An African, living in a place where some see him as the other, is disliked but talented.

He falls for a local girl, leading to jealousy and violence.

To anyone who knows Shakespeare, it will all sound familiar.

Until I tell you that almost everyone involved is 11 years old.

From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited.

I'm Michael Whitmore, the Folgers director.

In the latest installment of the Hogarth Shakespeare

project, novelist Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with a Pearl Earring, takes on the tragedy

of Othello. But in a twist, she moves the action to a public elementary school playground

in Washington, D.C. in the early 1970s.

The book, titled New Boy, uses its distinctive setting to explore issues of discrimination,

betrayal, alienation, and jealousy.

Tracy came in recently to talk about the book, her inspirations, and the challenges of working

with and under the shadow

of Shakespeare. We call this podcast The Property of Youth and Maithood. Tracy Chevalier was

interviewed by Barbara Bogave. Tracy, there are so many ways you could go with this Hogarth Commission.

Why did you pick Othello? Well, they told me I could choose any play

I wanted, apart from a couple that had already been chosen by other authors. And my first thought

was to go for Romeo and Juliet, because that was the first Shakespeare play I had loved and gotten

to know when I was 13 and studied it.

But my teenage son very wisely, I think, said, oh, mom, no, don't do Romeo and Juliet.

Everybody's done Romeo and Juliet. That's so Hackneyed. And I thought, yeah, he's right.

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