Othello
Characters guide studies each character's role and motivation in this play.
Duke
of Venice: Introduced
to us in Act I, Scene III, he sends Othello with his wife Desdemona to
Cypress to thwart a suspected Turkish invasion there. The Duke hopes
Othello's leadership of his Venetian forces will see the Venetian's
triumphant. When Brabantio tries to have Othello punished for allegedly
seducing his daughter Desdemona with witchcraft, the Duke displays his
wisdom, learning the truth by allowing Brabantio, Othello and Desdemona to
tell their sides of the story. He later wisely tells Brabantio to accept Othello
and Desdemona's marriage, arguing Brabantio will gain a "son" in
the process. Responsible for Cassio being made Governor of Cypress (replacing
Othello), in Act IV, Scene I and for Othello being recalled from Cypress.
Brabantio: Desdemona's father and a
senator in Venice, he is initially outraged in Act I, Scene I when Iago and
Roderigo unfairly report that his fair daughter has been seduced by Othello
who must have been using "magic" to persuade her to be intimate
with him. In Act I, Scene III, Brabantio tries to petition the Duke to punish
Othello, but this fails when it is learned that Desdemona fell in love with
Othello by her own free will. Told by the Duke to accept Othello and
Desdemona's marriage, Brabantio resists, never liking Othello despite his
reputation as a soldier, which is how Othello is readily accepted and
respected by the Duke and others...
Gratiano: Brother to Brabantio, we see
little of him, except largely in Act V, Scene I, when he discovers with
Lodovico, the wounded Cassio, thought to have been wounded by Roderigo when
we later learn it was really Iago who stabbed him.
Lodovico: Kinsman to Brabantio, and very
active in Act V, Scenes I and II, he discovers the wounded Cassio along with
Gratiano and is scolded with Gratiano by Iago for not doing more to help
Cassio when both men are still unaware that Iago wounded Cassio, not
Roderigo.
In
Act V, Scene II, Lodovico criticizes Othello for murdering his wife Desdemona
and falling from grace to act like a common slave not the respected man he
once was. Additionally, Lodovico plays an active role in the discovery
process of Iago's treachery, by finding on the dead Roderigo a note
indicating Cassio was to be killed, learning that Othello killed Desdemona,
discovering Othello's and Iago's plot to kill Cassio and finally learning the
sad story of how Othello's handkerchief was used by Iago to manipulate
Othello into believing his wife was unfaithful which led to her death as well
as Iago's wife, Emilia.
Responsible
by nature, he seizes control of events in the final scene, taking Othello's
sword from him after he wounds Iago and later places Cassio in charge of the
evil Iago while he heads abroad to recount the sad events that have happened
in Cypress.
Othello: A noble "Moor", in
the service of the Venetian State, Othello is introduced to us in the very
first scene by the term "Moor", when Iago complains that Othello
has made Cassio his lieutenant and not him. We also learn from Iago that
Othello has a relationship with the fair Desdemona. Respected by the Duke of
Venice, who is the first to address him by name (Othello in Act I, Scene III)
and who sends for him when Cypress is threatened by Turkish forces, Othello
is continuously described by his critics (Brabantio, Iago) as a
"Moor" a reference to his dark skinned appearance and a reference
to the race of Muslim peoples of north-western Africa to which Othello
belongs.
Though
made Governor of Cypress in Act I, Scene III, Othello's fortunes rapidly
change for the worst as Iago succeeds in making Othello believe his loyal
wife is having an affair with his lieutenant Cassio, a belief that leads to
Othello killing his loyal, loving wife and later himself when he realizes
that he was wrong and merely tricked by Iago.
Tactful
and wise, Othello does not fight Brabantio when he accuses him of bewitching
his daughter in Act I. Instead he offers no resistance and speaks with
Brabantio before the Duke where Othello with Desdemona's testimony, proves
his marriage is one made of love not witchcraft. Polite and courteous, he
addresses the Duke and company in Act I as "My very noble and approv'd
good masters," (Act I, Scene III, Line 77).
Nonetheless
he allows the threat to his pride that Desdemona's infidelity would
represent, to allow him to trust Iago on some very circumstantial evidence
(Iago saying Cassio boasted of sleeping with Desdemona, Cassio having
Desdemona's handkerchief and Cassio talking about a woman Othello does not
realize is Bianca) which leads to his murdering his wife, to prevent her
abusing other men when we really know it is to avenge his own pride.
Ultimately
Othello realizes this but too late after killing his loving and trusting
wife. Othello does stab Iago in revenge but Iago lives, whilst Othello does
not, committing suicide shortly after realizing he misplaced his trust in
Iago when he should have trusted his wife.
In
addition to losing his life, Othello also loses his reputation in Act V, when
Lodovico scolds Othello for acting like a common slave, when until recently
he was so much more, a man well respected by the Duke of Venice amongst
others. A tragic figure, Othello allowed his misplaced trust (in Iago's
honesty) and his pride to undo all that he had...
Cassio: Othello's friend, Cassio was
made Othello's lieutenant rather than Iago who expected the appointment.
Disrespectfully described by Iago as lacking real "battlefield"
experience, Cassio is instead a schooled soldier, not one who learned his
craft on the front-line as Iago has. Deeply admiring of Othello's wife Desdemona,
it is this admiration that Iago uses to suggest he is having an affair with
Desdemona, leading to her death and indirectly that of Emilia and Othello as
well.
Through
the course of this tragedy, Cassio's fortunes change considerably. In Act I,
he is Othello's loyal and trusted lieutenant. In Act II, he is Othello's
loyal friend in Cypress and respectful admirer of Desdemona but in Act II,
Scene III, is manipulated to fight Roderigo, hitting him and Montano, and
consequently losing his position as Othello's "lieutenant".
In
Act III, Iago is Othello's remorseful friend who hopes Desdemona's good words
will reinstate him, unaware that they merely implicate him in Iago's plan to
make him look like Desdemona's lover and Cassio also reveals himself to be a
neglectful boyfriend to his mistress Bianca.
In
Act IV, Cassio is manipulated into talking about his girlfriend Bianca,
unaware that Othello, hiding nearby assumes his hand gestures are
descriptions of Desdemona.
Finally
in Act V, Cassio first fights off an ambush by an Iago manipulated Roderigo,
then is stabbed by Iago in the dark to later outlive Othello, Desdemona and
Emilia and be placed in charge of the now exposed and captive Iago.
Iago: Othello's ancient, a position
below lieutenant. Perhaps Shakespeare's most evil figure, not for his
treachery which is arguably surpassed by Macbeth (who kills his king in his
sleep while staying at his castle as a trusting guest), but for the manner in
which he effortlessly manipulates all those around him to do his bidding (kill
Cassio, destroy Othello, discredit Desdemona's virtue) by taking advantage of
their trust and using his victim's own motivations (Roderigo's desire for
Desdemona, Cassio's desire to be reinstated) and weaknesses (Othello's pride,
Cassio's impaired judgment whilst drunk), to achieve his ends.
Though
Iago does kill when he stabs and murders Roderigo, he created most of his
devastation through the use of others who unwittingly follow their own agenda
which Iago subverts to achieve a web of events which succeeds in making
Cassio first lose his position as Othello's lieutenant, then petition
Desdemona to be reinstated which allows Iago to suggest Desdemona's adultery
and later to motivate Roderigo to kill him (Cassio).
Iago's
character is complex, but in Act I, Scene I, where he describes his disgust
at being overlooked for Othello's lieutenant, we can see that a primary
motivation for Iago's skillful manipulations was revenge and anger; revenge
for Cassio replacing him, anger that Othello overlooked him. Thus it can be
seen that Iago's manipulations are driven by a basic desire to avenge those
who hurt him but also to gain what he believes is his, indeed Iago's
suggestion that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair earns Iago
Othello's trust and the position as his lieutenant in Act III, Scene III.
However
being made lieutenant only satisfies his pride, his continuing with his plan
to discredit Desdemona shows us that it is not enough for Iago to have what
he believes is his, he must punish Othello for overlooking him in the first
place by making Othello disbelieve and destroy his virtuous wife...
Iago
is pragmatic. We see this in the
manner in which he uses opportunity to aid his plan to hurt Cassio and
Othello. When Iago realizes Cassio's admiration of Desdemona, he immediately
formulates a plan to use this to make Othello suspect adultery.
Though
Iago appears to have the goal of misery for Othello and Cassio, he does not
appear to have a specific detailed plan, he continually refers to using
insights he makes about Cassio, Othello, Roderigo and Desdemona to further
his plan in his asides in the play.
Iago's
pragmatism is also evident in his use of Roderigo. He uses this well-healed
(wealthy) Venetian for money by promising to forward gifts on to Desdemona he
instead uses for his own ends.
However
when Roderigo suspects this in Act V, he plots to have Roderigo kill Cassio
since if Cassio wins, he still wins by having Roderigo eliminated. Ultimately
this fails, so Iago kills Roderigo himself.
Cunning
in the extreme, Iago nearly gets away with his plan; Othello does kill
Desdemona, Iago is made lieutenant, but Cassio despite his attack in Act V,
lives and he (Iago) is eventually caught and exposed.
If
Iago has an Achilles heal, it was his wife Emilia, who despite threats and
orders from Iago, revealed to all Iago's treachery by declaring Desdemona's
innocence and explaining how she found Desdemona's handkerchief, passing it
on to Iago... For this Iago shows his total ruthlessness by killing Emilia
and escaping, only to be later caught.
Though
Iago appears to be managing everyone else's insecurities to his personal
advantage, Iago does indeed have his own insecurities, lending credibility to
his character since no man is immune from insecurity or indeed misjudgment.
Iago
shows his insecurity by his need to be made lieutenant, which reveals his own
desire to reach a status he seems to need to be comfortable.
Likewise,
in Act II, Scene I, when Iago reveals that he suspects Othello is having an
affair with his wife Emilia as a peripheral motivation for manipulating
Othello, he again shows his insecurity, one which he uses in Othello against
Desdemona.
Iago's
great misjudgment of course is of his own wife. She stands up to him to
defend Desdemona despite all the risks it entails, unraveling Iago's web of
manipulation.
At
the end of the play, Iago differs from many of Shakespeare's villains in that
he is left standing, if guarded; most villains in Shakespeare's plays tend to
die at the hands of those they oppressed in a recurring theme of restoration
of order. Iago by contrast does not die, we can only speculate that his
future will be miserable...
Roderigo: A wealthy Venetian gentleman,
Roderigo pays Iago to keep him informed of Desdemona's activities since he
hopes to one day marry her. Trusting of Iago, he nonetheless questions Iago
repetitively on his loyalty to him in Act I, and later on what has happened
to gifts given to him to pass on to Desdemona in Act V.
Nonetheless
he listens to Iago's calls not to give up when he learns of Desdemona's
marriage, unaware he is being led on a fool's quest to simply finance Iago.
Lured by Iago to fight Cassio twice (First in Act II, Scene III and later in
Act V, Scene I), Roderigo is ultimately killed by Iago.
Montano: Othello's predecessor in the
Government of Cyprus, Montano deeply respects Othello. Nonetheless Montano is
trusting and easily manipulated since he readily believes Iago's assertions
that Cassio, Othello's "lieutenant" has a drinking problem.
A
victim of Roderigo and Cassio's first fight, he is wounded trying to break up
the fight, a contributing factor to Othello demoting Cassio.
Clown: Servant to Othello, he mocks
the musicians, Cassio had arranged to play before the castle in an effort to
appease Othello in Act III, Scene I.
The
Clown mocks the Cyprian Musician's instruments, wondering aloud if they are
"wind instruments?" (Line 6) before Cassio pays him relay a message
to Emilia to come and talk to Cassio which she does, revealing Othello and
Desdemona have discussed him, Othello wanting to reinstate Cassio as his
lieutenant but being prevented by Cassio's infamy on Cypress from his fight
with Roderigo.
Desdemona: Daughter to Brabantio and wife to
Othello, Desdemona is continuously distrusted by those who should love and
trust her most. First in Act I, her father Brabantio refuses to believe she
could love Othello without Othello using witchcraft.
Later
Othello, her husband ignores her pleas of innocence to the accusation of
infidelity by Othello. Loving and loyal right to the end, she refuses to tell
Emilia that Othello killed her since she does not want her love to suffer
even when he killed her...
Well
meaning, she helps Cassio by trying to speak of his demotion to Othello but
this earns her Othello's wrath since he sees it as proof that she is having
an affair with Cassio because she is concerned for his welfare.
Naive
to some extent, she finds it impossible to believe a woman could be
unfaithful, Emilia contrasting with her belief that such people do exist
since in the right circumstances she herself, would commit adultery.
Emilia: Wife to Iago and not
particularly loved by Iago, Emilia could be argued to be a major seed in
Iago's downfall. Though introduced in Act II, Scene I (Lines 96-108) in less
than respectful tones by Iago, Emilia is trusted as a friend by Desdemona.
Nonetheless she is loyal to Iago, giving Desdemona's handkerchief to Iago
instead of back to Desdemona.
Emilia's
greatest character development occurs in Act IV, Scene II, where she declares
that she would be unfaithful in the right circumstances, revealing
considerably less naivety than Desdemona who barely believes adulterous
people exist.
As
Desdemona's confidante, she ironically and unwittingly reveals the source of
Othello's anger when she says that Othello has obviously been tricked into
believing Desdemona would be unfaithful by an evil man (Iago but not named).
In
Act V, Scene II, Emilia reveals her true loyalties however by refusing to be
dismissed by Iago when she reveals that she gave Iago Desdemona's
handkerchief, a revelation that proves Desdemona was not unfaithful. For
this, Emilia is stabbed by her husband, dying whilst singing the "Willow
Song", a song told to her by Desdemona..
Bianca: Mistress to Cassio, Bianca
plays a limited but significant role in this play. As Cassio's neglected
girlfriend, she is given Desdemona's handkerchief to copy by Cassio, only
later to return it angrily back to Cassio, which a hiding Othello takes as
proof that Cassio has Desdemona's handkerchief proving that Desdemona was
unfaithful to him.
Bianca
is later implicated in Cassio's wounding by Iago even though she is innocent
and it was Iago who in the dark stabbed Cassio.
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