Othello

 Title analysis: Othello (Proper noun, a male given name)

 Introduction: The main action of the play takes place in Venice, as the play’s
subtitle, The Moor of Venice, makes clear. Iago is ensign or flag-bearer to the
great military general, Othello, who is a Moor. Iago expects to be promoted to the
rank of lieutenant, but instead Othello passes him over in favor of Cassio. For this
reason, (at least he claims), Iago declares that he hates Othello and will wreak
vengeance on both Othello and Cassio.
 Complication: Iago begins to put his revenge plan into action by pitting everyone
against everyone. Next, in Cyprus on a military campaign, Iago gets Cassio drunk
and arranges a brawl, which he makes sure Othello witnesses; Othello has to strip
the recently promoted Cassio of his commission from 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). Then, Iago telling lies and kidnapping
Desdemona's precious handkerchief to put it in Cassio's chambers so that his
words would seem true. Thus increasing Othello's anger and distrust, leading him
to hit his wife in public.
 Denouement: Iago’s plan works, and Othello is convinced that there is something
going on between Cassio and Desdemona. He tells Iago to kill Cassio, and he
publicly strikes Desdemona, accusing her in front of everyone. Iago then tells
Roderigo to kill Cassio, but Roderigo fails, so Iago kills him so nobody will find
out about the plan.
 Aftermath: Othello, consumed with jealousy, smothers Desdemona to death with
a pillow, Emilia (Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s maid) tells Othello that she was
the one who found the handkerchief and gave it to her husband; Iago kills her for
revealing this, and Othello wounds Iago. Realizing 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.
 Type of play: Tragedy (All the protagonist die and we can see a lot suffering,
revenge, and death.)
 Characters
o Othello: Round, protagonist, and main character.
o Desdemona: Flat, protagonist, and main character.
o Iago: Flat, antagonist, and main character.
o Cassio: Flat and secondary character.
o Emilia: Flat and secondary character
 o Roderigo: Flat, antagonist, and secondary character.
 Themes
o Jealous: Othello's unhealthy jealousy, which used by Iago makes him an
insecure person tormented by the jealousy he feels and ends up murdering
his beloved Desdemona.
o Revenge: Iago's desire for revenge and manipulation towards Othello and
in what he had.
o Mistrust: The mistrust and its ability to destroy relationships, even those
that seem destined to last. This is clearly seen in the relationship between
Othello and Desdemona, whose love is threatened by Othello's jealousy
and prejudice.
 Symbols
o The Handkerchief: The handkerchief symbolizes different things to
different characters. Since the handkerchief was the first gift Desdemona
received from Othello, she keeps it about her constantly as a symbol of
Othello’s love. Iago manipulates the handkerchief so that Othello comes
to see it as a symbol of Desdemona herself—her faith and chastity. By
taking possession of it, he is able to convert it into evidence of her
infidelity.
o The Song “Willow”: As she prepares for bed in Act V, Desdemona sings
a song about a woman who is betrayed by her lover. To Desdemona, the
song seems to represent a melancholy and resigned acceptance of her
alienation from Othello’s affections.
 Irony: The first one is that all the characters, Othello, Desdemona, and Cassio all
believe that Iago is an honest man, but he ends up deceiving all three of them.
And the second one is that distrust and jealousy took the life of an innocent being
who did nothing but love and be kind.
 Poetic Elements
o Prose vs. Verse: Shakespeare uses prose as an expression of debasement,
as in the cases of Cassio’s drunkenness (Act II, scene iii), the Clown’s
bawdiness (Act III, scene i), and Othello’s rage (Act IV, scene i). More
specifically, Shakespeare often shifts from verse to prose in order to shift
emotional registers. This shift occurs in Act IV, scene i, when Othello
responds to Iago’s confirmation that Desdemona and Cassio have had sex.
o Tone: The tone of Othello largely reflects Iago’s worldview, which is
characterized by cynicism and suspicion. Iago expresses his cynicism
frequently, and particularly in the play’s opening acts.
 Literary devices
o Metaphors:
o “Good Brabantio. Take up this mangled matter at the best.
 Men do their broken weapons rather use
Than their bare hands”.
 After hearing Othello’s convincing account of how he won Desdemona’s love
without witchcraft, the Duke uses this metaphor to tell Brabanzio that his case
against Othello has just been dealt a major blow; if Brabanzio has any hope of
winning, he will have to fight back with the weapons that Othello has just broken.
o “There are many events in the womb of time which will be delivered”
 In this metaphor, Iago assures Roderigo that his future is promising by comparing
the events of the future to children yet to be born.
o Allusions
o “That you shall surely find him, Lead to the Sagittary the raised search,
And there will I be with him”.
 This is an allusion to Sagittarius, the centaur, a mythological creature that is half
horse, half man.
o “But my Muse labors And thus she is delivered”.
 This is an allusion to the nine Muses in Greek mythology who provided musicians,
artists, architects, and great thinkers with the inspiration to produce their great
works.
 Soliloquies
o Her father loved me, oft invited me (Spoken by Othello Act 1 Scene 3)
o That I did love the Moor (Spoken by Desdemona Act 1 Scene 3)
o And what’s he then that says I play the villain (Spoken by Iago Act 2
Scene 3)
 Monologues
o Iago: Act II - Scene 1
 Do thou meet me presently at the harbour. Come
 hither. If thou be'st valiant,— as, they say, base
 men being in love have then a nobility in their
 natures more than is native to them—list me. The
 lieutenant tonight watches on the court of
 guard:—first, I must tell thee this—Desdemona is
 directly in love with him.
o Desdemona
 Act I - Scene 3
 That I did love the Moor to live with him,
 My downright violence and storm of fortunes
 May trumpet to the world: my heart's subdued
 Even to the very quality of my lord:
 I saw Othello's visage in his mind,
 And to his honour and his valiant parts
  Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.
 So that, dear lords, if I be left behind,
 A moth of peace, and he go to the war,
 The rites for which I love him are bereft me,
 And I a heavy interim shall support
 By his dear absence. Let me go with him.
 Othello - Monologues and Soliloquies (shakespearenetwork.net)