Othello | Protagonist (Main character)General of Venice |
Desdemona | Wife of Othello daughter of Brabantio. |
Iago | -Foil of Othello-Liar, cheat, wants Michael Cassio’s jobHates Othello-Greatest Villain in English Lit |
Emilia | Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant. A cynical, worldly woman, she is loyal 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 enough money, Iago will help him win Desdemona’s hand. |
Bianca | A courtesan, or prostitute, in Cyprus. Bianca’s favorite customer is Cassio, who teases her with promises of marriage. |
Brabantio | Desdemona’s father, a Venetian senator. As a friend of Othello, Brabantio feels betrayed when the general marries his daughter in secret. |
Lodovico | One of Brabantio’s kinsmen (relative), Lodovico acts as a messenger from Venice to Cyprus. |
Montano | The governor of Cyprus before Othello. |
Main Symbol | -HANDKERCHIEF – This handkerchief is passed on to Othello by his mother, and he gives it to Desdemona as a sign of love. Taken from Desdemona by the wife of Iago, Emilia, who gives it to Iago who uses it drive Othello crazy with jealousy. |
Setting | Cyprus, and Venice. Late sixteenth century (1500’s) during the wars between Venice and Turkey. |
Climax of Othello | Confrontation between Othello, Iago, and Cassio arises and Desdemona is killed by Othello. Iago is found out and taken prisoner by the new general Cassio |
Theme 1 | Even innocent deception, Desdemona marrying Othello behind her father’s back, leads to tragedy. First deception undermines her credibility with Othello who now believes her capable of deceiving him also. |
Jealousy Motif | Iago tells Othello to watch out for JEALOUSY “the green-eyed monster that rules out the worst in men”. |
man vs man conflicts | Othello vs Iago, Iago vs Cassio, Iago vying with Desdemona for the loyalty of Emilia, Brabantio vs Othello. |
man vs society | Othello the exotic black Moor vs Venetian society. Desdemona rebelling against societal expectations to marry a venetian nobleman. |
internal conflict | Othello struggles as an outsider to see himself worthy of Desdemona. Concludes he is not and jealousy overtakes him. |
foil | a character who contrasts with another character (Iago is the foil of Othello) |
Othello characters, setting, theme # 1
July 18, 2019