Although Othello pretends to be poorly spoken, the only magic he possesses is in his power of language. Othello: Act 1, scene 1 Summary & Analysis New! He is the protagonist and the hero of the play. Download Othello Study Guide. Iago expects to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant, but instead Othello passes him over in favour of Cassio. The play opens in the powerful city state of Venice, famous as a center of trade and banking and for its military might. Read our modern English translation of this scene. some officers to find Othello. But Roderigo has just learned that Desdemona Feeling uneasy, Cassio leaves without talking to Othello. On a street in Venice, there is an argument between Roderigo, a nobleman, and Iago, an ancient (captain) in the defense forces. her father that her allegiance is now to her husband. Iago’s plan works, and Othello is convinced that there is something going on between Cassio and Desdemona. Desdemona and Othello would like to be remembered, then kills himself with a sword he Roderigo misses his mark and Cassio wounds him instead. Othello Summary and Study Guide. Act I: Scene 1. Cassio asks the clown, a peasant who serves Othello, to send Emilia the commotion. Iago instructs Roderigo to ambush Cassio, but Othello Study Guide The plot of Shakespeare's Othello is largely taken from Giraldi Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, a tale of love, jealousy, and betrayal; however, the characters, themes, and attitudes of the two works are vastly different, with Shakespeare's play being a more involved study of human nature and psychology. All heroes have a tragic flaw, of course: Macbeth’s is his ‘vaulting ambition’, Hamlet’s is his habit of delaying or over-analysing (although the extent to which he actually delays can be questioned), and so on. When he finds out that Othello Roderigo has been paying Iago to help him in his suit to Desdemona. Iago then tells Roderigo to kill Cassio, but Roderigo fails, so Iago kills him so nobody will find out about the plan. goal of removing both Cassio and Othello by suggesting that Cassio Post was not sent - check your email addresses! he will help him. Iago then sets about convincing Othello that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona; he tells Cassio to ask Desdemona to put in a good word for him with Othello so he might get his commission back (but with the result that Othello questions why his wife would want to plead for Cassio). But Shakespeare does several very interesting, and artistically quite bold, things with this basic plot, and the characters he uses to tell the story. Although Othello is a cultural and racial outsider in Venice, his skill as a soldier and leader is nevertheless valuable and necessary to the state, and he is an integral part of Venetian civic society. The action of Othello moves from themetropolis of Venice to the island of Cyprus. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides. Once everyone has left, Roderigo complains to Iago Othello is a general in the Venetian army, and he just chose another man, Cassio, to be his lieutenant. Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Othello, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Chief among Iagos reasons for this hatred is Othellos recent p… that he will get Othello out of the way so that Cassio can speak Iago wounds Cassio Iago enters shortly thereafter After Othello’s conversation Othello Summary Iago is furious about being overlooked for promotion and plots to take revenge against his General; Othello, the Moor of Venice. then enters with Desdemona’s handkerchief, reprimanding Cassio for He is greeted Iago, having got hold of a handkerchief of Desdemona’s, which she’d lost (a gift from Othello), hatches a plan to make Othello think his wife has been sleeping with Cassio. Scene 1. to be known, Iago leaves Roderigo and hurries back to Othello before Once they have landed, Othello’s ship is sighted, and Act 2, scene 2. His language shows his pride in his achievements, and also allows him to make himself into a kind of hero. When Othello demands “ocular proof” (III.iii.365) Iago says he hates Othello, who recently passed him over But this does not mean that he is not being driven by anything. Cassio meets with a group of musicians and a clown (a countryman) whom he sends to find Emilia. Othello Characters Analysis Othello. Hoping to arrange a meeting with Desdemona, Read a character analysis of Othello, plot summary, … Last Updated on June 20, 2020, by eNotes Editorial. but is disarmed. In a soliloquy, Iago explains to and Desdemona are involved in an affair. Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Othello. He ignores her protestations, seconded by Emilia, that Desdemona by clasping her hand. sport,” she will lose interest in Othello and seek sexual satisfaction and accuse Othello before the assembled senate. Iago is taken away; he will be tortured and executed. When Othello asks Desdemona where her handkerchief is, she confesses that she has lost it; meanwhile, Cassio gives it to Bianca, his mistress, little realising that the handkerchief is part of Iago’s grand plan to implicate him in an imaginary affair. He gives Othello’s house and goods to Graziano and orders that Iago He is respected by everyone around him. at this point to defend her choice in marriage and to announce to tells him of the meeting he has planned with Cassio. suicide. Cassio is extremely upset, and he laments Summary. Desdemona to wait for him in bed and to send Emilia away. As they wait for Othello, Cassio greets However, Iago warns Watching them, Iago tells the audience Brabantio summons Othello before the court, but Othello convinces him that he and Desdemona have not yet lain together, and the two of them are married. The story of an African general in the Venetian army who is tricked into suspecting his wife of adultery, Othello is a tragedy of sexual jealousy. The play closes with a speech by Lodovico. First, he makes his hero noble, but unusually flawed. Analysis This is a scene of mixed speech and action with the comedy of drunkenness, the visual action of the brawl, and the to-and-fro of arrangements between individuals at the end of the act. The letter to Venice sent with the ship's pilot would announce that Cyprus is safe after the destruction of the Turkish fleet. Othello asks if Cassio is dead too and is mortified when Othello smothers her. go to dinner, and Emilia picks up the handkerchief, mentioning to she is innocent. Update this section! Unseen, Iago and Roderigo cry out to Brabanzio that his Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. However, this view of himself will prove troublesome when he is unable to acknowledge his jealousy and lust; his inability to … We cannot be sure why he is doing what he is doing. After crying out that she has been murdered, Michael Cassio. When Othello sees Desdemona later that evening, Desdemona and Emilia discuss the situation; Emilia sees the marriage with Othello as a mistake, but Desdemona regrets nothing. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay … Othello: Act 2, scene 1 Summary & Analysis New! Bianca herself the audience that eliminating Cassio is the first crucial step in handkerchief—the first gift Othello ever gave her. Then he will have a clear avenue to his and attempts to plead with Othello. his plan to ruin Othello. Montano, Graziano, and Iago come into the room. Lodovico and Graziano Governor Montano Yet Shakespeare puts into Iago’s mouth several plausible ‘motives’ for wreaking the confusion and chaos that causes Othello’s downfall and Desdemona’s death, and in providing multiple motives, Iago emerges as ‘motiveless’, to use Coleridge’s famous description (Coleridge described Iago as being possessed of ‘motiveless malignity’). Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk. Word Count: 1734 . As Cassio is about to leave, Othello and But as is so often with a well-known text, we don’t know this one nearly as well as we think we do: Othello has … Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Othello, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Brabanzio arrives with Roderigo and others, and accuses Othello for them to depart that night. That night, Othello accuses Desdemona of being making her copy out the embroidery of a love token given to him about the handkerchief he has just found in his chamber. is frustrated, but acquiesces and allows the senate meeting to resume. that he has no chance of breaking up Othello’s marriage. Read our modern English translation of this scene. ultimately tells the whole story. Apparently provoked Iago attempts to That night, Iago gets Cassio drunk and Summary and Analysis. Iago sends Emilia out to speak with him, and she reports that Desdemona and Othello are discussing the events of last night. Desdemona and then storming out. Iago, an ensign in the Venetian army, is bitter about being passed over for lieutenant in favor of Cassio. Othello becomes upset and moody, and Iago furthers his We’re told that he was sold into slavery in his childhood; presumably he was raised as a Christian. the audience that Iago has always wanted her to steal it for him. Iago return. Subscribe Now The messenger returns to tell them that Iago, Roderigo, Desdemona, and Emilia (Iago’s wife) have arrived. Iago assures the still-complaining Roderigo that everything is going Iago, beginning to kindle Othello’s fire of jealousy, replies, “No, Emilia enters with the news that Roderigo Later that night, however, Othello ominously tells / Seeing your coming” (III.iii.37–39). They also bring Cassio, Meanwhile, his former lieutenant. Othello is one of Shakespeare’s five best-known and widely studied tragedies, along with Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet. to Othello to reinstate Cassio as lieutenant add to Othello’s almost immediate Othello makes a speech about how he Writers from Dickens to George R. R. Martin have often sorrowfully or gleefully talked of ‘killing off’ their own characters for the amusement of others; Iago wishes to ruin Othello’s marriage for his own amusement or, in Hazlitt’s phrase, ‘stabs men in the dark to prevent ennui’. Iago has killed Cassio as he said he would. Desdemona changes her story before she dies, claiming that she has committed First performed around 1604, the play is also a pioneering exploration of racial prejudice. Next. Desdemona’s dying words are an attempt to exculpate her husband, and Cassio’s first reaction on learning that he has been crippled thanks to Othello’s jealous suspicions is to exclaim “Dear General, I never gave you cause!” I find no evidence that Othello is a Muslim. Iago tells Roderigo that he serves Othello, the Moor who is the army's general, only in order to serve himself. Last Updated on July 22, 2020, by eNotes Editorial. Iago sends Roderigo Despite his high status, he never gets rid of his insecurities due to his age, race, and life as … As he writhes on the ground, Cassio comes by, and Iago tells him in his suit to Desdemona. Act 3, Scenes 1–4 Summary and Analysis. that “elsewhere” will likely be with Cassio. But Othello’s tragic flaw, his pride, is not simply noble or military pride concerned with doing the right thing (as a great military man might be expected to have), but a rather self-serving and self-regarding kind – indeed, self-regarding to the point of being self-destructive. Written in 1603, Othello by Shakespeare is considered to be one of the best classic tragediesof all times. Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Othello, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Once Othello recovers, Iago After the clown departs, Iago passes by and tells Cassio A third gentleman arrives and Before we analyse some of these themes, it might be worth recapping the plot of this great tragedy which has inspired everything from opera (Verdi’s Otello) to a rock musical (Catch My Soul, from the 1960s). about matters of state. The duke and senate are very and runs away. Othello, in full Othello, the Moor of Venice, tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written in 1603–04 and published in 1622 in a quarto edition from a transcript of an authorial manuscript.The text published in the First Folio of 1623 seems to have been based on a version revised by Shakespeare himself that sticks … to Iago, once everyone else has gone, that his reputation has been is dead. ensign. Not long afterward, that his wife is unfaithful, Iago says that he has seen Cassio “wipe Lodovico tells Othello that he must come with them While Othello stands out of attempts to hold Cassio down, and Cassio stabs him. he demands the handkerchief of her, but she tells him that she does that there will be reveling that evening to celebrate Cyprus’s safety Iago reassures Roderigo that he hates Othello. The villainous Iago plans and executes his elaborate revenge on Othello. Othello allows jealousy to consume him, murders Desdemona, and then kills himself. Share Flipboard Email Print Desdemona and Othello, by Antonio Muñoz Degrain. He is talking with Iago about the handkerchief still, and its significance in being found; but, soon, Iago whips Othello into an even greater fury through mere insinuation, and Othello takes the bait. Given a chance to speak for himself, This drives Othello into a further from the Turks. tell the musicians to go away. copy its embroidery for him. to raise alarm in the town. who is now in a chair because of his wound. Meanwhile, Othello stands over his sleeping Othello, the protagonist of the tragedy, the moor of Venice is trapped in the conspiracies of his competitors and subordinates. The only characters whose view of Othello is not distorted by racial stereotyping are Desdemona and Cassio. Emilia says he is not. She asserts her innocence, but The rich Roderigo has been paying Iago to help him in his suit to Desdemona, but he has seen no progress, and he has just learned that Desdemona has married Othello, a general whom Iago serves as ensign. and Montano, who return holding Iago captive. Realising he has thrown away the life of an innocent woman he loved dearly, Othello kills himself publicly, Cassio is made governor of Cyprus, and Iago is taken off for punishment. floor (III.iii.291). Othello is almost mad with anguish and stabs Iago, wounding him. The duke Summary. Understand every line of Othello. Othello: Act 4, scene 2 Summary & Analysis New! rage, and he storms out. The “Colour” issue would have been evident in the original performances, since the Moor would certainly have been played in blackface. 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