Summary and Analysis of Act I
Act I, scene i: Summary
Othello begins in the city of Venice, at night; Roderigo is having a
discussion with Iago, who is bitter at being passed up as Othello's
lieutenant. Though Iago had greater practice in battle and in military
matters, Cassio, a man of strategy but of little experience, was named
lieutenant by Othello. Iago says that he only serves Othello to further
himself, and makes shows of his allegiance only for his own gain; he is
playing false, and admits that his nature is not at all what it seems.
Iago is aware that the daughter of Brabantio, a Venetian nobleman of
some stature, has run off with Othello, the black warrior of the Moors.
Desdemona is Brabantio's daughter, and Brabantio, and many others, know
nothing of this coupling; Iago decides to enlist Roderigo, who lusts
after Desdemona, and awaken Brabantio with screams that his daughter is
gone.
At first, Brabantio dismisses these cries in the dark; but when he
realizes his daughter is not there, he gives the news some credence.
Roderigo is the one speaking most to Brabantio, but Iago is there too,
hidden, yelling unsavory things about Othello and his intentions toward
Desdemona. Brabantio panics, and calls for people to try and find his
daughter; Iago leaves, not wanting anyone to find out that he betrayed
his own leader, and Brabantio begins to search for his daughter.
Act I, scene i: Analysis
The relationship between Roderigo and Iago is obviously somewhat close,
as Roderigo shows in his first statement. Iago "hast had [Roderigo's]
purse as if the strings were thine," he tells Iago; the metaphor shows
how much trust Roderigo has in Iago, and also how he uses Iago as a
confidante (I.i.2-3). Does Iago share the same kind of feeling? As far
as Roderigo knows, Iago is his friend; but appearance is one thing and
reality another, as Iago soon will tell.
Iago tells several truths about himself to Roderigo; he even trusts
Roderigo with the knowledge that Iago serves Othello, but only to
further himself. How ironic that after Iago's lengthy confession of
duplicity, Roderigo still does not suspect him of doublecrossing or
manipulation. Iago seems to do a great deal of character analysis and
exposition for the audience; here, he divulges his purpose in serving
Othello, and the kind of man he is. Appearance vs. reality is a crucial
theme in Iago's story; throughout the play, he enacts a series of
roles, from advisor to confidante, and appears to be helping people
though he is only acting out of his twisted self-interest.
"These fellows" that flatter for their own purposes "have some soul,"
Iago says; there is a double irony in this statement that Iago passes
off as a truth (54). People who act one way and are another are
duplicitous, and scarcely deserve the credit that Iago is trying to
give them. Also, Iago, though he is one of those fellows, seems to have
no soul; he never repents, never lets up with his schemes, and never
seems to tire of the damaging whatever he is able to. "In following
[Othello] I follow but myself," Iago also professes; this is a paradox
in terms, but is revealing of Iago's purposes in serving Othello. His
language is also revealing of his dark character; he uses the cliché "I
will wear my heart upon my sleeve" to convey how his heart is false,
and his shows of emotion are also falsified (64). But, he turns this
cliché into something more dark and fierce, when he adds the image of
the birds tearing at this heart; already, he has foreshadowed the great
deceptions that he will engineer, and the sinister qualities that make
up his core.
The key to Iago's character is in the line "I am not what I am";
Roderigo should take this as a warning, but fails to. Everything which
Iago presents himself as is a false show; even here, he pretends to be
less evil than he truly is, though this first scene represents the peak
of Iago's honesty about himself with another character. Iago is
parallel to another character, Richard III, in his self-awareness about
his villainous character, and in his also parallel lack of remorse and
use of false representations of himself.
Already, the racial issues and themes which are at the core of
Othello's story and position are beginning to surface. When Roderigo
refers to Othello, he calls him "the thick lips"; the synecdoche,
singling out one prominent characteristic that highlights Othello's
foreignness and black heritage, displays a racial distrust of Othello
based on his color. Roderigo and Iago are not the only characters to
display racism when referring to Othello; racism is a pervasive theme
within the work, spreading misconceptions and lies about Othello by
tying him to incorrect stereotypes about his race.
Another element that surfaces repeatedly in the play is the use of
animal imagery; "an old black ram is tupping your white ewe," Iago
yells to Brabantio from the street (88-9). The use of animal imagery is
used in many places in the play to convey immorality, almost bestial
desire, and illicit passion, as it does in this instance. Iago also
compares Othello to a "Barbary horse" coupling with Desdemona, and uses
animal imagery to reinforce a lustful picture of Othello, before this
scene is through. Iago's statement is doubly potent, since it not only
condemns Othello for his alleged lust, but also plays on Brabantio's
misgivings about Othello's color, and outsider status. The
juxtaposition of black and white, in connection with the animal
imagery, is meant to make this image very repellent, and to inflame
Brabantio to anger and action.
Iago especially mentions the devil many times in the text, the first
time here in the first scene. He means to make Othello sound like a
devil, with his lust, indiscretion, and strangeness to Venice; the
irony is that Iago is so quick to make others out to be evil, when it
is he who is the center of blackness and foul deeds in the play. The
devil often takes disguises, just as Iago does; he is as close to a
devil as there is in this play, though, again embodying the theme of
appearance vs. reality, he is the one who looks least guilty.
Important to this scene is the fact that it is held in darkness; like
the beginning of Hamlet, things are unsteady and eerie, and a certain
disorder rules over the proceedings. With Brabantio's call for light,
there is a corresponding call for some kind of order; darkness vs.
light and order vs. disorder are important juxtapositions within the
play, and as themes they highlight the status of situations like this
one. This theme will appear again at the end, as the play returns to
darkness, and also to chaos; the two seem inextricably linked in the
body of the play, and always battle with one another.
Act I, scene ii: Summary
Iago has now joined Othello, and has told Othello about Roderigo's
betrayal of the news of his marriage to Brabantio's daughter. He tells
Othello that Brabantio is upset, and will probably try to tear
Desdemona from him. Cassio comes at last, as do Roderigo and Brabantio;
Iago threatens Roderigo with violence, again making a false show of his
loyalty to Othello. Brabantio is very angry, swearing that Othello must
have bewitched his daughter, and that the state will not decide for him
in this case. Othello says that the Duke must hear him, and decide in
his favor, or else all is far from right in Venice.
Act I, scene ii: Analysis
Iago continues his deliberate misrepresentation, swearing to Othello
that he could have killed Roderigo for what he did. Iago, however, is a
very skilled actor; he is able to successfully present a contrary
appearance, and get away with it. Ironically, Iago alludes to Janus,
the two-faced god, in his conversation with Othello. Since Iago himself
is two-faced, in a duplicitous way, Janus seems to be a fitting figure
for Iago to invoke.
Iago's duplicity is again exhibited in this scene as his tone swings
from friendly to backbiting as soon as Othello steps away, and then he
goes back to his original friendliness when Othello returns. Whereas
Iago acted supportive of Othello's marriage to Desdemona, when Cassio
enters, he uses a rather uncomplimentary metaphor to tell what Othello
has done. "He tonight hath boarded a land-carrack," Iago tells Cassio;
his diction and choice of metaphor make Othello into some kind of
pirate, stealing Desdemona's love, and reduces Desdemona into a mere
prize to be taken. But, this tone is carefully calculated; Iago will
soon want Cassio to think of Desdemona as an object to be taken, and to
believe Othello to be less honorable than he is.
Othello's pride first becomes visible here; he is exceptionally proud
of his achievements and his public stature, and pride is an overarching
theme of Othello's story. He is also proud of Desdemona's affection for
him, which leads him to overstate the bond between them; he would not
give her up "for the seas' worth," he says, certainly a noble sentiment
(l. 28). Othello is very confident in his worth, and in the respect he
commands; if the leaders of the city decide to deny a worthy man like
him his marriage to Desdemona, then he believes "bondslaves and pagans
shall our statesmen be." This statement of paradox betrays Othello's
faith in the state and in the Duke's regard for him; hopefully, neither
will fail him.
Again, the issue of race comes to the fore, as Brabantio confronts
Othello about his marriage to Desdemona. Desdemona never would have
"run from her guardage to the sooty bosom of a thing such as thou,"
Brabantio says (l. 71-2). Brabantio assumes that Desdemona must have
been "enchanted" to marry Othello merely because Othello is black;
Brabantio ignores all of Othello's good qualities, and gives into his
racist feelings. Magic is another recurrent theme, and here is linked
to stereotypes of African peoples as knowing the black arts of magic,
of being pagans, and of being lusty; the theme of magic does not always
play into the theme of race within the play, though here there is an
interesting relation of the two due to racial stereotyping.
At the time Shakespeare was writing, there were in fact free blacks in
England, with some art of the period depicting black peoples. However,
racism was even more pronounced in Shakespeare's England than it is in
Othello; a character like Othello could not have risen to such ranks in
England at the time, which means that Shakespeare's play is much more
progressive than the time in which it was written. Othello even manages
to avoid stereotype more effectively than another Shakespearean
character like Shylock, who represents anti-Semitic views of the Jewish
people; stereotypes are linked to Othello by other characters, but he
manages to evade them through his nobility and individuality.
Act I, scene iii: Summary
Military conflict is challenging the Venetian stronghold of Cyprus;
there are reports that Turkish ships are heading toward the island,
which means some defense will be necessary. Brabantio and Othello enter
the assembled Venetian leaders, who are discussing this military
matter, and Brabantio announces his grievance against Othello for
marrying his daughter. Othello addresses the company, admitting that he
did marry Desdemona, but wooed her with stories, and did her no wrongs.
Desdemona comes to speak, and she confirms Othello's words; Brabantio's
grievance is denied, and Desdemona will indeed stay with Othello.
However, Othello is called away to Cyprus, to help with the conflict
there; he begs that Desdemona be able to go with him, since they have
been married for so little time. Othello and Desdemona win their
appeal, and Desdemona is to stay with Iago, until she can come to
Cyprus and meet Othello there.
Roderigo is upset that Desdemona and Othello's union was allowed to
stand, since he lusts after Desdemona. But Iago assures him that the
match will not last long, and at any time, Desdemona could come rushing
to him. Iago wants to break up the couple, using Roderigo as his pawn,
out of malice and his wicked ability to do so.
Act I, scene iii: Analysis
Brabantio again accuses Othello of bewitching his daughter, and airs
his racism-based views. He is not against the match because of any
incompatibility of the couple; he thinks that nature has made some
mistake, because of the mixed race of the couple. His metaphor of his
grief as a flood, that "engluts and swallows other sorrows, and is
still itself," means that he feels very strongly on this issue. His
strong objection foreshadows a confrontation between him and his
daughter; and, if Desdemona does choose to stay with Othello, it seems
likely that she will risk her father's love.
Othello's appointment to Cyprus marks the true beginning of his
tragedy; for, when he is away from Venice, which is a place of
familiarity, order, and law, he will be much more vulnerable to Iago's
vicious attacks on his love and jealousy. This battle between order and
chaos is a theme running throughout the play, and as Othello sinks
deeper into distrust of Desdemona and is more consumed by his jealousy,
chaos increases and threatens to devour him.
The Duke's words of advice to the couple also mark the beginning of
their tragic story; the Duke's words foretell trouble between the
couple if they do not let grievances go, which ends up being a reason
for Othello's fall. Also, the change of the verse into couplets signals
the importance of the advice being offered. The words of the Duke, and
Brabantio's words that follow, are set off from the rest of the text
and emphasized by this technique; the reader is notified, through the
couplet rhyme, which hasn't appeared before in the text, that these are
words that must be marked.
Although Othello pretends to be poorly spoken, the only magic that he
possesses is in his power of language. His language shows his pride in
his achievements, and also allows him to make himself into a kind of
hero. Othello portrays himself as a tested, honorable warrior, and
indeed is such. However, this view of himself will prove troublesome
when he is hard pressed to recognize his jealousy and his lust; his
inability to reconcile himself with these two aspects of his
personality means that his comeuppance is almost certain. Othello's
lack of self-knowledge means that he will be unable to stop himself
once Iago begins to ignite his jealousy, and set into motion the less
palatable aspects of Othello's personality, which he himself cannot
recognize.
Othello's speech before the assembly shows what he believes Desdemona's
love to be; he thinks that Desdemona's affection is a form of heroworship, and she loves him for the stories he tells, and the things he
has done. He believes it is his allusions to strange peoples and
places, like the "Anthropophagi," that fascinate her, and this youthful
fascination forms the semi-solid core of her affections. Indeed, his
powers of language successfully win the Duke over, and soften
Brabantio's disapproval.
Light and dark are again juxtaposed in the Duke's declaration to
Brabantio, that "if virtue no delighted beauty lack/ your son-in-law is
far more fair than black." Black is associated with sin, evil, and
darkness; these negative things are also associated to black people,
merely because of the color of their skin. The Duke's statement is
ironic, since Othello is black, but truthful, because his soul is good
and light. Light/white/fairness all convey innocence, goodness, etc.;
any symbol that is white has these qualities. The juxtaposition of
black and white, light and dark shows up again and again in the play,
as the colors become symbolic within the story.
"Our bodies are our gardens," Iago tells Roderigo; his speech recalls
Hamlet's first soliloquy, though with a more kind appraisal of human
nature. Iago is a very good judge of human nature, and easily able to
manipulate people in ways that will benefit him most; but, this
cleverness also means that he is a source of wisdom in the play, no
matter how wickedly he chooses to use this knowledge. Iago's metaphor
is particularly applicable to many in this play, himself excluded;
characters like Othello, Roderigo, and Cassio do have vices that they
allow to grow in themselves, but they also have aspects of themselves
which balance these vices out. Iago's knowledge of this allows him to
do away with this balance and set chaos into motion, which leads to
tragedy.
Here, Iago's purpose becomes plain; he sees that Othello and
Desdemona's marriage is less than solid, and seeks to use his powers to
break this marriage apart. Iago is again "honest" about his intent, but
only to a person whose involvement will help him greatly. The words
"honest" and "honesty" appear repeatedly in the play, and are usually
used by Iago, or in reference to him; ironically, Iago is the only
person in the play whom Othello trusts to judge who is and is not
honest, and the only one whose integrity is not questioned until it is
too late.
Honesty becomes an important question, and theme, in the story;
characters repeatedly ask themselves who is honest, who can be trusted,
and Iago indeed plays on their honesty to make them believe falsely.
The word "honest" is often used in an ironic context, or indicates that
someone or something cannot be trusted, if they are given this title.
Under Iago's influence, honesty becomes a difficult liability, and
speeds the downfall of many good characters.