Othello Summary
Act I
Scene i: The play begins in a street in
Venice, a major Renaissance city-state where the first Act unfolds before the
setting shifts to the island seaport of Cyprus under Venetian rule. On stage,
we see the character of Roderigo, a young suitor for the hand of Desdemona, and
that of Iago, a veteran officer under the command of Venice's military hero,
the Moor Othello. Roderigo tells Iago that he is disturbed by the news that
Othello, the middle-aged Moor, has just eloped with the much younger Desdemona,
the daughter of Venetian senator Brabantio. Iago voices his own complaint about
Othello, saying that the black hero-general has chosen Cassio, a junior in
years to Iago, as his lieutenant, leaving Iago in the role of "ancient"
and provoking his resentment. Iago openly allows that he will pretend to be
loyal to Othello and then use his inside position to exact revenge. Together,
the two go to the home of Desdemona's father, Brabantio, to tell him that his
daughter has run away with an old black "ram" and to rouse his
fatherly passions against Othello, a man to whom Brabantio had opened his house
as a guest
Scene ii: Shortly thereafter in another
Venice street, Iago tells Othello that Brabantio has slurred the Moorish
commander's honor, but Othello dismisses this, confident that his own military
services to Venice "Shall out-tongue his complaints." Othello's
young, second-in-command, the brilliant Michael Cassio arrives with word that
the general has been summoned to the Duke of Venice's court to deal with an
urgent military matter. Just then, Brabantio, Roderigo and some law officers
come to take Othello to the Duke on the legal charges that he has enchanted and
thereby abused Brabantio's daughter.
Scene iii: In the council-chamber of the Duke
of Venice, we see the Duke and the senators of the city-state as they learn
that the arch-enemies of Venice, the Turks, are now engaged in some aggressive
but evasive actions toward either Rhodes or Cyprus. Their conversation is
interrupted by an irate Brabantio who is escorted on stage by law officers and
the object of his wrath, Othello. Although the Duke promises to punish the
"beguiler" of Brabantio's daughter according to the law, he and the
other Venetian leaders are taken aback when they learn that Brabantio's suit is
against Othello, an invaluable military leader. Brabantio recounts how he
invited the Moor to his home and says that his daughter must be under a spell
to fall in love with a man of Othello's years and fearsome black visage. Othello
defends himself: Desdemona was impressed by his stories of adventures and
exploits, but her love for him involves no witchcraft. Desdemona then appears
and confirms her authentic love for the Moor. Hearing this, Brabantio disowns
his daughter and warns Othello about her capacity for deception. The Duke
decrees that Othello will leave for Cyprus and its defense against the Turks;
Iago will then escort Desdemona there to live with Othello as his lawful wife.
On the side, Iago assures Roderigo that his scheme against Othello will leave
Desdemona free to marry him, and he directs Roderigo to await further
instruction and gather money to advance an emerging scheme against the Moor. On
stage alone, Iago reiterates "I hate the Moor," and then targets Cassio,
"a proper man" as an instrument through which he will gain his
revenge against Othello.
Act II
Scene i Now at the seaport of Cyprus
(where the remainder of the play takes place), local officials report that a
great storm has wracked the Turkish fleet. Cassio appears with further news:
the Turks have been defeated but Othello's command ship may also have gone
down. Iago arrives with Desdemona and his own wife, Emilia. When Othello
arrives unscathed, he is given a fond welcome by all, but after the rest leave,
Iago takes Roderigo aside and tells him that Othello's trusted lieutenant,
Cassio, is in love with Desdemona. Iago takes Roderigo deeper into his
machinations; while Cassio heads the guard that night, Roderigo will attack him
so that, if Cassio reacts and leave his post, he may be charged with fighting
on duty. This, Iago notes, would eliminate Cassio as Roderigo's other rival for
Desdemona. After Roderigo agrees to this assignment, Iago remains alone on
stage and tells us that he will corrupt Othello's mind against Cassio and
Desdemona.
Scene ii: A one speech scene in which a
herald announces that Othello, as the new governor of Cyprus, has proclaimed a
holiday, a feast in celebration of his marriage to Desdemona and the Venetian
victory over the Turks
Scene iii: At the citadel of Cyprus,
Othello, Desdemona and Cassio speak with each other, the Moor ironically
commenting upon the "honesty" of Iago. Iago then arrives and
encourages Cassio to join in the festive night's drinking, but Cassio says that
only a little wine will make him drunk and unfit to supervise the watch. Iago
cajoles him into drinking just "one cup" to the health of his general
and Desdemona, and Cassio gets drunk before leaving for his duties. Iago
dispatches Roderigo after Cassio to provoke a fight. When Othello appears he
finds his second in command in complete disorder and dismisses Cassio from his
post. Dismayed about his loss of honor and reputation, Cassio is consoled by
Iago. The villain tells Cassio that he may be restored to his office if he
persuades Desdemona to speak on his behalf to her husband Othello. The scene
ends with Iago remaining on stage to tell us that when Desdemona shows her
interest in Cassio's plight, this will advance his plan of making Othello
uncontrollably jealous of his former lieutenant. Roderigo appears and Iago
selectively tells him of the scheme ahead.
Act III
Scene i In front of Othello's
headquarters, Cassio tells Iago that he has asked Iago's wife, Emilia, to
approach Desdemona and to procure his access to Othello's wife. Emilia arrives
with word that Desdemona will speak with Othello on Cassio's behalf and that
she will meet with Cassio soon.
Scene ii: Still at the citadel, Othello
instructs his new second in command, Iago, about the status of Cyprus' fortifications.
Scene iii: The famous
"corruption" scene of the play takes place in the citadel's garden
and pivots upon the skillful manner in which Iago insinuates that Cassio and
Desdemona are having an affair. After Desdemona assures Cassio that she will
try with all of her knowledge of husband to persuade Othello to reinstate
Cassio, Othello and Iago enter while Cassio leaves without a word. Iago then
subtly intimates that Cassio's rapid departure after being alone with Desdemona
may mean that something untoward has been going on between them. Nevertheless,
when Desdemona asks Othello to reinstate Cassio, he agrees to do so for her
sake. But after she exits, Iago initiates a series of seemingly innocent
questions concerning Cassio, implying his own muted suspicions about the
lieutenant while seeking to stir up the seeds of jealousy in Othello's mind. At
one point, Othello reacts negatively to this line of suggestion, forcefully
demanding that Iago give him "ocular proof" that Desdemona and Cassio
are having an affair behind his back. At this juncture, however, Iago takes
advantage of a simple mishap: Desdemona has lost a handkerchief given to her by
Othello, and Iago's wife has found it. In what follows, Iago will plant this
handkerchief in Cassio's quarters, using it as proof that the young lieutenant
has been having a sexual affair with Othello's wife. At this point, Iago tells
Othello that he has seen Cassio wipe his brow with the same handkerchief that
the Moor gave to Desdemona. Faced with this proof, Othello is mad with rage and
vows vengeance against Cassio and Desdemona while Iago pledges his assistance,
saying that he will kill Cassio himself.
Scene iv: Othello finds Desdemona with
Emilia and asks her to lend him the handkerchief that he gave to her, saying
that it is precious, magical cloth given to him by his own mother. Desdemona
cannot produce it (the handkerchief is under Iago's control), but she denies
that it is lost. He becomes infuriated when the innocent Desdemona then takes
up Cassio's suit again and leaves the stage in a rage. When Iago and Cassio
then appear, Desdemona tells them that Othello is not himself, that "My
lord is not my lord." Iago, knowing full well the cause of Othello's
anger, volunteers to calm Othello down. After Desdemona and Emilia leave,
Cassio's actual love interest, the courtesan Bianca appears and scolds the
lieutenant for not seeing her of late.
Act IV
Scene i In front of his headquarters,
Othello speaks with Iago, and the villain claims that he has overhead Cassio
calling Desdemona's name while asleep. By now, Othello believes everything that
Iago tells him, having become a "credulous fool, and he lapses into a
trance. Cassio then arrives, and Iago sets him up by saying that he will speak
with him later. His plan is to have Cassio talk to him about Bianca while an
eavesdropping Othello thinks Cassio is referring to Desdemona. This ploy works,
and Othello hears from Cassio directly about how "she" loves him.
When Bianca arrives in person, the gist of the conversation only incriminates
Cassio more for it seems that he has given Othello's handkerchief to Bianca,
having received it himself from Desdemona. They leave the stage and Othello
vows to kill Desdemona while Iago volunteers to be Cassio's "undertaker."
Desdemona then enters with news from Venice: Othello has been recalled there
and Cassio has been appointed to replace him as governor of Cyprus. Desdemona
is pleased by these events, but a furious Othello physically strikes her. Iago
tells the Venetian official Lodovico that Othello's brutality toward his wife
is just one expression of the Moor's troubled mind and of their troubled
marriage.
Scene ii: At his citadel, Othello talks
with Emilia, and she assures him that she has never seen any sign that
Desdemona has been an unfaithful wife to him. He nevertheless calls Desdemona
to him and proceeds to call her a whore; she is completely befuddled by all
this. Othello exits and Desdemona then explains her confusion to Emilia and her
husband, Iago. When the two women depart, Roderigo arrives. He complains that
while Iago has taken his money, he is no closer to gaining Desdemona's love
than ever. Iago tells his pawn Roderigo that because Cassio has been named
governor, Desdemona will be leaving for Venice. To prevent this, Iago proposes
that Roderigo slay Cassio, forcing Othello and Desdemona to remain on Cyprus.
Scene iii: Othello orders Desdemona to go
to bed and she obediently agrees. Emilia speaks briefly with Desdemona who says
that she loves Othello dearly but now fears him. Emilia interprets this as a
conventional abnormality, saying that all husbands are impossible.
Act V
Scene i In a public street near Othello's
citadel, Iago persuades Roderigo to murder Cassio; after his pawn exits, Iago
considers the prospect of Cassio and Roderigo killing each other, thereby
ending a dual threat to the exposure of his complex machinations. The two in
fact duel and both men are seriously wounded, with Iago stabbing Cassio from
behind in the confusion. Othello bursts upon the scene and when he hears
Cassio's cries of distress, he believes that the trusty Iago has kept his word
and done this task of revenge for him. When two government officials---Lodovico
and Gratiano---arrive, Iago pretends to be an enraged witness of Roderigo's assault
upon Cassio and then kills the wounded Roderigo before he can reveal Iago's
true role. Bianca arrives, Iago intimates that this "notable
strumpet" is somehow behind Roderigo's attack on Cassio, and takes her
into custody
Scene ii: The play's final, bloody scene
opens in the bed chambers of Othello and Desdemona as the deranged Moor battles
between his love for his beautiful young wife and his desire to murder her.
When Desdemona appears, Othello's mind is fixed upon killing her. Othello
reviews the evidence against Desdemona, including the visual proof of the
mislaid handkerchief. She pleads that Cassio can explain what has occurred, but
Othello tells her that Cassio has been slain (although Cassio has actually
survived). She begs for mercy, but Othello smothers her with a pillow. Iago's
wife, Emilia enters, and while she is there, Desdemona recovers enough to tell
her lady-in-waiting that she is the innocent victim of her husband's jealousy.
Desdemona dies and Othello tells Emilia that he has killed his wife because she
committed adultery with Cassio. Emilia defends Desdemona and Othello reveals
how Iago supplied him with evidence of her illicit love affair. Emilia is able
to piece together all of the elements: she realizes that her husband Iago is the
mastermind behind the entire vicious scheme. Othello cannot accept this, but
cannot deny it either, and he falls on his bed overwhelmed by events and their
true meaning in light of what Emilia has just disclosed about Iago. Several
officials, including Gratiano and Montano, arrive with Iago. Emilia immediately
accuses her husband of villainy, Othello runs at Iago and Iago stabs his wife,
flees, and is chased by Montano and some others. They catch him, and a wounded
Cassio also enters with Iago in chains. Othello wounds, but does not kill Iago,
lashes out at Lodovico who strips him of his governorship, and then stabs
himself to death. At the end, Lodovico standing beside the wounded Cassio tells
Iago that his part in this mayhem is plain and that he will soon be transported
to torture and execution