Ashley Miller
English IV
Ms. Corlies
Title: Othello
Author: William Shakespeare
Setting: Venice in Act I; then the island of Cyprus
The late sixteenth century
Characters:
Othello- The plays protagonist and hero. He’s the general of the armies of Venice
although he’s a Moor, or North African. Othello is greatly respected but is insecure because
of his age and self- consciousness about being a racial outsider. His flaw is his willingness to
be manipulated.
Desdemona- The daughter of Brabantio who secretly marries Othello. She’s a kind
person who tries to help which gets her into trouble. Othello accuses her of cheating but she’s
actually the only woman in the play who says she’d never cheat on her husband no matter
what.
Iago- The plays villain. He has the ability to trick and manipulate almost every other
character. Because he’s jealous of Cassio’s promotion and thinks Othello slept with his wife,
Iago tricks Othello into thinking Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. Iago hopes for
ruin Cassio’s career. Iago earns everyone’s trust which makes it easier for him to trick them.
Cassio-Cassio gets promoted to the position of Othello’s lieutenant. He’s hated by
Iago because of the promotion so he tricks Cassio into thinking he’s on his side. Iago uses
Cassio’s looks and manners to trick Othello into thinking he’s having an affair with
Desdemona.
Roderigo- Roderigo is in love with Desdemona from the beginning which makes it
easy for Iago to manipulate him into going along with all of his scheming plans.
Emilia- Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant. She loves Desdemona. By the end
of the play she figures out Iago’s plan and explains to Othello that he was very wrong about
his wife and was a fool for thinking Desdemona would cheat on him.
Brabantio- Desdemona’s father and a Venetian senator. He feels betrayed when
Desdemona and Othello secretly marry because he had been friends with Othello.
Duke of Venice- The official authority in Venice who greatly respects Othello and
sends him to Cyprus.
Montano- The governor of Cyprus before Othello. He tries to stop the fight between
Cassio and Roderigo.
Bianca- A prostitute in Cyprus who’s in love with Cassio.
Lodovico- A messenger from Venice to Cyprus who comes to tell Othello to go back
to Venice and Cassio will replace him in Cyprus as governor.
Graziano- Comes with Lodovico to Cyprus and is there in the final scenes when the
truth about Iago comes out.
Plot Summary:
Roderigo has just found out that Desdemona, who he’s in love with, has married
Othello, a Moor. He’s arguing with Iago, who had promised Roderigo that he’d help him win
Desdemona’s love. Iago is Othello’s ensign and explains he hates Othello because he
promoted inexperienced Cassio to lieutenant instead of him. Iago and Roderigo inform
Desdemona’s father Brabantio that Desdemona has secretly married Othello. Brabantio goes
to the Duke of Venice and accuses Othello of stealing his daughter by using witch craft, but
Desdemona says she loves Othello. The duke sends Othello and Desdemona to Cyprus to
help to fight the Turks but the Turks fleet of ships has been destroyed by a storm. Roderigo
complains to Iago that he has no chance of breaking up Othello and Desdemona’s marriage.
Iago convinces Roderigo to start a fight with Cassio that night to disgrace him because
Desdemona might start to have feelings for Cassio.
That night Iago gets Cassio drunk and sends Roderigo to start a fight with him.
Montano tries to stop Cassio but Cassio stabs him. Othello finds out Cassio started the fight
and strips Cassio of his rank as lieutenant. Cassio is upset and Iago convinces him to get
Desdemona to help him get his position back. Iago tells the reader how he will frame Cassio
and Desdemona to make Othello jealous. The next morning Cassio asks Desdemona to help
him and she promises she will. He then runs away when he sees Othello and Iago coming.
Iago begins to suggest to Othello that Cassio and Desdemona might be having an affair which
causes Othello to become paranoid. When Desdemona begs for Othello to give Cassio his job
back Othello decides Iago is right and his wife is unfaithful. When they leave Desdemona
drops a handkerchief that Othello had given her and Emilia picks it up and gives it to Iago
because he had been begging her to steal it for awhile. Iago plants the handkerchief in
Cassio’s room. Later Othello demands proof from Iago that his wife is cheating and Iago tells
him he saw Cassio wiping his beard with the handkerchief Othello gave Desdemona. Later
Iago tells Othello to hide while he talks to Cassio about him sleeping with Desdemona.
Othello sees Cassio laughing and becomes enraged. Really, however, Iago is talking to
Cassio about how Cassio’s prostitute, Bianca, is in love with him. Bianca then enters and
gives Cassio the handkerchief he had given her to copy the pattern for him. Othello sees and
is convinced Desdemona is cheating on him but she denies it and Emilia defends her.
Iago convinces Roderigo to kill Cassio. Roderigo misses and Cassio wounds him
instead so Iago stabs Cassio in the leg and runs away. Hearing Cassio’s cry, Othello assumes
Iago has killed Cassio like he promised. Othello goes into Desdemona’s bedroom and
smothers her despite her trying to plead her innocence. When Emilia enters Desdemona
claims she committed suicide. Othello explains what really happened and told her Iago had
told him she was unfaithful. Montano, Graziano, and Iago come into the room and Iago tries
to silence Emilia but she explains what Iago has done. Iago kills Emilia and runs but is
caught. Othello wounds him and then kills himself.
Key Words/ Motifso Reputation- Cassio is most upset after the fight because he has ruined his reputation.
Desdemona feels she has a good reputation for being innocent and pure.
o Trust- Iago earns the trust of all of the other characters which makes it easier for him
to manipulate them because they trust he’s a good man.
o Loyalty- Iago fakes his loyalty to Othello which makes Othello trust and listen to Iago.
o Manipulation- Iago manipulates the people around him into doing everything he wants
them to do.
o Deceitfulness- Iago is deceitful and makes everyone think he’s honest.
o Love- Desdemona’s love for Othello makes her secretly marry him and keeps her by
his side even when he goes crazy with jealousy. Othello’s love of Desdemona causes
him to become jealous when he thinks she’s cheating on him.
o Jealousy- Jealousy is the weakness Othello possesses which Iago uses to trick Othello
into thinking Desdemona is cheating on him.
o Racism- Othello is insecure about his race and age. Iago is sometimes racist towards
Othello in secret.
o Poison- Iago says the ideas he plants in Othello’s head are like poison that will lead to
his destruction.
Ironyo Iago is always called honest Iago even though he’s a manipulative liar.
o Othello thinks Desdemona is cheating but she is about the only pure woman in the
play who says she would never cheat no matter what.
Foreshadowingo Iago always reveals his plans to the reader.
o The Willow song Desdemona’s mother’s maid sang before she died was the song that
was stuck in Desdemona’s head the night she died.
Themeso The power to manipulate people into doing things.
o Incompatibility of military and love.
o The consequences of jealousy.
Symbolismo Handkerchief- Symbolizes Othello’s love of Desdemona. Iago used the handkerchief
to make Othello think Desdemona was cheating on him
o The song Willow- Desdemona said her mother’s maid sang that song before she died.
The night Othello strangled her, Desdemona said she couldn’t get it out of her head.
Dramatic ironyo Iago’s not honest like everyone thinks and the reader is aware of his plan but the
characters don’t figure it out until it’s too late.