Othello – The protagonist and tragic hero of the play. A Moor commanding the armies of Venice, he is a celebrated general and heroic figure whose “free and open nature” will enable Iago to twist his love for his wife Desdemona into a powerful jealousy. Desdemona – The daughter of a Venetian Senator, and Othello’s bride. The most sympathetic character in the play, she is deeply in love with her husband, and her purity contrasts strongly with Iago’s wickedness. Iago – Othello’s ensign, and Shakespeare’s greatest villain. His public face of bravery and honesty conceals a Satanic delight in manipulation and destruction.
Passed over for a promotion by his commander, he vows to destroy the Moor. Cassio – Othello’s lieutenant, promoted in place of Iago. He is an inexperienced officer but an honest man, with a great concern for his good name. Emilia – Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant. A cynical, worldly woman, she is deeply attached to her mistress. Roderigo – A jealous suitor of Desdemona. A vain, melodramatic fool, he follows Desdemona and Othello to Cyprus and acts as a willing tool for Iago. Bianca – A courtesan in Cyprus, and Cassio’s mistress. Brabantio – Desdemona’s father, and a Senator in Venice.
A friend of Othello, he feels betrayed when the Moor marries his daughter in secret. Lodovico – Brabantio and Desdemona’s kinsman, he acts as a messenger from Venice to Cyprus. Gratiano – Brabantio’s brother. Clown – Othello’s servant. Montano – The governor of Cyprus before Othello. The Duke of Venice – The official authority in Venice who presides over some scenes and events in Othello. Roderigo, meanwhile, appears as a whiner and dupe for Iago–if he is the best suitor Venice has to offer, then Desdemona’s preference for Othello is understandable.
As for Othello himself, we hear the racist insults of Roderigo and Iago, who refer to him as “thick-lips” (I. i. 66) and “an old black ram” (I. i. 88-89), so his identity as an African and an alien in Venice are firmly established. At the same time, Othello’s importance in Venice is clear: he can appoint officers, converse with the chief citizens, and marry the daughter of a Senator. This is the paradox of Othello–as a heroic general, he is tremendously powerful, but as a black man in a white society, he is tremendously vulnerable.
This is our first glimpse of the Moor, and he seems appropriately commanding–he forestalls a battle with the simple yet menacing command, “keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them. ” (I. ii. 59) His importance in Venice, meanwhile, is demonstrated by the Duke’s call for him–Brabantio, a Senator himself, has not been told of the council meeting, while Othello’s presence is required. Othello’s defense, meanwhile, is both eloquent and honest–his nobility is never more evident than in these early speeches, which serve to balance Iago’s earlier descriptions of the Othello/Desdemona marriage in crudely sexual terms.
Othello’s account of the courtship and his wife’s confirmation testify to the authenticity of their romance–which is an important theme of the play. The tragedy succeeds so well only because the audience is never allowed to doubt that Othello and Desdemona are truly in love with one another. In telling the story of how he was passed over for promotion to lieutenant, Iago says that three influential men apparoached Othello on Iago’s behalf, “But he, as loving his own pride and purposes, / Evades them, with a bombast circumstance / Horribly stuff’d with epithets of war” (1. . 12-14). “Bombast” is cotton stuffing; “circumstance” is wordy rigmarole; and “epithets of war” are military terms. In short, Iago accuses Othello of using phony military reasons to give the job to Cassio, who has no military experience.
However, later in the scene, after the enraged Brabantio declares that he will hunt Othello down, Iago admits that Venice doesn’t have a better military man than Othello. He tells Roderigo that Othello won’t lose his job over his marriage to Desdemona because the Venetian Senate can’t do without him. Another of his fathom [depth of experience] they have none, / To lead their business” (1. 1. 152-153). [Scene Summary] Brabantio, leading a group of armed men, confronts Othello, who is accompanied by another group of armed men. Brabantio charges Othello with stealing his daughter and orders his men take Othello prisoner.
Swords are drawn, and it looks as if a brawl is about to break out, but Othello calms the situation with a few words. He then says, “Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it / Without a prompter” (1. . 83-84). He seems to be implying that because of his military experience he knows best when it’s best to fight and when to hold fire. [Scene Summary] To answer Brabantio’s charge that he has used drugs and magic on Desdemona, Othello tells the story of the growth of his relationship with Desdemona. He starts his tale by saying, “Her father loved me; oft invited me; / Still question’d me the story of my life, / From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes, / That I have passed” (1. 3. 128-131).
In other words, Brabantio often invited Othello over to tell war stories. The war stories were exciting; Othello has known victory and defeat, and he has seen many strange lands and people. Later in the scene, the Duke tells Othello that he must leave for Cyprus immediately, even though he is newly married. The Duke says that the Venetians already have a good man in Cyprus, but “opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safer voice on you” (1. 3. 224-226). In other words, Othello’s reputation is such that no one will feel safe until he is on the job.
Othello replies that he is so used to the hardships of war that “the flinty and steel couch of war” is his “thrice-driven bed of down” (1. 3. 230-231). Flint is the hardest stone, and steel the hardest metal; a “thrice-driven bed of down” is the softest feather bed. He goes on, saying, “I do agnize [recognize] / A natural and prompt alacrity [readiness] / I find in hardness [hardship] ” (1. 3. 231-233). In other words, not only is he used to hardship, but the prospect of hardship makes him eager to go. Scene Summary] Montano, the current governor of Cyprus, is glad to hear that Othello is coming to take over, “For I have served him, and the man commands / Like a full soldier” (2. 1. 33-36). The phrase “I have served him” indicates that Montano was Othello’s subordinate. [Scene Summary] When he can’t get a straight answer about who is responsible for the fight between Cassio and Montano, Othello begins to lose patience and says, “‘Zounds, if I stir, / Or do but lift this arm, the best of you / Shall sink in my rebuke” (2. 3. 207-209).
Part of Othello’s threat is a reminder that he is a better soldier than any of them. [Scene Summary] When Iago tells Othello that Brabantio will try to annul his marriage to Desdemona, Othello replies that what he has done (as general of the Venetian army) for Venice will outweigh anything that Brabantio can say: “Let him do his spite: / My services which I have done the signiory / Shall out-tongue his complaints” (1. 2. 17-19). Othello is not only confident in his worth as a military man, he is also sure that he deserves Desdemona in every way.
He says that though he hasn’t bragged about it, “I fetch my life and being / From men of royal siege” (1. 2. 21-22). “Siege” means “seat,” and Othello means that members of his family have sat on thrones. His family is just as good as Brabantio’s, and his own merits can speak on equal terms “to as proud a fortune / As this that I have reach’d” (1. 2. 23-24). And he loves Desdemona. For her he has given up some precious freedom. He says, “But that I love the gentle Desdemona, / I would not my unhoused free condition / Put into circumscription and confine / For the sea’s worth” (1. . 25-28). [Scene Summary] When the Duke tells Othello that he must leave for Cyprus immediately, even though he is newly married, Othello replies that he is so used to the hardships of war that “the flinty and steel couch of war” is his “thrice-driven bed of down” (1. 3. 230-231). Flint is the hardest stone, and steel the hardest metal; a “thrice-driven bed of down” is the softest feather bed. He goes on, saying, “I do agnize [recognize] / A natural and prompt alacrity [readiness] / I find in hardness [hardship] ” (1. 3. 231-233).
In other words, not only is he used to hardship, but the prospect of hardship makes him eager to go [Scene Summary] When he can’t get a straight answer about who is responsible for the fight between Cassio and Montano, Othello begins to lose patience and says, “‘Zounds, if I stir, / Or do but lift this arm, the best of you / Shall sink in my rebuke” (2. 3. 207-209). Part of Othello’s threat is a reminder that he is a better soldier than any of them. [Scene Summary] Othello compares the value of his freedom and his love to all the treasure of the sea.
He says, “But that I love the gentle Desdemona, / I would not my unhoused free condition / Put into circumscription and confine / For the sea’s worth” (1. 2. 25-28). Facing the Brabantio and his supporters, Othello says, “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them” (1. 2. 59). This is the kind of thing that many men fantasize about; with a few well-chosen words, the hero calms an angry crowd. “Keep up your bright swords” means “put your bright swords back in their sheaths,” and “the dew will rust them” is a bit of gentle sarcasm.
Othello is reminding the men he’s facing that their swords will be quite useless. He and his men are soldiers. Brabantio’s men are policemen and civilians. It is quite impossible for Brabantio and his men to win any fight against Othello and his men. [Scene Summary] At the Senate, replying to Brabantio’s accusations, Othello first pays his respects to all present, addressing them as “Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors, / My very noble and approved good masters” (1. 3. 76-77). Then Othello judiciously distinguishes truth from fiction.
He says, “That I have ta’en away this old man’s daughter, / It is most true; true, I have married her: / The very head and front of my offending / Hath this extent, no more” (1. 3. 78-81). By “head and front of my offending,” Othello means the very worst that can be said of him. The phrase is a bit ironic; Brabantio has made all kinds of accusations, but the only thing that Othello has really done is marry Desdemona. Othello then says he can’t give a good speech, since he has been a soldier from the age of seven, but he will “a round unvarnish’d tale deliver” (1. 3. 90) of his love.
Again being ironic, he also says that he will give an account of “what drugs, what charms, / What conjuration and what mighty magic” (1. 3. 91-92) he used to win Desdemona’s heart. His irony conveys the idea that his love is greater than any drug, charm, conjuration, or magic. [Scene Summary] In Cyprus, after passing through a storm at sea and being reunited with Desdemona, Othello expresses his joy : If after every tempest come such calms, May the winds blow till they have waken’d death! And let the labouring bark [ship] climb hills of seas Olympus-high and duck again as low As hell’s from heaven!
If it were now to die, ‘Twere now to be most happy; for, I fear, My soul hath her content so absolute That not another comfort like to this Succeeds in unknown fate. (2. 1. 185-193) His comparisons expresses an emotion that knows no bounds — not the bounds of sky, sea, heaven, hell, death or fate. [Scene Summary] At the end of his tale to Roderigo about how he was passed over for promotion to lieutenant, Iago displays his jealousy of Cassio. He says that Cassio, a “counter-caster”(1. 1. 31) (our phrase is “bean counter”), has the job Iago wanted, while Iago has to keep on being “his Moorship’s ancient [ensign] ” (1. . 33). A little later, Roderigo, who is desperately in love with Desdemona, expresses his jealousy of Othello’s marriage to Desdemona by exclaiming, “What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe [own] / If he can carry’t thus! ” (1. 1. 66-67).
Where Roderigo says “carry’t thus” we would say “carry it off. ” [Scene Summary] After Desdemona makes it clear that she loves and honors her husband, Brabantio remains vindictive, and bitterly warns Othello that Desdemona may turn out to be a slut: “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: / She has deceived her father, and may thee” (1. . 292-293). No father has ever expressed a more hateful jealousy of his son-in-law. [Scene Summary] In a soliloquy at the end of the first scene in Cyprus, Iago speaks of his own motivations. He says of Desdemona, “Now, I do love her too; / Not out of absolute lust, though peradventure / I stand accountant for as great a sin, / But partly led to diet [feed] my revenge” (2. 1. 291-294). He wants revenge for his own suspicion that Othello has gone to bed with Emilia.
It’s eating at his gut and he won’t be satisfied “Till I am even’d with him, wife for wife, / Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor / At least into a jealousy so strong / That judgment [reason] cannot cure” (2. 1. 299-302). The phrase “even’d with him, wife for wife,” seems to mean that he has some notion that he might have sex with Desdemona, but it’s not the sex that’s important. Othello must feel that same poisonous jealousy that Iago feels. Scene Summary] Trying to prove to Roderigo that he really does hate Othello, Iago says that there are men who serve their masters only to get what they can, “and when they have lin’d their coats / Do themselves homage” (1. 1. 53-54). In other words, they do themselves honor by being dishonorable to those that they serve.
We would call such persons embezzlers or worse, but Iago sees them in another light: “These fellows have some soul; / And such a one do I profess myself” (1. 1. 54-55). He ends the speech by saying, “I am not what I am” (1. . 65), and his actions in the rest of the play shows the truth of that statement. He constantly uses his good reputation for dishonorable purposes. [Scene Summary] Trying to provoke Othello’s anger against Brabantio, Iago tells him that Brabantio “prated, / And spoke . . . scurvy and provoking terms / Against your honour” (1. 2. 6-8). Then he warns Othello that Brabantio will try to annull his marriage to Desdemona. Othello replies, Let him do his spite: My services which I have done the signiory Shall out-tongue his complaints.
