Othello
A Brief Introduction
Story
• The story focuses on the eponymous character, Othello,
a black man and high-ranking military officer who, at the
start of the play, has recently married a young, white
woman called Desdemona.
• One of Othello’s officers, Iago, is upset at having been
passed over for promotion in favour of a younger rival
called Cassio.
• Iago bears a grudge against Othello for this slight and
decides to take his revenge on him, manipulating his
relationship with Desdemona in order to do so. This is
the central conflict from which most of the events of the
play stem.
Setting
• The bulk of the events of Othello take place in Venice.
• In Shakespeare’s time, Venice was a major port and
therefore one of the most important trading cities in the
world.
• As a result of this, it was a city that was known for its
diversity of cultures, presumably one of the reasons
Shakespeare chose to set Othello and The Merchant of
Venice there, as both of these plays deal heavily with
race-related issues.
Characters
Othello
•
The play’s protagonist and hero.
A Christian Moor and general of
the armies of Venice, Othello is
an eloquent and physically
powerful figure, respected by all
around him.
•
In spite of his elevated status,
he is easy prey to insecurities
about his age, his life as a
soldier, and his race.
•
He possesses a “free and open
nature,” which his ensign Iago
uses to twist his love for his wife,
Desdemona, into a powerful and
destructive jealousy.
Characters
Iago
• Othello’s ensign (a job also
known as an ancient or
standard-bearer), and the
antagonist and villain of the
play.
• While his ostensible reason for
desiring Othello’s demise is
that he has been passed over
for promotion to lieutenant,
Iago’s motivations are never
very clearly expressed and
seem to originate in an
obsessive, almost aesthetic
delight in manipulation and
destruction.
Characters
Desdemon
• The daughter of the Venetian
senator Brabantio.
• Desdemona and Othello are
secretly married before the
play begins.
• While in many ways
stereotypically pure and meek,
she is also determined and
self-possessed. She is equally
capable of defending her
marriage, jesting bawdily with
Iago, and responding with
dignity to Othello’s
incomprehensible jealousy.
Characters
• Othello’s lieutenant. Cassio is
a young and inexperienced
soldier, whose high position is
much resented by Iago.
Cassio
• He is truly devoted to Othello,
however, Iago uses Cassio’s
youth, good looks and
friendship with Desdemona to
play on Othello’s insecurities
about Desdemona’s fidelity.
Characters
• Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s
attendant.
• A cynical, worldly woman, she
is deeply attached to her
mistress and distrustful of her
husband.
Aemilia
Characters
Roderigo
• A jealous suitor of
Desdemona.
• Young, rich and foolish,
Roderigo is convinced that if
he gives Iago all of his money,
Iago will help him win
Desdemona’s hand.
• Repeatedly frustrated as
Othello marries Desdemona
and then takes her to Cyprus,
Roderigo has the potential to
be an extremely comic
character at times, but is
ultimately a rather tragic one.
Themes
Reality and Appearance
Revenge and Jealousy
• Iago presents the appearance
of a loyal supporter of Othello
throughout the play, despite
the audience knowing this is
not the case (dramatic irony).
• He frequently manipulates the
truth, blurring the boundaries
between what appears to be
happening and what is actually
happening.
• Iago is jealous of Cassio’s
position as Othello’s
lieutenant, a position he
believes he has a right to.
Race
• Iago in turn manipulates
Othello’s love for his young
wife Desdemona, causing him
to be jealous of others who
spend time with her.
• Othello’s race is constantly
used against him and is one of
the factors that leads to his
downfall in the play.
• Iago also suggests that Othello
has slept with his wife, Aemilia,
possibly another source of his
jealousy.