After teaching in rural North Carolina for about six years, the author was on the verge of giving up on teaching Shakespeare to her students. Although they seemed to enjoy the action and the drama of Shakespeare's plays, the lack of connection between the students and the language and culture of the plays interfered with her ability to generate a sense of relevancy and purpose for them. Finally, during her seventh year of teaching she was ready and determined to change her prior teaching methods when teaching Shakespeare, and she prepared herself to teach "Othello" in her English 12 class. She was determined to help this year's students connect emotionally, culturally, and intellectually to the characters and their experiences in this operatic and psychologically intense drama. She uses a box of props--a bridal veil, a skull, a handkerchief, and more--to engage students in the intrigue of "Othello" before they even know they will be reading the play. (Contains 1 figure.)