Brief Biography of William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's father was a glove-maker, and Shakespeare received no more than a

grammar school education. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582, but left his family behind
around 1590 and moved to London, where he became an actor and playwright. He was an
immediate success: Shakespeare soon became the most popular playwright of the day as well as
a part-owner of the Globe Theater. His theater troupe was adopted by King James as the King's
Men in 1603. Shakespeare retired as a rich and prominent man to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1613,
and died three years later.

Historical Context of Othello

From the eleventh to the fifteenth century, Catholics battled to re-conquer Spain from the
Islamic Arabs and Berbers, or Moors, who had successfully occupied it since the 900s. The
struggle inspired intense prejudice and suspicion that lasted well after the Moors were
overthrown. Philip III of Spain expelled 300,000 "Moriscos" from the Iberian (Spanish)
peninsula not long after Shakespeare finished Othello, in 1609. In England during Shakespeare's
time, views regarding "Moors" were slightly more complex because of strong anti-Catholic
sentiment in England and English fears of invasion by the Spanish. In fact, England maintained
independent trade relationships with "Moorish" Northern Africa, despite Spanish and Portuguese
protest. The English slave trade also brought blacks to Europe, from mid-sixteenth century
onward. Queen Elizabeth herself founded The Barbary Company, formally institutionalizing this
trade; in addition, she received a delegation of Moroccan diplomats in 1600. However, the
English still felt a strong suspicion of Islam: Elizabeth issued a degree expelling Moors from
Africa and Spanish "Moriscos" from the boundary of England in 1599 and 1601.

Other Books Related to Othello

Shakespeare's primary source for Othello was Un capitano moro ("A Moorish Captain"),
one of one hundred short stories in the collection Gli Hecatommithi, published by the Italian,
Cinthio. Cinthio's story provides the backbone for Shakespeare's plot, although Shakespeare
introduces some minor new characters (such as Brabantio and Roderigo) and other alterations—
for instance, in Cinthio's version, Iago's motive for revenge against Othello is that he formerly
loved and was rejected by Desdemona. There are also similarities between Othello, "A Moorish
Captain," and a story by the name of "The Three Apples" narrated by Scheherezade in the
Thousand and One Nights.
Key Facts about Othello

 Full Title: The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice

 When Written: c. 1603
 Where Written: England
  When Published: 1622
 Literary Period: The Renaissance
 Genre: Tragedy
 Setting: Venice and Cyprus
 Climax: The murder of Desdemona, by Othello
 Antagonist: Iago

Extra Credit for Othello

Moor or less? In Elizabethan England, the term "Moor" could be used to refer to a wide
range of non-European persons, including black Africans, North Africans, Arabs, and even
Indians. References to Othello's origins throughout the play are contradictory and ambiguous
Iago calls Othello a "Barbary horse" (1.1.110); Barbary was an area in Africa between Egypt and
the Atlantic Ocean. Roderigo, however, calls him "thick-lips" (1.1.65-6), suggesting that he may
come from further south on the African continent. Brabantio calls him "sooty" (1.2.70); Othello,
along with numerous other characters, refers to himself as "black." It is impossible to know now
exactly what Shakespeare or his audience would have thought a "Moor" is.

Summary:

In Venice, Roderigo complains to Iago that, despite the money he's given Iago to help
him woo Desdemona, she's eloped with the Moorish general Othello. Iago responds that he too
hates Othello, for whom he works as a standard-bearer: Othello chose Cassio, rather than Iago, to
be his lieutenant. The two men go to the home of Desdemona's father, the senator Brabantio, and
rouse him with graphic descriptions of his daughter having sex with the Moor. Brabantio,
enraged, interrupts Othello as he receives an urgent message from the Duke of Venice, and
accompanies Othello see the Duke. In front of the Duke, Brabantio accuses Othello of having
used magic to seduce Desdemona. Othello responds that it was stories of his exciting life history
and military bravery that won Desdemona. When summoned, Desdemona supports Othello's
story. Brabantio grudgingly blesses the newlyweds. The Duke then sends Othello to lead a fleet
of Venetians to defend Cyprus from a Turkish attack. Desdemona accompanies him. Iago
reassures Roderigo that he will still win Desdemona in the end, then privately admits that he's
just using Roderigo for money while he plots his own revenge.

When the Venetians arrive in Cyprus, the governor Montano reports that a storm at sea
has drowned the Turkish fleet, eliminating the military threat. Iago quickly hatches a plan to
make Othello believe that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him with either Cassio or Roderigo.
That night, while Othello and Desdemona go to bed to consummate their marriage, Iago
succeeds in getting Cassio drunk. He then goads Roderigo into provoking Cassio, starting a
brawl. Disgusted, Othello demotes Cassio.
 Meanwhile, Iago convinces Desdemona to try to get Othello to reinstate Cassio. Iago then
uses Desdemona's requests that he be merciful to Cassio to make Othello suspect that
Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Othello, takes the bait, repeatedly praising Iago for
his honesty. Later, when Desdemona accidentally drops a handkerchief that Othello had given to
her as a love-token, Emilia gives it to Iago, who had long asked her to steal it for him. Iago then
plants it in Cassio's room.

Othello, upset, demands that Iago show him proof of Desdemona's infidelity. Iago
responds that he has heard Cassio fantasize lewdly about Desdemona in his sleep and that he has
seen Cassio wipe his mouth with Desdemona's handkerchief. Othello promotes Iago to the status
of lieutenant and orders him to kill Cassio within three days. Othello then goes to Desdemona's
room, and asks her for the handkerchief. Desdemona, who had been searching for the
handkerchief, admits she can't find it. Othello storms off. Meanwhile, Cassio's mistress, the
prostitute Bianca, comes to his quarters. Cassio asks her to make a copy of a handkerchief he's
recently found in his room, because he admires it.

Iago continues to spur Othello's jealousy. When he reports that Cassio has admitted to
sleeping with Desdemona, Othello falls into an epileptic fit. Iago urges Othello to hide while he
questions Cassio about Desdemona. In fact, he asks Cassio about Bianca, causing Cassio to
laugh. Watching from afar, Othello grows increasingly furious. Then, Bianca shows up, and
throws Desdemona's handkerchief at Cassio, accusing him of having it from another whore.
After Cassio and Bianca leave, Iago easily persuades Othello to kill Desdemona. Iago promises
to take care of Cassio himself. He then convinces Roderigo that if Cassio were to die, Othello
would have to remain in Cyprus, leaving Desdemona in Venice for Roderigo. Iago instructs
Roderigo to wait outside Bianca's house that night and kill Cassio when he leaves.

That night, Iago sets Roderigo up to kill Cassio as planned. When Cassio exits Bianca's
house, Roderigo attacks him; both are wounded. Overhearing Roderigo's cries for help, Othello
believes that Cassio is dead and is impressed by Iago's loyalty. Meanwhile, Iago goes to
Bianca's; finding Cassio wounded, he stabs Roderigo, killing him (and thus assuring that his
secret will not be revealed). Iago then calls the others, including Bianca, whom he arrests,
accusing her of having conspired with Roderigo. While this is going on, Othello arrives at
Desdemona's chamber. Enchanted by her beauty, he nonetheless resists her pleas to spare her
life, and he smothers her with a pillow. Emilia arrives to tell Othello that Roderigo is dead and
Cassio alive, when she hears Desdemona's dying cries.

When Emilia demands why Othello has killed Desdemona, Othello explains how Iago
proved to him that Desdemona slept with Cassio. As Montana, Iago, and Gratiano, a relative of
Brabantio's all arrive; Emilia accuses Iago of lying and explains that she stole this from
Desdemona at her husband's behest. Othello attacks Iago. In the uproar, Iago stabs and kills
Emilia, then flees. Montano and Gratiano disarm Othello, then chase down Iago. When he is
dragged back in their custody, Othello wounds him before being disarmed again. Letters found
on Roderigo's corpse reveal the full extent of Iago's plots; he himself refuses to explain himself.
Othello draws a hidden dagger and, after a speech, kills himself.

Prejudice Theme
The most prominent form of prejudice on display in Othello is racial prejudice. In the
very first scene, Roderigo and Iago disparage Othello in explicitly racial terms, calling him,
among other things, "Barbary horse" and "thick lips." In nearly every case, the prejudiced
characters use terms that describe Othello as an animal or beast. In other words, they use racist
language to try to define Othello not only as an outsider to white Venetian society, but as being
less human and therefore less deserving of respect. Othello himself seems to have internalized
this prejudice. On a number of occasions he describes himself in similarly unflattering racial
terms. And when he believes that he has lost his honor and manhood through Desdemona's
supposed unfaithfulness, he quickly becomes the kind of un-rational animal or monster that the
white Venetians accuse him of being.

Yet racial prejudice is not the only prejudice on display in Othello. Many characters in
the play also exhibit misogyny, or hatred of women, primarily focused on women's honesty or
dishonesty about their sexuality. Several times, Othello's age is also a reason for insulting him. In
all of these cases, the characters displaying prejudice seek to control and define another person or
group who frighten them. In other words, prejudice works as a kind of strategy to identify
outsiders and insiders and to place yourself within the dominant group. And Othello himself
seems to understand this—he concludes his suicide speech by boasting that he, a Christian, once
killed a Muslim Turk, a "circumcised dog" (5.2.355) who had murdered a Venetian citizen.
Othello tries to use religious prejudice against Muslims to cement his place within mainstream
Christian Venetian society.

Appearance vs. Reality

The tragic plot of Othello hinges on the ability of the villain, Iago, to mislead other
characters, particularly Roderigo and Othello, by encouraging them to misinterpret what they
see. Othello is susceptible to Iago's ploys because he himself is so honest and straightforward. As
Iago puts it: "the Moor is of a free and open nature/ That thinks men honest that but seem to be
so; and will as tenderly be led by th' nose/ As asses are" (2.1.391-4)

In Othello, Shakespeare plays with the idea of unreliable reality in a number of ways. The
language of the play, which time and again refers to dreams, trances, and vision, constantly
highlights the way in which what seems to be real may actually be fake. In addition, Shakespeare
extends the theme of appearance vs. reality to include the art of playwriting and acting. As he
develops his plot against Othello, Iago creates scenes within scenes. He sets up encounters
between two characters and putting a third in the position of a spectator. For instance, he has
Othello watch Cassio and Desdemona speak, and he has Othello watch him speak with Cassio
about Bianca. In each case, Iago manipulates Othello so that Othello sees the appearance that
Iago wants him to see, rather than the reality of what is actually happening. In this way, Iago
becomes a kind of "director"—he even directly addresses the audience through his many
soliloquies—and Shakespeare draws attention to the way that a playwright and actors create an
appearance onstage that tricks the audience into seeing something other than reality.

Jealousy

Iago refers to jealousy as the "green-eyed monster." As this metaphor suggests, jealousy
is closely associated with the theme of appearance and reality. For instance, at one point Othello
demands that Iago provide "ocular proof" of Desdemona's infidelity—he demands to see reality.
But Iago instead provides the circumstantial evidence of the handkerchief, which Othello,
consumed by his jealousy, accepts as a substitute for "ocular proof." Othello's jealousy impedes
his ability to distinguish between reality and appearance. While the prejudiced characters in the
play denigrate Othello as an animal or a beast based on his race, Othello's obvious honor and
intelligence makes these attacks obviously ridiculous. Yet when Othello is overcome by
jealousy, he does become beast-like, falling into epileptic fits that rob him of the ability to speak
intelligibly.

Othello is also not the only character in Othello to feel jealousy. Both Iago and Roderigo
act to destroy Othello out of jealousy, with disastrous consequences.

Manhood and Honor

Throughout the play, various male figures seek to assert and protect their manhood and
their honor. Based on the Duke's regard for him in 1.3, it is clear that Othello has attained
political power through his military might. The subplot in which Iago gets Cassio drunk and
causes him to humiliate himself, also indicates the importance of "reputation, reputation,
reputation." In fact, Cassio asserts that reputation is all that makes you human ("I have lost the
immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial" [2.3.252-3]). Iago asserts—however
genuinely or disingenuously—that reputation is more valuable than anything in the world: "good
name in man and woman [...] is the immediate jewel of their souls" (3.3.156).

Though military exploits are one way for men to build their honor, when not in war the
primary means by which men define their honor is their ability to command the faithfulness of
their women. In 1.1, Iago and Roderigo call Brabantio's honor into question because he hasn't
been able to control the romantic or sexual impulses of his daughter, Desdemona. Later, Iago
drives Othello to question his own manhood—indeed, his very humanity—by making him doubt
whether he has power over his wife. In despair over his suspicions about his wife's faithfulness,
Othello laments of himself: "A horned man's a monster and a beast" (4.2.62). That is, in his view,
to lose control of the woman in his life is to lose everything that makes him human. In other
words, without his honor, he sees himself in the same terms that the prejudiced characters see
him: as an animal.

Womanhood and Sexuality

Two contrasting images of womanhood dominate Othello: the virtuous and loyal woman,
or Madonna, embodied by Desdemona; and the whore, embodied, to a certain extent by Bianca.
Yet over the course of the play, it becomes clear that these two different ways of describing
women don't actually apply to real women. Instead, they are male fantasies imposed on women
—ideals that men want woman to fulfill, and roles that women therefore purposefully play for
men. For instance, Desdemona often describes her devotion to Othello in front of other people,
underscoring that, even though she does love him very deeply, she is to a certain extent playing
the role of the virtuous wife. Iago then stokes Othello's jealousy in part by forcing Othello to
realize that there is no way for a man to tell the difference between a truly virtuous wife and one
who is just playing the role of virtuous wife while actually acting as a whore and being
unfaithful.

Meanwhile, Iago's wife, Emilia, complicates the simple contract between the Madonna
and the whore. Initially, she wants to please her husband—and does so by stealing Desdemona's
handkerchief, knowing that he has long hankered after it. Yet she is not wholly loyal, and even
tells Desdemona in 4.3 that she believes many women, including she herself, would cheat on
their husbands under certain circumstances. And, finally, she proves her own, independent virtue
by defending Desdemona's virtue and revealing her husband's crimes in the process. So while
womanhood in Othello is, therefore, often defined by men in terms of pure virtue or voracious
and deceptive sexuality, the play ultimately shows that real women are far more complex.

Othello Character
A Christian Moor who has earned a high reputation as a general in the Venetian army and
has recently married Desdemona, daughter of the Venetian senator Brabantio. Othello is
characterized by his plainspoken, honest (perhaps even naïve) nature, which, together with his
status as an outsider, leaves him vulnerable to the plots of his standard-bearer, Iago, to make him
suspect his loyal wife, Desdemona, of infidelity.
Iago Character
Othello's disloyal standard-bearer and the villain of the play. Angry at having been
passed over by Othello for promotion to the rank of lieutenant, and also because he seems to
enjoy creating mayhem for its own sake, Iago develops an intricate conspiracy to ruin Othello.
He is married to Emilia.

Desdemona Character
The Daughter of the Venetian senator Brabantio. Having been charmed by Othello's tales
of exotic lands and military exploits, Desdemona elopes with him before the play begins
(although they do not consummate their marriage until they have received sanction from the
Duke and, reluctantly, her father). Desdemona is a model wife, if perhaps too trusting of Iago.
She follows Othello to Cyprus and shows constant loyalty to him, even to the moment of death,
when he kills her on false suspicions that she has been unfaithful.

Michael Cassio Character

A young, charming, and handsome soldier, whom Othello promotes to the rank of
lieutenant, over the more experienced Iago. Cassio is loyal to Othello and friendly with
Desdemona, though he's unkind to the prostitute Bianca, who seems to love him. While
intelligent, he is not cunning, and Iago easily ensnares the unwitting Cassio in a plot to convince
Othello that Desdemona has cheated on him with Cassio.

????????????/A senator in Venice and Desdemona's father. At first enraged by Desdemona's

elopement with Othello, he does eventually grant a grudging blessing to their marriage. But his
blessing never seems heartfelt, and he dies of grief shortly after their departure for Cyprus (and
before any of the tragedies of the play occur).

Emilia Character
Iago's wife and Desdemona's friend and serving woman. Although Emilia is far less
idealistic about marriage and the world in general than Desdemona is, she is loyal to her
mistress. Though she steals Desdemona's handkerchief for Iago, she doesn't know else anything
about Iago's plot. In fact, when she learns of his plot, she reveals Iago's duplicity, and he kills her
for it.
Duke of Venice
The official authority in Venice, the Duke has great respect for Othello as a military man
and, unlike the other residents of Venice, does not betray any racial prejudice against Othello
and, in fact, is unsurprised that Desdemona fell in love with him. It is the Duke who sends
Othello to lead the Venetian mission to defend Cyprus against the Turks.

The Handkerchief Symbol Analysis

In European medieval and renaissance love poetry, the handkerchief is typically a symbol
for a woman's romantic favor. For instance, there was a particular ritual in which a lady would
drop her handkerchief for a knight to pick up and keep as a token of her regard. The
handkerchief that Othello gives Desdemona is, similarly, a love-token and therefore a symbol of
their love. But the handkerchief, which originally belonged to an Egyptian sorcerer, also comes
to symbolize the illusions that Iago is "casting" through his plotting and subterfuge.

Animals Symbol Analysis

Othello is rife with animal metaphors. In particular, this language is used to describe
Othello, the "Barbary horse," or the "beautiful creature" Desdemona. In each case, the animal
language is connected to prejudice. Describing a person or group in animal terms is a way of
defining that person or group as being less than human, something that deserves to be humiliated
and controlled.

Othello Study Guide

The plot of Shakespeare's Othello is largely taken from Giraldi Cinthio's Gli
Hecatommithi, a tale of love, jealousy, and betrayal; however, the characters, themes, and
attitudes of the two works are vastly different, with Shakespeare's play being a more involved
study of human nature and psychology. One of the major deviations from the source is the
motivation of the Iago figure. Cithio's Iago was driven to revenge when Desdemona refused
to have an affair with him; Iago's motivations are not nearly so plain in Shakespeare's version.
Othello also touches upon a major issue in Europe of this time period; the intermingling
of Muslim religion and culture with the West. Written just a century after the Muslims were
driven out of Spain as a part of the Reconquista, there are obvious threads of hostility within
the play about Othello's Moorish origins, and his differences in religion and culture. The hostility
between the West and the East is also shown in the conflict between Venice and the Turks; the
Christian Venetians want to protect Christendom from the influence of the Muslim Turks, and
ironically, Moorish Othello is the one sent to complete this mission.
Othello is considered to be a prime example of Aristotelian drama; it focuses upon a
very small cast of characters, one of the smallest seen in Shakespeare's body of work, has few
distractions from the main plot arc, and concentrates on just a few central themes. As such, it is
one of the most intense and focused plays Shakespeare wrote, and has also enjoyed a great
amount of popularity from the Jacobean period to the present day.
The character of Iago is a variation on the Vice figure found in earlier morality plays; he
deviates from this model because of his lack of a clear motivation, and because of his portrayal
as a very malignant figure. However, Iago is less of a character than a changeable device for the
plot, and in this sense, he is a clear descendant of the omnipresent "vice" figure. Iago's great
cunning, manipulative abilities and almost supernatural perception mean that he is a very
formidable foe, and this makes Othello's fall seem even more inevitable and tragic.

One reason for the overwhelming popularity of the play throughout the ages is that it
focuses on two people who defied society in order to follow their own hearts. Shakespeare
scholar Walter Cohen cites the popularity of Othello during times of great rebellion and
upheaval; the play was most popular during the European wars of the mid-19th century, the fall
of Czarist Russia, and also during World War II in America. These productions tended to
emphasize the nobility and love of Othello and Desdemona, and made their fall seem more tragic
and ill-deserved.

Othello Themes
Appearance vs. reality
Especially relevant to the issue of Iago's character; for although he is called "honest" by
almost everyone in the play, he is treacherous, deceitful, and manipulative. This also applies
to Desdemona, as Othello believes that she is deceitful and impure, although she is really
blameless and innocent. This theme contributes greatly to the tragedy, as Iago is able to engineer
his schemes due to the perception of others of his honesty. Othello's decision to murder his wife
is hastened by a conversation in which Cassio speaks of Bianca; Othello assumes the man is
talking about an affair with Desdemona.
Misrepresentation allows Iago to gain trust and manipulate other people; he is able to
appear to be "honest," in order to deceive and misdirect people. Although the word "honest" is
usually used in an ironic way throughout the text, most characters in the play go through a crisis
of learning who and who not to trust. Most of them, unfortunately, trust in Iago's honesty; this
leads to the downfall of many characters, as this trust in Iago's "honesty" became a crucial
contributor to their undoing. Discovering or uncovering reality would have changed the course of
the play.
Race
Race is an extremely important theme, as it leads to Othello's insecurity, which Iago is
able to manipulate. Despite his standing and military prowess, Othello never feels comfortable in
Venice because of his otherness. As a Moor, he is constantly stereotyped as "savage" or
"animal", even though he speaks eloquently and displays more gentlemanly qualities than those
who judge him. Thus, Othello perceives himself to be a rough outsider, though he is nothing of
the sort. Othello's race sets him apart, and makes him very self-conscious; it makes him work
hard and look carefully after his reputation, so he is regarded as equal to the white people that
surround him. This has perhaps led to his success, but the prejudice that surrounds him -
especially with respect to his marriage to Desdemona - has tragic consequences.
Pride
Othello is defensively proud of himself and his achievements, and especially proud of the
honorable appearance he presents. The allegations of Desdemona's affair hurt his pride even
more than they inflame his vanity and jealousy; he wants to appear powerful, accomplished, and
moral at every possible instance, and when this is almost denied to him, his wounded pride
becomes especially powerful.
Magic
Othello is charged with using magic to woo Desdemona, merely because he is black, and
therefore, "pagan." Yet, Othello does have real magic, in the words he uses and the stories he
tells. Magic also reappears when Desdemona's handkerchief cannot be found; Othello has too
much trust in the symbolism and charm of the handkerchief, which is why the object is so
significant to him.
Order vs. chaos
As Othello begins to abandon reason and language, chaos takes over. His world begins to
be ruled by chaotic emotions and very shady allegations, with order pushed to the side. This
chaos rushes him into tragedy, and once Othello has sunk into it, he is unable to stop his fate
from taking him over.
Self-knowledge
Othello's lack of self-knowledge makes him easy prey for Iago. Once Iago inflames
Othello's jealousy and sets the darker aspects of Othello's nature in motion, there is nothing
Othello can do to stop it, since he cannot even admit that he has these darker traits. Even after he
has murdered his wife, and has learned that Iago set a trap for him, Othello is unable to
acknowledge the character flaws that were manipulated. He asserts he is "honorable" even in
murder. This theme is related to pride, as Othello's pride blinds him to his weaknesses,
precipitating his downfall.
Good vs. Evil
Iago's battle against Othello and Cassio certainly counts as an embodiment of this theme.
Iago and his evil battle to corrupt and turn the flawed natures of other characters, and he does
succeed to some extent. By the end of the play, neither has won, as Desdemona and Emilia are
both dead, and Iago revealed and punished. Othello is a tragic character, but one that is neither
good nor evil. His flaws are easily manipulated, and he is unable to see the truth while blinded by
pride. He is a good soldier and a good man, but this good is twisted and he commits an evil act.
Desdemona is the embodiment of goodness in the play, as she has done no wrong and seeks only
to love and to help her friends. However, she resigns herself to her death out of this goodness.
The ruin of innocence is a key ingredient to tragedy, but one could interpret that Desdemona did
not have to suffer her fate. Othello represents a grey area between good and evil, where self-
interest clouds even the best intentions, and people on both sides end up dead.

Othello Quotes and Analysis

I follow to serve my turn upon him:
We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly follow'd
Iago - Act I, Scene i
Bitter about being passed up for Cassio's post, Iago reveals he serves Othello only to
serve himself. He points out to Roderigo that men cannot follow leaders if they want to lead
themselves. Also, referring to Othello, Iago says that not all men are fit to lead and not all leaders
should be followed. This statement is one of the few moments of honesty between Iago and
another character. It also is the first seed planted in his game of deception. His suggestion is a
subtle mutiny aimed at Roderigo. Iago is enlisting Roderigo in helping him "serve [his] turn"
against Othello.
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, ’tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.
Iago - Act I, Scene i
In pursuit of his revenge Iago will become duplicitous, never showing his true emotion to the
outside world. The irony of this statement is that he is telling the truth about his dishonesty. Iago
knows that if the rest of the characters knew what lurked in his heart, he would be destroyed.
Othello and his loyal men would tear him apart, like birds. The idiom "wear my heart on my
sleeve" comes from this line in Othello.
And, noble signior,
If virtue no delighted beauty lack,
Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.
The Duke of Venice - Act I, Scene iii
Here, black has a dual meaning - referring to Othello's race and also, according to usage of the
time, meaning "ugly". At face value, the Duke says that if virtue can be beautiful, then Othello is
indeed "fair", or beautiful, as he possesses goodness. However, because Othello is black, this can
be interpreted as a backhanded compliment; Othello is more fair (just, gentlemanly) than those of
his race. Race is a pervasive theme in the play, as prejudice is pervasive in Venice. Othello is
able to rise above the stereotypes, but he is never able to forget what others may feel about him.
I am not merry; but I do beguile
The thing I am, by seeming otherwise.
Desdemona - Act II, Scene i
While speaking to Iago Desdemona says that, though she pretends to be happy, she is really
worried about Othello's safety. This passage shows the care she has for her husband, and also
that she is capable of hiding her emotion. In this conversation with Desdemona, Iago reveals how
little he thinks of women, and that they use their beauty or wit to manipulate men.

Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh I have lost my reputation! I have lost the

immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.
Cassio - Act II, Scene iii
After a drunken brawl with Roderigo, Cassio is stripped of his position. Without his rank, he
feels like he is nothing. This sentiment is echoed by Othello, who is motivated to kill Desdemona
because her affair has besmirched the reputation that he has worked so hard to craft. Both Cassio
and Othello believe a man is nothing more than "bestial" without his good name.

Trifles light as air

Are to the jealous confirmations strong
As proofs of holy writ.
Iago - Act III, Scene iii
In one of Iago's soliloquies, he observes that things that may otherwise seem insignificant are
given outsized importance when they confirm an already held belief. In this way Iago, by
planting Desdemona's handkerchief, will throw fuel on Othello's already burning jealousy.
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock

The meat it feeds on.

Iago - Act III, Scene iii

Iago warns Othello in order to incite his jealousy, while at the same time seeming to have his
best interests at heart. The idiom "green-eyed monster" comes from this line in Othello, and
Iago characterizes the emotion as one that consumes the man who revels in it.
It makes us or it mars us.

Iago - Act V, Scene i

Having persuaded Roderigo to kill Cassio, Iago makes it clear to him that this act will be chief to
their success or lead to their demise.
Yet I’ll not shed her blood;
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabaster.
Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.
Put out the light, and then put out the light:
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
I can again thy former light restore
Othello - Act V, Scene ii
Trying to bring himself to kill Desdemona, Othello acknowledges the finality of what he is about
to do. However, though he will kill her, he will not mar her beauty in doing so, as Desdemona's
beauty/whiteness/light is a symbol of her goodness. Othello believes that murder will maintain
her purity, stopping her from betraying others like she has betrayed him.
I have done the state some service, and they know't.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then, must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well
Othello - Act 5, Scene ii
Addressing his horrified countrymen, Othello takes responsibility for what he has done and tells
them that any good he has done in the past should not pardon him for this foolish act of passion.
Othello wants Venice to remember him as honorable in spite of his actions. Like Cassio, Othello
believes a man's reputation is "immortal", and he hopes his name will not be sullied by this final
chapter of his life.
Themes
Main Ideas Themes

Page 1Page 2

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Incompatibility of Military Heroism & Love

Before and above all else, Othello is a soldier. From the earliest moments in the play, his
career affects his married life. Asking “fit disposition” for his wife after being ordered to Cyprus
(I.iii.234), Othello notes that “the tyrant custom . . . / Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
/ My thrice-driven bed of down” (I.iii.227–229). While Desdemona is used to better
“accommodation,” she nevertheless accompanies her husband to Cyprus (I.iii.236). Moreover,
she is unperturbed by the tempest or Turks that threatened their crossing, and genuinely curious
rather than irate when she is roused from bed by the drunken brawl in Act II, scene iii. She is,
indeed, Othello’s “fair warrior,” and he is happiest when he has her by his side in the midst of
military conflict or business (II.i.179). The military also provides Othello with a means to gain
acceptance in Venetian society. While the Venetians in the play are generally fearful of the
prospect of Othello’s social entrance into white society through his marriage to Desdemona, all
Venetians respect and honor him as a soldier. Mercenary Moors were, in fact, commonplace at
the time.
Othello predicates his success in love on his success as a soldier, wooing Desdemona with tales
of his military travels and battles. Once the Turks are drowned—by natural rather than military
might—Othello is left without anything to do: the last act of military administration we see him
perform is the viewing of fortifications in the extremely short second scene of Act III. No longer
having a means of proving his manhood or honor in a public setting such as the court or the
battlefield, Othello begins to feel uneasy with his footing in a private setting, the bedroom. Iago
capitalizes on this uneasiness, calling Othello’s epileptic fit in Act IV, scene i, “[a] passion most
unsuiting such a man.” In other words, Iago is calling Othello unsoldierly. Iago also takes care to
mention that Cassio, whom Othello believes to be his competitor, saw him in his emasculating
trance (IV.i.75).
Desperate to cling to the security of his former identity as a soldier while his current identity as a
lover crumbles, Othello begins to confuse the one with the other. His expression of his jealousy
quickly devolves from the conventional—“Farewell the tranquil mind”—to the absurd:

Farewell the plum’d troops and the big wars

That make ambition virtue! O, farewell,
Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th’ear piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!”
(III.iii.353–359)

One might well say that Othello is saying farewell to the wrong things—he is entirely
preoccupied with his identity as a soldier. But his way of thinking is somewhat justified by its
seductiveness to the audience as well. Critics and audiences alike find comfort and nobility in
Othello’s final speech and the anecdote of the “malignant and . . . turbaned Turk” (V.ii.362),
even though in that speech, as in his speech in Act III, scene iii, Othello depends on his identity
as a soldier to glorify himself in the public’s memory, and to try to make his audience forget his
and Desdemona’s disastrous marital experiment.
The Danger of Isolation
The action of Othello moves from the metropolis of Venice to the island of Cyprus. Protected by
military fortifications as well as by the forces of nature, Cyprus faces little threat from external
forces. Once Othello, Iago, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo have come to Cyprus, they have
nothing to do but prey upon one another. Isolation enables many of the play’s most important
effects: Iago frequently speaks in soliloquies; Othello stands apart while Iago talks with Cassio in
Act IV, scene i, and is left alone onstage with the bodies of Emilia and Desdemona for a few
moments in Act V, scene ii; Roderigo seems attached to no one in the play except Iago. And,
most prominently, Othello is visibly isolated from the other characters by his physical stature and
the color of his skin. Iago is an expert at manipulating the distance between characters, isolating
his victims so that they fall prey to their own obsessions. At the same time, Iago, of necessity
always standing apart, falls prey to his own obsession with revenge. The characters cannot be
islands, the play seems to say: self-isolation as an act of self-preservation leads ultimately to self-
destruction. Such self-isolation leads to the deaths of Roderigo, Iago, Othello, and even Emilia.
Jealousy
Jealousy motivates the central conflicts of Othello: Iago’s resentment of Othello, and
Othello’s suspicion of Desdemona. Iago is immediately revealed as a jealous character: in the
first scene, he complains that Cassio has been promoted instead of him even though “I am worth
no worse a place” (1.1.). He also later implies that his hatred of Othello is rooted in jealousy,
since there are rumors of Othello having slept with Emilia. As Iago explains, even the hint of this
possibility enrages him: “I know not if’t be true / But I for mere suspicion in that kind / Will do
as if for surety” (1.3.). It seems that his jealousy is so intense that he does not need proof of this
infidelity before punishing Othello for it. Appropriately, Iago decides to seek revenge by using
jealousy as a weapon against Othello, “practicing upon his peace and quiet / Even to madness”
(2.1.). Iago knows, perhaps from his own experience, that jealousy is a form of psychological
torture which will constantly torment Othello. By making Othello feel the torments of jealousy
towards Desdemona and her supposed lover, Iago causes Othello to suffer as much as he does.
Deception and Treachery
In Othello, Othello simultaneously believes he is being deceived by characters who are
honest while failing to see the deceit and treachery of characters who are tricking him. Othello
refers to Iago as “honest” multiple times, showing that he is totally blind to the way Iago is
tricking and manipulating him. Othello is so deceived by Iago, he believes Iago is actually
incapable of not telling the truth: “I know thou’rt full of love and honesty / And weigh’st thy
words before thou giv’st them breath” (3.3.). While Othello is naively unable to see that Iago is
deceiving him every step of the way, he is also stubbornly convinced that Desdemona is
deceiving him even when she is being totally honest. Once Othello makes up his mind that
Desdemona is guilty, all her claims of innocence only enrage him further because he is
convinced that “this is a subtle whore / A closet lock and key of villainous secrets” (4.2.).
Everything Desdemona does to prove her innocence comes across to Othello as further proof of
her guilt. Othello’s inability to correctly identify who is and is not deceiving him makes him act
rashly and ultimately lead to violence and tragedy.
Justice
In Othello, characters justify their actions on the basis of deserving justice. The first
character we see seeking justice is Brabantio, who is outraged that his daughter has married a
man of a different race, and decides that Othello must have bewitched her. Brabantio asserts “I
therefore apprehend and do attach thee” (1.2.77), seeking legal restitution for the perceived
violation to himself and his honor. However, Brabantio’s apparent demand for justice is rooted in
his racial prejudice against Othello, and his sense that he is owed obedience from his daughter.
He only feels entitled to justice because social structures have placed him in a position of racial
superiority to Othello and gender superiority to Desdemona. What Brabantio envisions as justice
is the reassertion of his racial and gendered dominance and power over others.
As Othello becomes increasingly convinced that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him,
he also feels entitled to seek a form of bloody, self-administered justice. As he tells Iago, “my
bloody thoughts with violent pace / Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love / Till that a
capable and wide revenge / Swallow them up” (3.3.). While there would have been legal
procedures in place at this time for bringing charges of adultery against a spouse, Othello is not
interested in seeking official forms of justice. He wants to punish his wife himself, and feels
entitled to do so. When Iago suggests that Othello strangle Desdemona rather than poisoning her,
Othello notes “Good, good—the justice of it pleases!”(4.1.). Othello’s violent plan to achieve
justice is rooted in his sense that he has complete ownership and control over his wife, and that
he can literally decide whether she lives or dies. Othello’s notion of justice depends on a system
that is fundamentally unjust toward women, leaving them vulnerable to false accusation and
violent actions.

Plot Analysis
Othello is the story of a noble military general who has enjoyed many successes on the
battlefield, but because of mistakes of judgment and his outsider status in his society, sabotages
his most intimate relationship and himself. The play begins on the grand scale of a military
romance unfolding on the Mediterranean Sea. However, the action of the drama shrinks to the
claustrophobic ending in the cramped bedroom where Othello kills himself after smothering his
innocent wife. The play moves from vast exteriors that provide a backdrop for Othello’s heroism
to interior spaces that offer—both literally and figuratively—no room to breathe. The play’s
constricting trajectory suggests that negative emotions like jealousy put an emotional chokehold
on a person, strangling their ability to think clearly and thus preventing them from acting
reasonably. It also contrasts the arenas in which Othello is confident and powerful, such as the
exterior world of battle, with the domestic spaces in which he is less secure, and able to be easily
manipulated.
The incident that sets the protagonist and antagonist on a collision course occurs before the play
begins, when Othello chooses Cassio as lieutenant. In being passed over for promotion, Iago
feels cast aside and left to fill the role of “ancient” (i.e., ensign), a military position that ranks at
the very bottom of all commissioned officers. Though angry with Othello’s choice, Iago feels
equally upset that the coveted job went to Cassio, who Iago considers less qualified than he is.
He also later reveals that he believes Cassio might have slept with his wife (in addition to
suspecting Othello slept with her): “For I fear Cassio with my night-cap too.” (II.i.) Iago feels
doubly degraded: a promotion he believes was rightfully his went to another man, and both men
responsible for the slight – Othello and Cassio – may be sleeping with his wife. At this point, the
audience’s sympathies are aligned with Iago, as we haven’t yet seen Othello, and Iago does have
just cause for his grievances.

The tension of the play rises once the audience meets Othello and realizes how disastrous Iago’s
plan will be. Othello and Desdemona’s declarations of love for each other, and Desdemona’s
willingness to be disowned by her father in order to be with Othello, raise the stakes for the
couple, and shifts the audience to Othello’s side. By contrasting Othello, Desdemona, and
Cassio’s virtuous natures with Iago’s lies, the play heightens the tension between the truth and
deception. With everyone in the play subject to Iago’s scheming, the audience becomes his silent
co-conspirator as he unveils his plans in a series of asides. As Iago easily succeeds in his plot to
get Cassio drunk, incite him to fight Roderigo, and convince Othello to fire him – all the while
acting as though he loves Cassio – we see what a skilled manipulator he is. Iago’s scheming,
cynical nature is starkly contrasted with the rest of the characters in the play, who are all undone
by their own trusting, honest natures and their inability to see through Iago’s deceptions.

The conflicting forces of good, as represented by Othello, and evil, as represented by Iago, come
into direct contact at the end of Act III, scene iii, when Othello kneels with Iago and pledges his
unswerving desire to take revenge on those who have cuckolded him. Unlike many
Shakespearean tragedies where the protagonist confronts the antagonist at the play’s climax,
Othello expresses his absolute trust in Iago by appointing him his new lieutenant. Othello’s
misplacement of trust, and blindness to Iago’s true motivations, increases the tension further, as
the audience wonders when, if ever, Othello will see the truth about his supposed friend. As
Othello becomes increasingly deranged with jealousy, and refuses to listen to Desdemona’s
protestations of her innocence, he becomes less a protagonist, and starts to figure more as a
second antagonist, acting in league with Iago. From this point on, no matter what Desdemona
does, it only proves her guilt in Othello’s eyes.

In the play’s remaining two acts, Iago’s treacherous plot unfolds with a brutal inevitability.
Othello shifts from believing Desdemona could never betray him, to demanding proof of her
infidelity so he can feel justified in killing her. When Iago suggests Othello strangle Desdemona
in the bed in which she was allegedly unfaithful, Othello says “Good, good, the justice of it
pleases!” (IV.i). Othello still loves his wife passionately, but rather than considering her virtues
as arguments against Iago’s accusations, instead sees them as reasons to be all the more upset by
her alleged infidelity: “O Iago, the pity of it, Iago!” (IV.i) Deranged with jealousy, Othello
conspires with Iago to murder Cassio and devises his plan to kill Desdemona. Either his wife has
been unfaithful and is lying to him, or his beloved, “honest” friend Iago has been lying to him.
Only after he kills Desdemona does Othello discover he believed the wrong person. When he at
last realizes his error, he kills himself, rather than live in a world where honor and honesty have
no value.

Protagonist
Main Ideas Protagonist

As the play’s title indicates, Othello is the protagonist. At the beginning of the play, Othello
occupies a complex position within Venetian society. He is well-respected for his military valor,
and when the Duke learns about the impending threat posed by the Ottoman fleet, he
immediately turns to Othello for help, imploring “Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you”
(1.3.). However, Othello’s race makes him a target of prejudice and distrust: when Roderigo
complains that Othello has successfully wooed Desdemona, he refers to his rival as “thick-lips”
(1.1.), mocking a facial feature stereotypically associated with people of color. Brabantio is so
appalled to learn that his daughter has married Othello that he assumes she must have been
bewitched, accusing Othello “damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her” (1.2.). Othello’s
behavior throughout the play is influenced by the knowledge that many of the characters around
him do not truly trust or accept him due to his racial difference; they tolerate his presence
because he serves a purpose, but do not truly think of him as an equal.

Othello at first wants to simply live a contented life with his new bride; as he movingly tells
Desdemona, “If it were now to die / ’Twere now to be most happy” (2.1.). However, due to
Iago’s poisonous influence, Othello’s desires shift significantly over the play. He comes to
desperately want certainty about whether or not Desdemona is faithful. Once he is convinced of
Desdemona’s guilt, Othello’s desires shift to wanting revenge: “To furnish me with some swift
means of death / For the fair devil”(3.3.). At the start of the play, Othello is a confident, self-
assured man who is calm in a crisis and gracious to everyone around him; for example, he
remains calm when Brabantio is rudely insulting him, and immediately accepts the Duke’s
command that he go to Cypress to fight the Ottomans. By the end of the play, Othello is
dangerously impulsive; once he has become convinced Desdemona is unfaithful, he vows that
“thy bed, lust-stained, shall with lust’s blood be spotted” (5.1.). Iago’s psychological torment has
broken Othello to the point where he no longer knows what to believe, and cannot distinguish
truth and lies.

Antagonist
Main Ideas Antagonist

Iago is the antagonist of the play; in fact, his character is often cited as one of the clearest
examples of an antagonist in all of literature. Iago actively works to thwart Othello by
convincing Othello that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him, knowing that this belief will
torment Othello. Part of what makes Iago such a chilling antagonist is his lack of clear
motivation for tormenting Othello. Iago mentions that he believes Othello may have had an affair
with Emilia, explaining “I do suspect the lusty Moor / Hath leaped into my seat” (2.1.).
However, he doesn’t dwell on this possibility, and only mentions it infrequently, which suggests
there are other reasons why he decides to destroy Othello. Iago also seems to be tormented by
jealousy that others are rising to more prominent positions than he is; in the play’s first scene, we
see him fuming that Cassio, who “never set a squadron in the field” (1.1.) has been promoted.
Iago’s frustrated ambition might be an additional motivation for his behavior as antagonist, but
his primary motivation seems to be a sadistic and megalomaniac desire to exert power over those
around him.

Iago primarily acts independently, functioning as a master manipulator of those around him. For
example, when Iago suggests the idea of Cassio and Desdemona’s relationship, Othello has to
coax Iago into voicing his suspicions, but only because Iago has manipulated the situation so
effectively. Because Iago is able to retain control of how other characters behave and how events
unfold, he is seldom influenced by other characters. Iago is only significantly influenced by the
behavior of another person at the end of the play, when his own wife turns against him and
reveals him to be a villain responsible for all of the violence and suffering. Emilia’s betrayal
makes Iago behave impulsively for the first time in the play: he stabs Emilia in front of
witnesses. In the play’s ending, Iago shifts from a calculating figure always one step ahead of
everyone else to a panicked killer trying desperately to save himself. In his final moments,
however, Iago does regain some of his chilling composure: when Othello implores him to
explain himself, Iago responds “What you know, you know / From this time forth, I never will
speak a word” (5.2.). The rationale for his villainous antagonism is never fully revealed.

Setting
Main Ideas Setting

Othello is set in Venice, presumably sometime in the latter half of the sixteenth-century. Venice
was at war with the Ottoman empire between 1570 and 1573, so the play’s reference to the threat
of an attack on Cyprus could reflect a setting sometime during this period. Venice was well-
known as an early example of what might later be called a multicultural city, boasting a much
greater diversity of ethnicities and religions amongst its inhabitants than most other European
cities could. Othello is identified in the play’s subtitle as a “Moor”: a term most typically used in
this period to signal someone who was either of African descent, Muslim faith, or both.
Whatever the precise details of Othello’s racial and religious identity, they are clearly enough to
provoke anxiety when Iago torments Brabantio by referring to Othello as “an old black ram”
(1.1.) and a “Barbary horse” (1.1.). While Brabantio is outraged that his daughter has married a
man marked as an outsider, Othello has also clearly gained a significant amount of prestige and
respect in Venice since the Duke trusts him with the crucial military defense of Cyprus. As a
setting, Venice serves Shakespeare’s needs of a place where a non-European, and potentially
non-Christian, man could both hold significant authority but still be distrusted.
A second factor which may have informed Shakespeare’s decision to set his play in Venice was
the city’s reputation as a hub of prostitution. While prostitution existed everywhere, a number of
visitors to Venice in the early modern period published accounts of an established courtesan
profession. Venetian prostitutes were often well-educated and lived in relative luxury, and as
long they obeyed state-determined rules about when and how they practiced their trade, they
were relatively free to conduct their business. The Venetian state tolerated prostitution as another
feature of the city’s bustling commercial life, and the city gained a reputation as a place
potentially loaded with sexual innuendo. Shakespeare’s incorporation of the prostitute Bianca, “a
huswife that by selling her desires / Buys herself bread and cloth” (4.1.), was likely more
plausible to contemporary audiences in a play set in Venice. Moreover, Othello’s fears that his
bride could rapidly slide into sexual promiscuity seem linked to a belief that the line between
virtuous wives and common courtesans is dangerously thin.

Motifs
Main Ideas Motifs

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s
major themes.

Sight and Blindness

When Desdemona asks to be allowed to accompany Othello to Cyprus, she says that she “saw
Othello’s visage in his mind, / And to his honours and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and
fortunes consecrate” (I.iii. 250–252). Othello’s blackness, his visible difference from everyone
around him, is of little importance to Desdemona: she has the power to see him for what he is in
a way that even Othello himself cannot. Desdemona’s line is one of many references to different
kinds of sight in the play. Earlier in Act I, scene iii, a senator suggests that the Turkish retreat to
Rhodes is “a pageant / To keep us in false gaze” (I.iii.19–20). The beginning of Act II consists
entirely of people staring out to sea, waiting to see the arrival of ships, friendly or otherwise.
Othello, though he demands “ocular proof” (III.iii.365), is frequently convinced by things he
does not see: he strips Cassio of his position as lieutenant based on the story Iago tells; he relies
on Iago’s story of seeing Cassio wipe his beard with Desdemona’s handkerchief (III.iii.437–
440); and he believes Cassio to be dead simply because he hears him scream. After Othello has
killed himself in the final scene, Lodovico says to Iago, “Look on the tragic loading of this bed. /
This is thy work. The object poisons sight. / Let it be hid” (V.ii.373–375). The action of the play
depends heavily on characters not seeing things: Othello accuses his wife although he never sees
her infidelity, and Emilia, although she watches Othello erupt into a rage about the missing
handkerchief, does not figuratively “see” what her husband has done.
Plants
Iago is strangely preoccupied with plants. His speeches to Roderigo in particular make extensive
and elaborate use of vegetable metaphors and conceits. Some examples are: “Our bodies are our
gardens, to which our wills are gardeners; so that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set
hyssop and weed up thyme . . . the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills”
(I.iii.317–322); “Though other things grow fair against the sun, / Yet fruits that blossom first will
first be ripe” (II.iii.349–350); “And then, sir, would he gripe and wring my hand, / Cry ‘O sweet
creature!’, then kiss me hard, / As if he plucked kisses up by the roots, / That grew upon my lips”
(III.iii.425–428). The first of these examples best explains Iago’s preoccupation with the plant
metaphor and how it functions within the play. Characters in this play seem to be the product of
certain inevitable, natural forces, which, if left unchecked, will grow wild. Iago understands
these natural forces particularly well: he is, according to his own metaphor, a good “gardener,”
both of himself and of others.
Many of Iago’s botanical references concern poison: “I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear”
(II.iii.330); “The Moor already changes with my poison. / Dangerous conceits are in their natures
poisons, / . . . / . . . Not poppy nor mandragora / Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world / Shall
ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep” (III.iii.329–336). Iago cultivates his “conceits” so that
they become lethal poisons and then plants their seeds in the minds of others. The organic way in
which Iago’s plots consume the other characters and determine their behavior makes his
conniving, human evil seem like a force of nature. That organic growth also indicates that the
minds of the other characters are fertile ground for Iago’s efforts.
Animals
Iago calls Othello a “Barbary horse,” an “old black ram,” and also tells Brabanzio that his
daughter and Othello are “making the beast with two backs” (I.i.117–118). In Act I, scene iii,
Iago tells Roderigo, “Ere I would say I would drown myself for the love of a guinea-hen, I would
change my humanity with a baboon” (I.iii.312–313). He then remarks that drowning is for “cats
and blind puppies” (I.iii.330–331). Cassio laments that, when drunk, he is “by and by a fool, and
presently a beast!” (II.iii.284–285). Othello tells Iago, “Exchange me for a goat / When I shall
turn the business of my soul / To such exsufflicate and blowed surmises” (III.iii.184–186). He
later says that “[a] horned man’s a monster and a beast” (IV.i.59). Even Emilia, in the final
scene, says that she will “play the swan, / And die in music” (V.ii.254–255). Like the repeated
references to plants, these references to animals convey a sense that the laws of nature, rather
than those of society, are the primary forces governing the characters in this play. When animal
references are used with regard to Othello, as they frequently are, they reflect the racism both of
characters in the play and of Shakespeare’s contemporary audience. “Barbary horse” is a
vulgarity particularly appropriate in the mouth of Iago, but even without having seen Othello, the
Jacobean audience would have known from Iago’s metaphor that he meant to connote a savage
Moor.
Hell, Demons, and Monsters
Iago tells Othello to beware of jealousy, the “green-eyed monster which doth mock/ The meat it
feeds on” (III.iii.170–171). Likewise, Emilia describes jealousy as dangerously and uncannily
self-generating, a “monster / Begot upon itself, born on itself” (III.iv.156–157). Imagery of hell
and damnation also recurs throughout Othello, especially toward the end of the play, when
Othello becomes preoccupied with the religious and moral judgment of Desdemona and himself.
After he has learned the truth about Iago, Othello calls Iago a devil and a demon several times in
Act V, scene ii. Othello’s earlier allusion to “some monster in [his] thought” ironically refers to
Iago (III.iii.111). Likewise, his vision of Desdemona’s betrayal is “monstrous, monstrous!”
(III.iii.431). Shortly before he kills himself, Othello wishes for eternal spiritual and physical
torture in hell, crying out, “Whip me, ye devils, / . . . / . . . roast me in sulphur, / Wash me in
steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!” (V.ii.284–287). The imagery of the monstrous and diabolical
takes over where the imagery of animals can go no further, presenting the jealousy-crazed
characters not simply as brutish, but as grotesque, deformed, and demonic.
Symbols
Main Ideas Symbols

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Handkerchief
The handkerchief symbolizes different things to different characters. Since the
handkerchief was the first gift Desdemona received from Othello, she keeps it about her
constantly as a symbol of Othello’s love. Iago manipulates the handkerchief so that Othello
comes to see it as a symbol of Desdemona herself—her faith and chastity. By taking possession
of it, he is able to convert it into evidence of her infidelity. But the handkerchief’s importance to
Iago and Desdemona derives from its importance to Othello himself. He tells Desdemona that it
was woven by a 200-year-old sibyl, or female prophet, using silk from sacred worms and dye
extracted from the hearts of mummified virgins. Othello claims that his mother used it to keep
his father faithful to her, so, to him, the handkerchief represents marital fidelity. The pattern of
strawberries (dyed with virgins’ blood) on a white background strongly suggests the bloodstains
left on the sheets on a virgin’s wedding night, so the handkerchief implicitly suggests a guarantee
of virginity as well as fidelity.
The Song “Willow”
As she prepares for bed in Act V, Desdemona sings a song about a woman who is betrayed by
her lover. She was taught the song by her mother’s maid, Barbary, who suffered a misfortune
similar to that of the woman in the song; she even died singing “Willow.” The song’s lyrics
suggest that both men and women are unfaithful to one another. To Desdemona, the song seems
to represent a melancholy and resigned acceptance of her alienation from Othello’s affections,
and singing it leads her to question Emilia about the nature and practice of infidelity.

Genre
Main Ideas Genre

Othello is a tragedy because it tells the story of a noble, principled hero who makes a tragic error
of judgment, leading to a devastating climax in which most of the characters end up either dead
or seriously wounded. In assuming Iago operates according to the same rules of honor as he
does, Othello cannot conceive that Iago might be lying to him about Desdemona. Othello’s fatal
misunderstanding of Iago causes Othello to murder his wife, then kill himself once he realizes
his error. Similarly, Othello misreads Desdemona: she gives him no reason to suspect her
fidelity, but Othello ignores all indications of her loyalty once Iago suggests she’s cheating on
him. Othello’s inability to distinguish between truth and falseness, and to conceive that not
everyone acts according to the same principles he does leads to many innocent characters
suffering before Iago’s villainy is revealed. Othello gains knowledge of his errors of judgment at
the end of the play, but cannot reconcile the jealous, murderous person he’s become with his
concept of himself as an honorable and moral person.
Shakespeare’s tragedies usually feature a protagonist who begins the play in harmony with his
community. For example, King Lear opens with Lear in charge of his kingdom and enjoying all
the privileges of his position. Macbeth starts with Macbeth as a promising general in line for
promotion. Othello, on the other hand, begins the play alienated from his community. Unlike
Iago and Desdemona, he is neither a Venetian nor a noble nor a civilian. As Iago points out,
Othello is different from Desdemona in “clime, complexion, and degree” (III.iii). Furthermore,
he has spent so much time in battle, he is unaccustomed to civic life: “Rude am I in my speech/
And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace” (I.ii) he says. In presenting a protagonist who
begins the play as an outsider, Othello deviates from other Shakespearean tragedies, and
provides potential reasons for Othello’s vulnerability to Iago’s manipulations. Othello’s
uncertain social standing may incline him to disbelieve that Desdemona could actually love him,
and to assume Iago’s stories about Desdemona’s infidelity are plausible.
Allusions
Main Ideas Allusions

Act 1, scene 1
Mythological (Constellation)
That you shall surely find him, Lead to the Sagittary the raised search, And there will I be with him.
(1.1.160–162)

This is an allusion to Sagittarius, the centaur, a mythological creature that is half horse, half man.

Act 1, scene 2
Mythological
By Janus, I think no.(1.2.33)

This is an allusion to Janus, the two-faced Roman god of beginnings, endings, transitions, and
duality.

Act 1, scene 3
Mythological
And of the Cannibals that each others eat, The Anthropophagi, and men who heads Grew beneath their
shoulders.(1.3.144–146)

This is an allusion to a race of cannibals called the Laestrygones who tried to eat Odysseus.

Mythological
No, when light-winged toys Of feathered Cupid seel with wanton dullness . . .(1.3.268–269)

This is an allusion to Cupid, the Roman god of love, desire, and attraction.
Religious
The food that to him now is as luscious as locusts shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida.
(1.3.345–346)

This is an allusion to Saint John the Baptist who ate locusts and prophesized the coming of
God’s Final Judgement.

Act 2, scene 1
Mythological (Constellation)
[T]he wind-shaked surge, with high and monstrous mane, Seems to cast water on the burning bear, And
quench the guards of th’ ever-fixèd pole.(2.1.14–16)

This is an allusion to Ursa, the bear-shaped constellation that contains two stars that appear to
“protect” the star, Polaris.

Mythological
Great Jove, Othello guard, And swell his sail with thine own powerful breath,(2.1.83–84)

This is an allusion to Jove, the Roman god of the sky and thunder and king of all Roman gods.

Mythological
But my Muse labors And thus she is delivered:(2.1.137–138)

This is an allusion to the nine Muses in Greek mythology who provided musicians, artists,
architects, and great thinkers with the inspiration to produce their great works.

Mythological
And let the laboring bark climb hills of seas Olympus-high, and duck again as low As hell’s from heaven!
(2.1.190–192)

This is an allusion to Mount Olympus, the home of the ancient Greek gods.

Act 2, scene 3
Mythological
He hath not yet made wonton the night with her, and she is sport for Jove.(2.3.16–17)

This is an allusion to Jove, the Roman god of the sky and thunder and king of all other Roman
gods.

Historical/Political
King Stephen was a worthy peer, His breeches cost him but a crown,(2.3.78–79)

This is an allusion to King Stephen, the king of England from 1135 until his death in 1154.
Historical/Political
He is a soldier fit to stand by Caesar And give direction.(2.3.108–109)

This is an allusion to Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman Empire who was
assassinated by rivals in 44 BC.

Religious
Diablo, ho!(2.3.146)

This is an allusion to the Devil; diablo is “devil” in Spanish.

Mythological
Had I as many mouths as Hydra, such an answer would stop them all.(2.3.289–290)

This is an allusion to Hydra, a serpent with many heads from ancient Greek mythology.

Act 3, scene 3
Mythological
And when I love thee not Chaos is come again.(3.3.91–92)

This is an allusion to Chaos which was, according to Greek mythology, the empty void present
before the creation of the universe.

Mythological
And O you mortal engines, whose rude throats The immortal Jove’s dead clamors counterfeit . . .
(3.3.363–364)

This is an allusion to Jove, the Roman god of the sky and thunder and king of all other Roman
gods.

Mythological
Her name, that was as fresh As Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and black As mine own face.(3.3.394–
396)

This is an allusion to Dian, or Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and chastity.

Act 4, scene 1
Historical/Political
Do ye triumph, Roman?(4.1.115)

This is an allusion to ancient Roman generals who, after a battle victory, would further wound
and humiliate their captives by dragging them behind their chariots.
Act 4, scene 2
Religious
You, mistress, That have the office opposite to Saint Peter And keep the gate of hell!(4.2.97–99)

This is an allusion to Saint Peter, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles, who is traditionally portrayed as
the gatekeeper of heaven.

Act 5, scene 2
Mythological
I know not where is that Promethean heat That can thy light relume.(5.2.12–13)

This is an allusion to Prometheus, the Greek Titan who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to
humankind, enabling society to progress and prosper.

Historical/Political OR Religious
Of one who hand, Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away Richer than all his tribe.(5.2.362–364)

This could be an allusion to the Indians of the New World who were thought to be so primitive
that they would throw away something as valuable as a pearl. However, some scholars believe
that in the original manuscript “Indian” was originally “Judean” making this an allusion to Judas,
the man who betrayed Jesus and, in doing so, threw away his most precious possession—his
soul.

Historical/Political
O Spartan dog, More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea, Look on the tragic loading of this bed.
(5.2.378–380)

This is an allusion to the Spartans, an ancient Greek warrior society known to be ruthless killers.

Main Ideas

Key Facts
Main Ideas Key Facts

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
Tone Shakespeare clearly views the events of the play as tragic. He seems to view the marriage
between Desdemona and Othello as noble and heroic, for the most part.
Setting (Time) Late sixteenth century, during the wars between Venice and Turkey
Setting (Place) Venice in Act I; the island of Cyprus thereafter
Protagonist Othello
Major Conflict Othello and Desdemona marry and attempt to build a life together, despite their
differences in age, race, and experience. Their marriage is sabotaged by the envious Iago, who
convinces Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful.
Rising Action Iago tells the audience of his scheme, arranges for Cassio to lose his position as
lieutenant, and gradually insinuates to Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful.
Climax The climax occurs at the end of Act III, scene iii, when Othello kneels with Iago and
vows not to change course until he has achieved bloody revenge.
Falling Action Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassio’s room and later arranges a conversation
with Cassio, which Othello watches and sees as “proof” that Cassio and Desdemona have slept
together. Iago unsuccessfully attempts to kill Cassio, and Othello smothers Desdemona with a
pillow. Emilia exposes Iago’s deceptions, Othello kills himself, and Iago is taken away to be
tortured.
Themes The incompatibility of military heroism and love; the danger of isolation
Motifs Sight and blindness; plants; animals; hell, demons, and monsters
Symbols The handkerchief; the song “Willow”
Foreshadowing Othello and Desdemona’s speeches about love foreshadow the disaster to come;
Othello’s description of his past and of his wooing of Desdemona foreshadow his suicide speech;
Desdemona’s “Willow” song and remarks to Emilia in Act IV, scene iii, foreshadow her death.

Does Iago Hate Women?

A strong current of misogyny flows through Othello, and many of the play’s tragic events
emerge from this source. Iago in particular serves as a mouthpiece for misogyny, frequently
making offensive comments about women both in private asides and soliloquies and in public
conversations. Iago firmly believes that women are universally untrustworthy and sexually
deviant. In Act II he outlines his perception of women as elusive, mercurial, and deceitful: “You
are pictures out of doors, bells / in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens, saints in / your
injuries, devils being offended, players in your / housewifery, and housewives in your beds”
(II.i.). Later in the same scene he expresses his related suspicions about female sexuality. In one
of his ironic couplets in “praise” of Desdemona he quips, “There’s none so foul and foolish
thereunto / But does foul pranks which fair and wise ones do” (II.i.), where “foul pranks” means
sexual acts. Iago’s misogyny also rubs off on others, most notably on Othello, who adopts Iago’s
hateful vocabulary and refers to both Emilia and Desdemona as “whores.”
One could argue that Iago’s deep-seated misogyny represents the true source of the play’s
dramatic action. After all, his unfounded suspicion of his wife’s adultery is what initially leads
him to desire revenge against the men who have allegedly cuckolded him: Cassio and Othello.
Iago admits as much in a covertly ironic statement he makes to Emilia in the final act. Referring
to the wounding of Cassio and the near slaying of Roderigo, Iago asserts to his wife: “This is the
fruits of whoring” (V.i.). In saying this to line Emilia, Iago clearly means that Desdemona’s
alleged adultery has led to violence. However, the audience also understands Iago’s words in
another light. We know that it was Iago who perpetrated these violent acts, so when he
characterizes them as “the fruits of whoring,” we can interpret him as covertly admitting
responsibility while also denying fault. Such an interpretation makes sense when we recall Iago’s
suspicion that both Cassio and Othello have slept with Emilia. In this sense, then, all of the
events in the play unfold from Emilia’s supposed “whoring.” Thus, Iago’s words also serve as a
warning to his wife.

Against Iago’s misogyny, Emilia provides a countervailing critique of women’s inequality.

When Desdemona expresses surprise that the incident with the misplaced handkerchief should
cause so much grief, Emilia reminds her mistress that men can always find ways to exploit
women for their own purposes. She explains, “’Tis not a year or two shows us a man. / They are
all but stomachs, and we all but food; / They eat us hungerly, and, when they are full, / They
belch us” (III.iv.). Later in the play Emilia goes on to make additional, subversive statements that
go against the grain of the cultural misogyny of the contemporary era. When Desdemona asks
her if she would consider committing adultery “for all the world,” Emilia scandalizes her
mistress with her response: “The world’s a huge thing; it is a great prize / For a small vice”
(IV.iii.). However, despite Emilia’s nascent feminism, her worldview remains centered on the
importance of male power. She demonstrates as much when she qualifies her scandalous
statement about adultery as follows: “who would not make her husband a / cuckold to make him
a monarch? I should venture / purgatory for ’t” (IV.iii.).

Critical Essays Major Themes

Explore the different themes within William Shakespeare's tragic play, Othello. Themes are
central to understanding Othello as a play and identifying Shakespeare's social and political
commentary. In Othello, the major themes reflect the values and the motivations of characters.

Love

In Othello, love is a force that overcomes large obstacles and is tripped up by small ones. It is
eternal, yet derail-able. It provides Othello with intensity but not direction and gives Desdemona
access to his heart but not his mind. Types of love and what that means are different between
different characters.

Othello finds that love in marriage needs time to build trust, and his enemy works too quickly for
him to take that time. The immediate attraction between the couple works on passion, and
Desdemona builds on that passion a steadfast devotion whose speed and strength Othello cannot
equal.
Iago often falsely professes love in friendship for Roderigo and Cassio and betrays them both.
For Iago, love is leverage. Desdemona's love in friendship for Cassio is real but is misinterpreted
by the jealous Othello as adulterous love. The true friendship was Emilia's for Desdemona,
shown when she stood up witness for the honor of her dead mistress, against Iago, her lying
husband, and was killed for it.

Appearance and Reality

Appearance and reality are important aspects in Othello. For Othello, seeing is believing, and
proof of the truth is visual. To "prove" something is to investigate it to the point where its true
nature is revealed. Othello demands of Iago "Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, be
sure of it, give me the ocular proof" (Act 3, Scene 3).

What Iago gives him instead is imaginary pictures of Cassio and Desdemona to feed his jealousy.
As Othello loses control of his mind, these pictures dominate his thoughts. He looks at
Desdemona's whiteness and is swept up in the traditional symbolism of white for purity and
black for evil. Whenever he is in doubt, that symbolism returns to haunt him and despite his
experience, he cannot help but believe it.

Jealousy

Jealousy is what appears to destroy Othello. It is the emotion suggested to him by Iago in Act 3,
Scene 3. Iago thinks he knows jealousy, having rehearsed it in his relationship with Emilia to the
extent that Emilia believes jealousy is part of the personality of men, but Iago's jealously is a
poor, weak thought compared to the storm of jealousy he stirs up in Othello.

Iago has noticed Othello's tendency to insecurity and overreaction, but not even Iago imagined
Othello would go as far into jealousy as he did. Jealousy forces Othello's mind so tightly on one
idea, the idea that Desdemona has betrayed him with Cassio, that no other assurance or
explanation can penetrate. Such an obsession eclipses Othello's reason, his common sense, and
his respect for justice.

Up to the moment he kills Desdemona, Othello's growing jealousy maddens him past the recall
of reason. Upon seeing that she was innocent and that he killed her unjustly, Othello recovers.
He can again see his life in proportion and grieve at the terrible thing he has done. Once again,
he speaks with calm rationality, judging and condemning and finally executing himself.

Prejudice

Iago's scheme would not have worked without the underlying atmosphere of racial prejudice in
Venetian society, a prejudice of which both Desdemona and Othello are very aware.
Shakespeare's Desdemona copes with prejudice by denying it access to her own life. Her
relationship with Othello is one of love, and she is deliberately loyal only to her marriage.

Othello, however, is not aware how deeply prejudice has penetrated into his own personality.
This absorbed prejudice undermines him with thoughts akin to "I am not attractive," "I am not
worthy of Desdemona," "It cannot be true that she really loves me," and "If she loves me, then
there must be something wrong with her."

These thoughts, inflamed by Iago's hints and lies, prevent Othello from discussing his concerns
and fears directly with Desdemona, and so he acts on panicked assumption. In order to survive
the combined onslaught of internalized prejudice and the directed venom of Iago, Othello would
have had to be near perfect in strength and self-knowledge, and that is not fair demand for
anyone.

Critical Essays Major Symbols and Motifs

Explore the different symbols within William Shakespeare's tragic play, Othello. Symbols are
central to understanding Othello as a play and identifying Shakespeare's social and political
commentary.

Handkerchief

The significance of red is love, red strawberries like red hearts on the love token handkerchief,
and like the red stains from Othello and Desdemona's first night of love on the marriage sheets.
Such red on white is private and dear to the heart of Othello, and he expects it to be similarly
dear to his wife. It is the belief that Desdemona gave away his handkerchief, and the sexually
implications of the gift, that drives him to kill her.

Candle

The candle Othello blows out just before he murders Desdemona symbolizes him extinguishing
her life.

Animals

Beginning in Act 1, Scene 1, Iago introduces the animalistic imagery. According to Iago, there is
something bestial and animalistic about Othello ("The old black ram"); he's base and beastly,
somehow beneath everyone else in Venice because of his North African heritage. The animal
imagery permeates the play, often referring to Othello's "otherness."

Location
Shakespeare often uses different locations to represent mindsets. In Othello, Venice represents
civilization, while Cyprus symbolizes the wilderness. The idea is that what happened in the
Cyprus never would happen in the civilized city of Venice.

Critical Essays Character Pairs

Many of the scenes in Othello work by the pairing of two characters who are basically different
in values or hidden agendas, putting them together through an experience or event, which has a
different significance for each. Such pairs are Iago and Roderigo, Desdemona and Emilia,
Othello and Iago, and Iago and Emilia.

Iago is paired with Roderigo for purposes of exploitation. By talking to him, Iago can show the
audience his wicked intentions, yet Roderigo is so gullible that he is an easy dupe. Desdemona
and Emilia are newly in each other's company, but quickly develop a friendly style of
conversation that contrasts their different approaches to life. Emilia is down to earth to
Desdemona's nobility, and practical to Desdemona's romanticism. Yet, when a crisis comes, they
both share the same basic values of honesty and loyalty.

Iago and Emilia, although married and appearing to be similar personalities on the surface, see
the world differently. Iago has the reputation of the "rough diamond," who speaks directly and
honestly, but he uses his reputation as a disguise for his plotting, whereas the "rough diamond"
really is Emilia's true nature. Their conversations are oppositions of opinion about the nature of
men or women, or attempts by Iago to control Emilia's actions, balanced — until she discovers
his true nature — by Emilia's willingness to do things to please her husband.

The development of the Othello-Desdemona pair is more hidden, and more complex. There is a
polite formality of words between these two which persists below the endearments of the first
half and the abuse and anguish of the second. At a certain level, they always treat each other as
respected strangers, and as circumstances drive them apart, only this formal politeness remains
as a frame for communication in the final act, where they go in different emotional directions,
despite their underlying love for each other.

Critical Essays Shakespeare's Tragedy

Unity, Time, and Place

The dramatic form of classical tragedy derives from the tragic plays of ancient Athens, which
depicted the downfall of a hero or famous character of Greek legend. The hero would struggle
against overwhelming fate, and his defeat would be so noble that he wins the moral victory over
the forces that destroy him. A tragedy evoked pity and terror in the audience; it was a catharsis,
or washing clean of the soul, which left the spectator trembling but purified.
 Aristotle proposed the tragic unities of Place, Time, and Action, that is, the whole tragedy
would take place in a single location, for example a house or a city square (this included
messengers who came in from elsewhere), it would happen during the course of one day
(including speeches about events which had happened in the past), and it would be a single story,
without sub- plots.

Compared with these strict rules, Shakespeare's tragedy is a more relaxed genre,
but Othello much more than, for example, the sprawling Hamlet, observes the spirit of Aristotle.
Othello, apart from Act I in Venice, is located entirely within the fortress at Cyprus. Although
logically the play covers an unspecified time lapse of, we presume, two or three weeks, it
proceeds, more or less, by major scenes through the hours of the day, starting in Venice with the
elopement after midnight, the Senate meeting at dawn, then at Cyprus with the morning storm
and afternoon landings and developments, the fateful drinking party in the early evening and the
murder at bed time. This is not to say that everything happens in the same day; it obviously
cannot, but the impression is of an abstract day unfolding.

The plot is fairly unified, focusing on Othello and his fate, and dealing with other people and
events only in so far as they are relevant to this focus. Othello is about as near as Shakespeare
gets to classical tragedy.

The Tragic Flaw

A. C. Bradley saw Shakespearean tragedy characterized by the "tragic flaw," the internal
imperfection in the hero that brings him down. His downfall becomes his own doing, and he is
no longer, as in classical tragedy, the helpless victim of fate. Some say that Othello's tragic flaw
was jealousy which flared at suspicion and rushed into action unchecked by calm common sense.
A more modern interpretation would say that Othello's tragic flaw was that he had internalized,
that is taken into himself, the prejudices of those who surrounded him. In his heart he had come
to believe what they believed: that a black man is an unattractive creature, not quite human,
unworthy of love. Thinking this, he could not believe that Desdemona could truly love him for
himself. Her love must be a pretense, or a flawed and corrupted emotion. Iago hinted at these
ideas, and Othello rushed to accept them, because they echoed his deepest fears and insecurities.

The Play's Structure

Shakespearean tragedy usually works on a five-part structure, corresponding to the five acts: Part
One, the exposition, outlines the situation, introduces the main characters, and begins the action.
Part Two, the development, continues the action and introduces complications. Part Three, the
crisis (or climax), brings everything to a head. In this part, a change of direction occurs or
understanding is precipitated. Part Four includes further developments leading inevitably to Part
Five, in which the final crisis of action or revelation and resolution are explained. Othello
follows this pattern.