Roderigo To Desdemona To Cassio To Othello example essay topic

^OTHELLO: ACT I Shakespeare's story of jealousy, betrayal, and murder begins on a street in Venice in the middle of the night. Roderigo has just learned that Desdemona, the woman he loves, has eloped with Othello, a Moorish general hired to lead the Venetian army against the Turks. Roderigo is angry at Iago, the young Venetian he's been paying to play "matchmaker-" for him and Desdemona. But Iago has other problems.

He's furious with Othello for having chosen Michael Cassio as his Lieutenant instead of himself, who has served loyally as Othello's ensign. Iago hides an evil nature under a mask of honesty, and he delights in the suffering of others. With his jealousy as a partial excuse, he sets out to arrange Othello's downfall. Roderigo and Iago awaken Brabantio, a Venetian Senator and Desdemona " father, to tell him that his daughter has run off with Othello. Despite the respect Brabantio has for Othello as soldier, he is suspicious of him personally because he is a foreigner. Iago convinces Brabantio that Othello seduced Desdemona using charms and spells.

Iago finds Othello at the inn where he and Desdemona are spending their honeymoon. Iago warns him that Brabantio's angry, but Othello feels he has done no wrong. A group of men, led by Cassio, arrives to summon Othello to the Senate for an emergency war council. Immediately following, Brabantio arrives with his supporters to put Othello in prison. Othello calmly suggests that they all go to the Senate and let the Duke decide who is in the right.

In the Senate chambers, Othello explains how he and Desdemona fell in love: as he told her of his adventures throughout the world, she listened with awe and sympathy. Their mutual attraction was undeniable, and it happened without charms or potions. Desdemona is sent for, and she not only confirms Othello's story but pledges her love for him. Brabantio, seeing that he's defeated, is devastated.

Othello is sent to Cyprus to fight the Turks. Desdemona will join him there, accompanied by Iago and his wife, Emilia. Meanwhile, Iago formulates a plan capitalizing on Othello " 's open and trusting nature and Cassio's good looks. The details of the plan are still tentative, but Iago " 's objectives are firm: to see Othello ruined and to win Cassio's job as lieutenant. OTHELLO: ACT Inthe war ends suddenly and unexpectedly when the Turkish fleet retreats, overpowered by a storm. Othello arrives and is joyfully reunited with Desdemona.

The Moor calls for a celebration in honor of his marriage andthe end of the war. That night, Iago urges Roderigo (who has come to Cyprus in the hopes of winning Desdemona after all) to pick a fight with Cassio and get the young lieutenant in so much trouble that he will lose his job. Iago gets Cassio drunk, Roderigo starts an argument that leads to a sword fight, and Montano, the retiring governor of Cyprus, is injured trying to stop the brawl. Othello is awakened by the ruckus and promptly fires Cassio.

The humiliated lieutenant is encouraged by Iago's advice to approach Desdemona and beg for his job. Cassio doesn't realize that this is all part of Iago's plan. OTHELLO: ACT Cassiogoes to Desdemona, who promises to help. Seeing them together, Othello-prompted by Iago-feels the stirrings of jealousy. When Desdemona asks her husband to give back Cassio's job, Iago quickly points out to Othello that her behavior is indeed suspicious. Othello demands that Iago prove his insinuations regardingCassio and Desdemona.

Unfortunately for her, Desdemona has dropped the handkerchief given to her by Othello. Iago "plants" the handkerchief in Cassio's room and cites it as the "proof" Othello demands. Cassio, suspecting nothing, gives the handkerchief to Bianca, his mistress. Meanwhile, Iago tells Othello that he has seen the handkerchief in Cassio's hands.

When Othello asks Desdemona to show him the handkerchief, she lies and says she still has it, but can't show it to him. Othello, convinced of her guilt, resolves that she and Cassio will die. OTHELLO: ACT IV Though a lot has happened, Iago has just begun. He arranges for Othello to eavesdrop as he maneuvers Cassio into talking about Bianca's love for him. Othello thinks he " 's referring to Desdemona. In a fury, Othello vows to strangle Desdemona that very night.

He asks Iago to kill Cassio. Lodovico, a relative of Desdemona, arrives from Venice. He brings a letter from the Venetian Senate asking Othello to return to Venice, and giving Cassio control of Cyprus. Desdemona is delighted by the news, and Othello, thinking her joy is for Cassio, hits her in front of their guests.

That night, Othello tries to pressure Emilia into admitting that Desdemona has cheated on him, but Emilia swears that her mistress is pure and innocent. Othello refuses to believe her. Iago persuades Roderigo that killing Cassio is the best way for him tow in Desdemona. With premonitions of death on her mind, Desdemona prepares for bed. OTHELLO: ACT V Roderigo attacks Cassio, but only wounds him. Cassio, in turn, manages to wound Roderigo, and Iago, hidden in the dark, stabs Cassio in the leg.

Cassio's cries bring Lodovico and others running from their rooms. Cassio identifies Roderigo as his attacker, and Iago, pretending to avenge the lieutenant, kills Roderigo to prevent him from confessing their plot. In Desdemona's bedroom, Othello look sat her sleeping figure with a combination of love and hate. She awakens, and he announces his intention to kill her for her acts of adultery. Desdemona protests that she is innocent, but Othello smothers her, certain that the murder is an act of justice. Emilia comes in with news of Roderigo's death.

Othello admits to having killed Desdemona, but says he had to because she was unfaithful. The grief-stricken Emilia protests, until Othello tells her Iago told him of Desdemona's affair with Cassio. Emilia cries out, and Lodovico, Iago, and others come running. When Othello cites the handkerchief as proof of his wife's infidelity, Emilia finally realizes that her husband's evil.

Iago kills her to protect himself, then makes a run for it. Montano and Gratia no rush out to chase Iago, and when they return with the unrepentant villain, Othello tries to stab him. He only wounds him, though, and Lodovico orders Othello's sword be taken from him. Lodovico tells of letters found in Roderigo " 's pocket linking Iago with the conspiracy to kill Cassio. With his last words, Roderigo also accuses Iago. After bidding those around him to remember him as "one that loved not wisely, but too well", Othello stabs himself with a dagger he had hidden in his cloak.

Kissing Desdemona, he dies. Lodovico takes charge, orderingCassio to govern Cyprus and sentencing Iago to death. OTHELLO: OTHELLO Shakespeare " 's tragic hero is a strong, powerful, dignified Moor. He has come to Venice as a soldier-of-fortune, hired by the state to help Venice win their war against the Turks.

He spends nine months in Venice, where his leadership and kindness have made him a popular general. Although born a pagan (a non-Christian) he has converted to Christianity. While in Venice, he spends many evenings in the home of Brabantio, a Venetian Senator. He entertains Brabantio and his guests with stories of his travels around the world.

He tells marvelous and exotic tales of strange people with fantastic customs and unusual appearances. His stories attract the attention ofBrabantio's beautiful daughter, Desdemona, who listens to his words with such eagerness and sympathy tha the falls in love with her. She returns his love, and they elope, knowing that Brabantio would disapprove of his daughter marrying an older man of another race, class, and country. To hear Othello's story up until the elopement with Desdemona is almost to hear a fairy tale-the story of a handsome warrior sweeping beautiful young princess off her feet, away from the clutches of her possessive father, and on to happiness. One reader has said that it's almost as if Othello has appeared from wonderland; his stories of his past are that rich and magical.

Shakespeare, however, has made Othello a human being, not a character from a fairytale. Unlike other Shakespearean tragic heroes, Othello is not a prince or a king, although he is descended from "men of royal siege" (rank). In Venice he is seen as a professional soldier, a fine and courageous one, but still a hired general. By placing him closer to the common man, Shakespeare makes Othello easier to identify with, more sympathetic. His story could be our story, and his faults our faults.

Othello's good qualities easily outweigh the bad. We know he's powerful, brave, and authoritative; the respect given to him by the Venetian Senate tells us that. He's also gentle and romantic. The story he tells of courting Desdemona is richard poetic, and his early scenes with his wife show him full of love and devotion.

Cassio's loyalty to him shows that Othello is well-liked by his soldiers. When Cassio feels he has lost Othello's respect, he is broken-hearted. There are also qualities about Othello that have a good side and a bad side. One of these is his open and trusting nature.

Othello believes that others are honest and sincere until he has proof that they " re not. This open-hearted love of his fellow man makes Othello an attractive and generous friend. But it also leaves him susceptible to Iago's scheming; Iago knows his plan will work because Othello trusts him and has no reason to suspect that his loyal ensign would scheme against him. Othello is also naive, particularly about women.

He says: For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith Tiff now some nine moons wasted, they have used Their dearest action in the tented field; Act I, Scene, lines 83-86 Having spent most of his life in army camps, Othello knows little of women and love. This naivete has charm in the first act, where the strong and powerful general admits to being a shy and cautious lover. In the third act, however, Othello's inexperience allows Iago to convince him that he doesn't understand Venetian women, that they are known for cheating on their husbands. As a professional soldier, Othello has gained a strong reputation.

The discipline he has learned has earned him the respect of the Venetians, who badly need his help. When he fires Cassio, it's to make an example of him to the rest of the soldiers. And he refuses to reinstate him as a matter of principle. Sadly, it is this strict code of honor-both military and private-that forces Othello to kill Desdemona.

When aman's honor is lost, according to this code, he must win it back. For Othello, this means Desdemona's death, which he sees as an act of justice, not of revenge. As painful as it is for him, he doesn't see that he has a choice. He is a soldier, trained to live by the rules. The last of these "double-edged" virtues is Othello " powerful poetic imagination. The stories he weaves for Desdemona are rich and impressive.

As Othello retells the story of his courtship in the Senate office, the Duke is so struck that he understands how his daughter was won by such stories. Othello can weave magic with his tales and transform the truth into poetry. Yet this rich imagination has a handicap: it makes Othello vulnerable to Iago's stories of Desdemona's infidelities. Othello " 's imagination runs wild with Iago's invented details and "proofs".

The most common view of Othello's "tragic flaw" is that he's a jealous person who allows jealousy to prevail over good sense. But is jealousy Othello " problem Or is he, as he says, a man who is not easily made jealous Is this the tragedy of a man not jealousy nature, who is made jealous by the cruel manipulations of Iago Read Act, Scene carefully, and judge for yourself whether Othello is by nature jealous. Othello is also a passionate man, and this makes him exciting. But he admits that he has a fiery temper (Act II, Scene, lines 207-212). Iago capitalizes on Othello " 's excitability. Once Iago has convinced the Moor that Desdemona's having an affair with Cassio, Othello moves to his deadly revenge quickly and single-mindedly.

Always remember that Othello is a stranger. Despite his strength and pride, he is never completely at home, and is constantly aware that others consider him a foreigner. OTHELLO: IAGO What is Iago's motivation in ruining Othello's life This question has puzzled readers and scholars for centuries. Iago is a fascinating, complex character who can't be analyzed in simple terms. Like many people you meet, Iago can be mysterious and baffling. Just when you think you understand him, he does or says something completely mystifying.

Shakespeare was obviously fascinated bythe man-he gave Iago more lines than any other character in his work-more than Hamlet, King Lear, or Othello. Here are some of the facts we know about Iago: He is a 28-year-old Venetian who is Othello's"ancient" or "ensign", a comparatively low-ranked commissioned officer. He seems to have no history of dirty deeds; in fact, almost every character in the play calls him "honest". (The word is applied to Iago 15 times inthe play.) He's married to Emilia, a salty outspoken woman; they seem to tolerate each other. If theirs was love match, we " re never told, and it's difficult to guess. Let's look at some possibilities that might explainingIago's behavior.

1. He loves evil for evil's sake. Some characters in Elizabethan drama are just thoroughly bad; they were born that way. From this point of view, Iago needs no motive. He simply loves to see people suffer. 2.

He is motivated by jealousy. In the play he expresses openly his jealousy of Cassio and Othello. He is jealous of Cassio's job and of Othello's success as a soldier and with Desdemona. 3.

He is seeking revenge. The rumors that Othello has slept with Emilia and the possibility that Cassio has also slept with her hurt Iago " 's pride and make him want to see both men ruined. 4. He is motivated by a force he simply doesn't understand. The reasons he offers throughout the play are often contradictory. Iago snatches at whatever excuse he can to justify his horrible behavior.

As you look over the text, try to decide which of these (or other) reasons explain Iago. Remember that his motives may overlap. If there were a simple way to explain Iago, he wouldn't be the intriguing character that has appalled and thrilled audiences for hundreds of years. Iago does have qualities on which everyone can agree. Here are some of them: 1. He is a wonderful actor.

For years, he has fooled everyone into thinking he's honest. Even if Emilia suspects him of being a rascal, she has no idea that he " 's truly evil. You " ve seen newspaper reports about the mild-mannered person who suddenly is discovered to be amass murderer; neighbors who are interviewed often say, "He was the nicest person, so polite and friendly! Ican't believe he was capable of such a crime!" Friends of Iago would have said the same thing about him. 2. He is amoral.

An amoral person has no moral standards at all. Iago never thinks twice about his behavior. He plunges ahead without a twinge of guilt or regret. Even when the innocent Desdemona becomes a victim of the plot, Iago has no pangs of conscience.

He moves to satisfy himself, no matter who suffers. And he goes to his death without a word of regret! 3. He is highly intelligent. Iago plots his actions knowing how everyone will respond. His insight into the behavior of others is practically perfect; he can adapt himself to the personality of whoever he is with-from Roderigo to Desdemona to Cassio to Othello, knowing just how to "play" him or her.

Ironically, the one person he misreads is Emilia; he doesn't suspect her loyalty to Desdemona outweighs her feelings for him. 4. He is an egotist. His opinion of everyone except himself is very low. He laughs at Othello " trusting nature, thinks Roderigo is a gullible fool, treats Emilia as a shrew, and scorns Cassio's honest virtues. The only person he respects is himself, and everything he does in the play is for the satisfaction of his owne go.

5. He is a cynic. He shows contempt for all conventional standards of decency. He is loyal only when it serves his own needs.

He delights in dishonesty. He doesn't believe in romantic love, attributing it to a sexual itch. His opinion of the human race is so low that he allows innocent people to die without a word of regret. 6. He is extremely proud. Suspicions that Othello has slept with Emilia eat away at him.

Othello's appointment of Cassio makes him furious. Iago sees anything that threatens his self-esteem as a personal insult, which must be avenged. He isn't angered by the thought of Othello in bed with Emilia because he loves her, but because another man has gotten the best of him! Villains in literature are always a source of scary fun.

Shakespeare, fortunately, has created in Iago more than just a villain. Iago is a complex character who combines enormous intelligence with an impulse to see others suffer. We may get a vicarious thrill as we watch him operate, but feel a great sense of relief when justice is finally served. OTHELLO: DESDEMONA As a young Venetian woman, Desdemona has lived a sheltered life in her father's home.

She falls in love, probably for the first time, with a man several years older than herself, from a faraway land, and of a different race. She " 's captivated by the man's stories and wishes she were a man so that she might also have an exciting life. Knowing that her father would disapprove of her marriage to such a man, she elopes with Othello and goes with him to the war zone. Desdemona's portrait is that of a lovely, courageous, gentle woman, deeply in love with her husband. Is she a perfect character, free from flaws Most Elizabethans wouldn't have thought so.

They would have seen her as disobedient and disrespectful. A nice young lady simply didn't marry behind herfather's back. They would have shared Brabantio's disapproval of her marriage to a man of a different class, age, and race. And when Desdemona pleads with Othello to reinstate Cassio, Elizabethans would have considered her a pushy, interfering wife. This is not to say that Shakespeare's audiences weren't moved byDesdemona's death. It's just that their opinion of her was influenced by social customs no longer current.

Today, her behavior toward Brabantio, though perhaps insensitive, is forgivable; her begging Othello, even if it comes close to nagging, is hardly a major flaw. If Iago represents evil in the world, Desdemona may represent the good that evil often destroys. She is guilty only of loving her husband too much. She has no defense against his terrible accusations because she is young and inexperienced. There's been no room in her cloistered world for the kind of thoughts Othello thinks she is hiding.

She doesn't even believe that there are women who are unfaithful to their husbands! If you look at what other characters say about Desdemona, you " ll find that everyone praises her innocence, her goodness, her generosity. She risks her husband's anger because she promised Cassio she would help him. Desdemona inspires such devotion in Emilia that she is prepared to die for her.

Even on her deathbed, she won't betray her husband. Rather than have him accused ofthe murder, she takes responsibility for it. Is Desdemona a believable character Is there anyone who can beso self-sacrificing Shakespeare is careful to give her a few minor flaws-her treatment of Brabantio, her stubborn persistence about Cassio, her lie about the handkerchief-to make her realistic. But our overall impression of her is highly favorable, it's her very innocence that makes her a victim of circumstance. How could such a person know about or prepare herself for the likes of Iago OTHELLO: CASSIO Cassio is an attractive, likeable young man who seems to be a good choice for Othello's lieutenant. He's loyalty Othello, and is crushed when he errs and Othello fires him.

It is partly Cassio's determination to make things right with Othello that allows Iago to succeed: Cassio tries to win Othello's favor by going through Desdemona; it's this friendship Iago misrepresents to Othello. Cassio has many youthful faults: he's rash, impatient, and not very serious about his relationship with Bianca. He also can't handle his liquor. Yet the offenses Iago suspects him of-sleeping with Emilia, having an affair with Desdemona-are all in Iago's mind. The innocent Cassio almost becomes a victim of Iago's treachery. Roderigo and Iago almost succeed in killing him.

At the end ofthe play, however, Cassio is awarded control of Cyprus, and we believe that the island is in good hands. His survival tells us that order and decency will survive, despite the price that has been paid. OTHELLO: EMILIA It's astonishing how quickly our opinion of Emilia changes. When she first appears, she seems little more than coarse, hard-edged, and world-weary.

Her opinion of men is very low-after all, she says, it's owing to men's faults that women cheat on them as much as they do. We " re also distressed when Emilia findsDesdemona's handkerchief and doesn't return it to her. She's merely following Iago's instructions, and can " know what he has in mind, but still, she's being dishonest. However, she redeems herself when she discovers Desdemona near death. Emilia's grief and her willingness to die for the truth tell you that her rough exterior has hidden a good and generous heart (at least where Desdemona is concerned). As one critic said aboutEmilia's last moments: "If she lived forever she never could soar a higher pitch, and nothing in her life became her like the losing it".

OTHELLO: RODERIGO Does Roderigo fall into Othello's clutches becausehe's foolish or because he's unlucky This is a difficult question to answer. All we know of Roderigo's past isth at Desdemona rejected him when he tried to court her. There's no question that Roderigo makes some stupid assumptions: 1) that he can "buy" Desdemona; 2) that she is having an affair with Cassio just because Iago tells him it is true; 3) that killing Cassio will make Desdemona turn to him for love. We watch Roderigo with amazement. We wonder when he's going to realize that Desdemona doesn't love him and never will.

But, in his defense, Roderigo may be just unlucky to have fallen into Iago's clutches. As we know, Iago is a master manipulator. He is able to deceive people who are stronger and smarter than Roderigo. And remember that Roderigo is a man in love and particularly susceptible to being fooled.

If you " ve ever had a crush on someone, you know that people in love don't always think clearly. As Iago convinces him there is hope with Desdemona, Roderigo will do anything he asks. He's that fixated on her. Do you have sympathy for Roderigo when he " skilled On one hand, he's played a role in Iago's wicked plot. On the other hand, he dies because he was fooled by someone he trusted.

Is Roderigo punished too harshly for his failure to see that Iago is wicked OTHELLO: BRABANTIO Brabantio, Desdemona's father, is a Venetian Senator. When we first meet him, he's terrified that his only child has been kidnapped by Othello and seduced with drugs and potions. When he learns that Desdemona's in love with the Moor, he's bitter and resentful. He accepts defeat, but not graciously: he won't allow Desdemona to stay in his house while Othello is in Cyprus, and he warns the Moor that Desdemona could betray her husband if she betrayed her father.

Yet Brabantio is not a villain. He " 's disappointed when his daughter marries a man so different from herself, and hurt when she does so behind his back. So wounded is he by Desdemona, that when he dies in Act V it's probably of a broken heart. OTHELLO: SETTING It's not surprising that Shakespeare chose Venice as the setting of a story filled with passion, jealousy, and sexual tension.

For the Elizabethans, the Italians were a wicked people, living lives of treachery, murder, and loose morals. When playwrights of the day wanted to portray wickedness, they often created Italian characters causing problems in England, or set the plays in Italy. Venice was particularly exciting to the English. The women there were rumored to be very beautiful, and very interested in making love. Venetian men were considered hot-tempered, aggressive, and easily jealous. An Elizabethan audience watching Othello would have been highly suspicious of Desdemona and her behavior.

Running off to get married behind your father's back was simply not done. Because Desdemona was Venetian, however, audiences wouldn't have been too surprised. As for Iago, he probably represented the kind of villain Elizabethans thought ran rampant throughout Italy! One interesting note is that the name Iago is Spanish. (The Italian form is Giacomo.) Shakespeare gave his most evil character a Spanish name, probably because Spain was England's worst enemy. Italy may have been the home of romantic, exotic sin, but true evil, according tothe Elizabethans, came from Spain!

OTHELLO: THEMES The major themes of Othello are 1) appearance and reality, 2) society's treatment of the outsider; and 3) jealousy. OTHELLO: APPEARANCE AND REALITY Can we ever know the truth about a person Is it possible to know if someone is lying to us How can we discover what lies behind the words someone tells us Shakespeare was fascinated with these questions. Many of his most evil characters were thought by others in the play to be sincere and truthful. In Othello, this theme has its most potent and dramatic realization in the character of Iago.

Iago fools everyone in the play into believing he's honest. No one even suspects him of treachery, until the final act when Roderigo first realizes how badly he's been fooled. In short, Iago proves that evil intentions can be masked behind a facade of honesty. The theme emerges in other characters: Brabantio is deceived byDesdemona's reaction to Othello, assuming she fears him when she truly loves the Moor. Othello suspects thatDesdemona is unfaithful, despite her innocent looks.

Othello also feels he's being deceived by Cassio, whom he trusts and who appears loyal. Emilia's exterior suggests salty indifference, but she turns against her husband and dies in defence of Desdemona. Even Bianca, who is suspected of dishonesty, is ultimately see nas a sincere and caring woman. And Othello, considered a barbarian by many in the play, is gentle and noble until driven to near-madness by the cruel manipulations of his most trusted "friend". The inability to judge true from false is a human dilemma that we have all faced. In Othello's case, the dilemma proves fatal.

Shakespeare dramatizes the problem by showing the consequences of trusting someone whose mask of honesty is perfect, almost to the very last. OTHELLO: SOCIETY'S TREATMENT OF THE OUTSIDER Everyone has known the feeling of being alienated from a group, whether it's as the new kid at school, as a member of an ethnic or religious minority, or as someone who holds an unpopular opinion. Shakespeare points that problem in Othello by making his hero an outsider, one who doesn't quite belong inthe society in which he lives. From the very beginning, when he's held in suspicion by a man who accuses him of seducing his daughter with mysterious charms, Othello stands apart from everyone else. As a man of another race and from another country, much of the conflict he faces is due to the reigning opinion that hedoesn't quite belong. Othello's sensitivity to the issue becomes clear when Iago uses it as proof thatDesdemona couldn't be faithful to a man so foreign-such a match is "unnatural", he says.

Othello " self-confidence, once so strong, is easily eroded by Iago's ability to convince him that he's inferior to the men of Venice. Shakespeare dramatizes through Othello the tragedy of a man whose insecurities about his background, fed by public opinion, weaken his defenses and allow his worst instincts to take over. OTHELLO: JEALOUSY Othello represents how jealousy, particularly sexual jealousy, is one of the most corrupting and destructive of emotions. It is jealousy (fed by his innate sense of evil) that prompts Iago to plot Othello's downfall; jealousy, too, is the tool that Iago uses to arouse Othello's passions.

Roderigo and Bianca demonstrate jealousy at various times in the play, and Emilia demonstrates that she too knows the emotion well. Only Desdemona and Cassio, the true innocents of the story, seem beyond its clutches. Shakespeare used the theme in other plays, but nowhere else is it portrayed as quite the "green-eyed " monster it is in this play. Since it is an emotion that everyone shares, we watch its destructive influence on the characters with sympathy and horror. OTHELLO: THE SOURCE OF OTHELLO Shakespeare delighted in taking old stories, adding his own particular brand of genius, and creating something new-and better. He based Othello on a story in a collection of tales, called Hecatommithi, written in 1565 by GiraldiCinthio, an Italian.

A short synopsis of the original story gives some indication of how Shakespeare merely borrowed stories and made them his own. The heroine, called Disdemona, falls in love with a Moor. Her family agrees reluctantly to her marriage with him, and the couple lives together in Venice for awhile. The Moor (given no name) is sent to command the troops in Cyprus. The Moor and Disdemona travel there.