| Othello | A moor-outsider, dark skin, good warrior not a good speaker/ (but not really a bad speaker either-irony).Marries DesdemonaJealous of what he thinks is true of Desdemona and CassioProtagonist of the tragedy |
| Desdemona | Married to OthelloDaughter of BrabantioFaithful/ loyalHer father thinks she is too good for Othello |
| Iago | Wife is EmiliaTwo faced Dishonest/ manipulativeOnly cares about himself and his power/jobPlaying sides of Othello, Cassio, RodgerioThinks poorly of womenJealous of OthelloAntagonist of the tragedy- devises the plot to bring down Othello |
| Roderigo | Wants Desdemona, but Brabantio says she is not for himGoes to Iago for help to win DesdemonaGives all his money to Iago for helpFights Cassio when they both are drunk |
| Cassio | Othello’s former lieutenant; Florentine who has weaknesses for women and alcohol; gets fired for being drunk and losing his temper and injuring Montano.Promoted over Iago for his skill and knowledge rather than his fighting ability.Iago tells him to speak with Desdemona. Tries to get job back by asking Desdemona to talk to Othello for himIs being set up as Desdemona’s loverIago plants the handkerchief for Othello to find so he will become jealous and want to kill Cassio and Desdemona because Othello will believe that they are having an affair. |
| Emilia | Iago’s wife- mistress of DesdemonaHelps Cassio talk to Desdemona about getting his job backFinds Desdemona’s handkerchief on the ground and gives it to Iago, shows how she wants Iago to like her. |
| Bianca | Cassio’s (mistress)- lady of the night (prostitute)Skeptical of Cassio/ jealous he has not been to visit her.Suspicious of handkerchief |
| Brabantio | Father of Desdemona, Venetian Senator Does not like the idea of Desdemona and Othello together/ getting married behind his backThinks that because Desdemona betrayed him, she will also betray Othello |
| Montano | Governor of Cyprus – important political figureinjured by Cassio- set up by Iago to disgrace Cassio |
| Duke | Duke of VeniceGreat respect for OthelloCouncils for Brabantio and Othello’s disputeSends Othello to Cyprus |
| Themes | JealousyBetrayal/DisloyaltyAppearance vs Reality (deception)HonestyPrejudice Racism/SexismRevenge |
| Act 1 summary | Takes place in Venice. Iago is mad that he did not get the promotion, but Cassio did. Roderigo and Iago go and tell Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona are married. Iago warns Othello that Brabantio is “out to get him” but the Duke calls for Othello. Desdemona says that she loves Othello, Brabantio feels deceived. Everyone is moving to Cyprus because that is where the war is heading. Iago convinces Roderigo to go to Cyprus with everyone, save some money, and wait for Desdemona to be available. |
| Act 2 summary | They have won the war and are returning home but a storm splits up Cassio and Othello. They wait for Othello to return home and then celebrate. Iago tricks Cassio into getting drunk and then Roderigo starts a fight with him. Cassio badly wounds Montano and Othello dismisses him from office. Iago tells Cassio to appeal to Desdemona as she is more forgiving than Othello. |
| Act 3 summary | Cassio talks to Emilia to try and get access to Desdemona so he can try to get her to get him his job back; Iago then puts suspicion in the mind of Othello, he convinces Othello that his wife is not loyal to him and Emilia finds Desdemona’s handkerchief on the ground and gives it to Iago; Desdemona continues to try and persuade Othello that Cassio is loyal but he is just focused on Desdemona losing the handkerchief and he wants to know where it is, Cassio meets up with Bianca and he gives Othello’s handkerchief to her |
Othello Acts 1-3
September 11, 2019