing” Othello is to choose a focus character, and then you will have to get creative in thinking about Twitter posts, Match profiles, and Instagram followings. Let’s do some brainstorming to get you started.

First, think about a character. You could choose Desdemona or Othello, Cassio or Iago. Any of them would be appropriate for this assignment. Select the one you understand the best, the one whose motives are clearest to you.

If you choose Desdemona, for instance, you could write a tweet about how happy she is to marry Othello. Perhaps it would even be a little bit defiant, considering that she has eloped with him against her father’s wishes. Cassio might write about how excited he is to get a promotion.

As for a Match profile book and song, if you choose Iago, you might have him list Machiavelli’s The Prince. Look up what it means to be Machiavellian. Iago is exactly that. He might also list a song that is focused on jealousy.

If you choose Othello, he might follow a famous general on Instagram, but he might also be interested in African authors, for he is something of a storyteller himself.