Using Fairclough’s analytical theory of critical discourse, this paper intends to analyze the communicative actions in Shakespeare’s play Othello. The paper also will show how the play affects various layers of any given society especially where it has been produced. Our approach is based on the historical fact that human beings have constantly struggled to gain their identity under the shadow of social relationships. Accordingly, one can expect to see different societies developing various cultural communicative theories alongside literary works. Considering that Fairclough’s theory attempts to explain the relation between language and social actions, Shakespeare’s works can also be taken to bear the signs of discourse in communicative and cultural actions. By the same token, a discourse analysis of Shakespeare’s works, similar to other literary works, requires us to analyze various layers and structures of the society in which the literary works have been produced. Meanwhile, the question of communication creates cultural interactions between both the host and the guest cultures. And the encounter of the two cultures should pave the way for the very communication per se, something that can result in further interactions between the two. We believe such signs of interaction are present in Shakespeare’s play Othello. The concluding parts of the play indicate that the cultural and social actions exist not only in society but also in literary texts; even if it refers to centuries back when such theories like communicative actions had not been produced yet.
)