The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (usually referred to is just Othello) is a play written by William Shakespeare. Written around 1603, the play tells of a Moorish man marrying a Christian woman.
Characters[]
- Othello - a "Moor" (or European Muslim) military commander brought into Venice during the Ottoman invasion of Venice.
- Desdemona - the daughter of Brabantio, the Duke of Venice.
- Iago - the villain of the play, a racist (?) schemer who plots to destroy Othello throughout the play.
- Michael Cassio - a captain in Othello's army used by Iago in his plot.
- Roderigo - Iago's companion.
- Emilia - the wife of Iago.
- Bianca - Cassio's lover.
- Brabantio - The Duke of Venice, father of Desdemona.
- Gratiano - Brother of Brabantio, uncle of Desdemona.
- Lodovico - A Venetian noble and the cousin of Desdemona.
- Montano - A possible successor for Othello.
- The clown
Publisher's summary[]
In Othello, Shakespeare creates a powerful drama of a marriage that begins with fascination (between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona), with elopement, and with intense mutual devotion and that ends precipitately with jealous rage and violent deaths. He sets this story in the romantic world of the Mediterranean, moving the action from Venice to the island of Cyprus and giving it an even more exotic coloring with stories of Othello's African past. Shakespeare builds so many differences into his hero and heroine—differences of race, of age, of cultural background—that one should not, perhaps, be surprised that the marriage ends disastrously. But most people who see or read the play feel that the love that the play presents between Othello and Desdemona is so strong that it would have overcome all these differences were it not for the words and actions of Othello's standard-bearer, Iago, who hates Othello and sets out to destroy him by destroying his love for Desdemona. As Othello succumbs to Iago's insinuations that Desdemona is unfaithful, fascination—which dominates the early acts of the play—turns to horror, especially for the audience. We are confronted by spectacles of a generous and trusting Othello in the grip of Iago's schemes; of an innocent Desdemona, who has given herself up entirely to her love for Othello only to be subjected to his horrifying verbal and physical assaults, the outcome of Othello's mistaken convictions about her faithlessness.
Plot[]
Act One[]
In Venice, two neer-do-wells named Iago and Roderigo harangue a Venetian senator from the street about his daughter (Desdemona) being stolen away by a Moorish general named Othello so that they can create the "beast with two backs" and ultimately marry. Due to this, the senator (Brabantio) has Othello arrested.
As Venetian senators and dukes discuss the Ottoman Turks' invasion of Cyprus, Othello is brought before the court for "stealing Desdemona away". Othello and Desdemona are able to convince the court of Venice of their love. As such, both are allowed to go to Cyprus with the Venetian war effort. Iago hangs about the court, beginning a plot to destroy Othello.
Act Two[]
While the Venetian fleet floats towards Cyprus, the Ottoman forces drown at sea. Due to this, Othello is celebrated by the Venetians as a military hero. Iago and Desdemona arrive in Venice shortly before Othello does.
After the celebration, Iago gets another subordinate of Othello's (Michael Cassio) drunks and feigns a drunken duel between him and Roderigo. Seeing this, Othello demotes and chastises Cassio. Iago sends him to Desdemona to get back his position and honor (though not for Cassio's own good).
Act Three[]
Iago spreads the seeds of jealousy in the minds of Othello. He is helped when his wife, Emilia, finds a handkerchief dropped by Desdemona. Using talk of the handkerchief and Cassio's dreams as evidence, Iago turns Othello into blind rage towards Cassio and Desdemona.
Act Four[]
To drive Othello into madness, Iago incites an epileptic seizure within Othello and then has him watch as he discusses Cassio's affair with a local woman (believed by Othello to be his wife but whom is actually Bianca). Once Cassio leaves and after Othello learns about the handkerchief from Bianca, Iago goads Othello into declaring that he will murder his wife.
Nobles from Venice soon arrive, with Desdemona in tow. While in the audience of (at least one of) the nobles, Othello strikes his wife. Later that night, Othello and Desdemona argue while Iago orders Roderigo to murder Cassio.
Act Five[]
After briefly talking with Iago, Roderigo tries to kill Cassio but is stabbed. Iago stabs Cassio from behind but also fails to kill him. So that Roderigo doesn't give him up, Iago stabs Roderigo to death before calling out that a murder has been committed. Fortunately for Iago, Cassio doesn't realize who has stabbed him.
Presumably as this is happening, Othello enters into Desdemona's room intending to strangle her to death. Desdemona briefly tries to get Othello to spare her but fails. This is witnessed by Emilia who calls out that Desdemona has been murdered. Some of the Venetian nobles, with Iago in tow, arrive. Initially, it seems that Iago will get away with everything but he is soon given up by his wife. After Othello attacks him, Iago stabs his wife to death and flees. Despondent, Othello commits suicide by stabbing himself.
See also[]
| Title | Author | Release date | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Un Capitano Moro | Cinthio | 1565 | A story that inspired the plot of this play |
| The Battle of Alcazar | George Peele (?) | 1594 | A play set around the same time |
| Description of Africa | Leo Africanus | 1526 | A book that somewhat inspired this play |
| Desdemona | Toni Morrison | 2012 | A play that reinterprets the events of this play |
| Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) | Ann-Marie MacDonald | 1988 | A play that reinterprets the events of this play |
| Desdemona: A Play about a Handkerchief | Paula Vogel | 1993 | A play that reinterprets the events of this play |
| Black Swan | Farrukh Dhondy | 1993 | A novel somewhat based on this play |
| Oroonoko | Aphra Behn | 1688 | A novel with a somewhat similar protagonist released around the same time |
Sources[]
- Goodreads
- Wikipedia