Lecture Notes: Othello by William Shakespeare

Overview

• Othello
  • Military general for Venice
  • Moor (from North Africa)
  • Outsider yet highly important in Venice
• Plot Summary
  • Othello marries Venetian woman Desdemona
  • Iago, an officer, secretly hates Othello and manipulates him
  • Othello, driven by jealousy, kills Desdemona
  • Iago’s plot is revealed, Othello kills himself

Act 1: Setting the Scene

• Scene: Nighttime in Venice
• Characters: Rodrigo, Iago, Othello, Desdemona, Brabantio (Desdemona's father)
  • Rodrigo loves Desdemona, upset with Iago
  • Iago reveals his hatred for Othello for passing him over for promotion
  • Iago and Rodrigo wake up Brabantio to inform him of Desdemona's secret marriage
  • Brabantio accuses Othello of witchcraft due to racial prejudice
  • Duke summoned Othello for a military mission; Desdemona supports Othello

Act 2: Cyprus

• Setting: The island of Cyprus
• Events:
  • Turkish fleet is destroyed by a storm
  • Venice’s ships arrive: Cassio, Iago, Desdemona, and Othello
  • Iago’s plot begins: gets Cassio drunk, Rodrigo fights Cassio
  • Othello demotes Cassio
  • Iago advises Cassio to seek Desdemona’s help

Act 3: Iago’s Manipulation

• Key Events:
  • Iago plants seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind about Desdemona and Cassio
  • Desdemona unknowingly loses her handkerchief, a key plot device
  • Iago fabricates evidence of Desdemona’s infidelity

Act 4: Rising Tensions

• Key Developments:
  • Othello becomes consumed by jealousy
  • Bianca unwittingly plays into Iago’s plan with the handkerchief
  • Plans to murder Desdemona and Cassio are laid
  • Othello strikes Desdemona publicly, shocking witnesses

Act 5: Tragic Conclusion

• Main Events:
  • Rodrigo and Cassio are attacked; Iago kills Rodrigo
  • Othello smothers Desdemona
  • Emilia reveals Iago’s deceit
  • Iago kills Emilia
  • Othello, realizing the truth, kills himself
  • Iago is captured, Cassio becomes governor

Resources

• For further reading, see Othello Sparknote on sparknotes.com
• Modern English translation available at No Fear Shakespeare on nfs.sparknotes.com