FULL TITLE · The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of
Venice
AUTHOR · William
Shakespeare
TYPE OF WORK · Play
GENRE · Tragedy
LANGUAGE · English
TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN · Between 1601 and 1604,
England
DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION · 1622
PUBLISHER · Thomas Walkley
Characters:
Othello - The play’s protagonist and hero.
A Christian Moor and general of the armies of Venice, Othello is an eloquent
and physically powerful figure, respected by all those around him. In spite of
his elevated status, he is nevertheless easy prey to insecurities because of
his age, his life as a soldier, and his race. He possesses a “free and open
nature,” which his ensign Iago uses to twist his love for his wife, Desdemona,
into a powerful and destructive jealousy (I.iii.381).
Desdemona - The daughter of the Venetian
senator Brabanzio. Desdemona and Othello are secretly married before the play
begins. While in many ways stereotypically pure and meek, Desdemona is also
determined and self-possessed. She is equally capable of defending her
marriage, jesting bawdily with Iago, and responding with dignity to Othello’s
incomprehensible jealousy.
Iago - Othello’s ensign (a job also
known as an ancient or standard-bearer), and the villain of the play. Iago is
twenty-eight years old. While his ostensible reason for desiring Othello’s
demise is that he has been passed over for promotion to lieutenant, Iago’s
motivations are never very clearly expressed and seem to originate in an
obsessive, almost aesthetic delight in manipulation and destruction.
Michael Cassio - Othello’s lieutenant. Cassio is
a young and inexperienced soldier, whose high position is much resented by
Iago. Truly devoted to Othello, Cassio is extremely ashamed after being
implicated in a drunken brawl on Cyprus and losing his place as lieutenant.
Iago uses Cassio’s youth, good looks, and friendship with Desdemona to play on
Othello’s insecurities about Desdemona’s fidelity.
Emilia - Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant. A cynical,
worldly woman, she is deeply attached to her mistress and distrustful of her
husband.
Roderigo - A jealous suitor of Desdemona. Young, rich, and
foolish, Roderigo is convinced that if he gives Iago all of his money, Iago
will help him win Desdemona’s hand. Repeatedly frustrated as Othello marries
Desdemona and then takes her to Cyprus, Roderigo is ultimately desperate enough
to agree to help Iago kill Cassio after Iago points out that Cassio is another
potential rival for Desdemona.
Bianca - A courtesan, or prostitute, in Cyprus. Bianca’s
favorite customer is Cassio, who teases her with promises of marriage.
Brabanzio - Desdemona’s father, a somewhat blustering and
self-important Venetian senator. As a friend of Othello, Brabanzio feels
betrayed when the general marries his daughter in secret.
Duke of Venice - The official authority in
Venice, the duke has great respect for Othello as a public and military
servant. His primary role within the play is to reconcile Othello and Brabanzio
in Act I, scene iii, and then to send Othello to Cyprus.
Montano - The governor of Cyprus before Othello. We see him
first in Act II, as he recounts the status of the war and awaits the Venetian
ships.
Lodovico - One of Brabanzio’s kinsmen, Lodovico acts as a
messenger from Venice to Cyprus. He arrives in Cyprus in Act IV with letters
announcing that Othello has been replaced by Cassio as governor.
Graziano - Brabanzio’s kinsman who accompanies Lodovico to
Cyprus. Amidst the chaos of the final scene, Graziano mentions that Desdemona’s
father has died.
Clown - Othello’s servant. Although the clown appears only
in two short scenes, his appearances reflect and distort the action and words
of the main plots: his puns on the word “lie” in Act III, scene iv, for
example, anticipate Othello’s confusion of two meanings of that word in Act IV,
scene i.
this is the link to the video of the summary of the play:
this video and information is not mine
this is just a study guide
