Othello begins on
a street in Venice, in the midst of an argument between Roderigo,
a rich man, and Iago. Roderigo has been paying Iago to help him
in his suit to Desdemona. But Roderigo has just learned that Desdemona
has married Othello, a general whom Iago begrudgingly serves as
ensign. Iago says he hates Othello, who recently passed him over
for the position of lieutenant in favor of the inexperienced soldier
Michael Cassio.
Unseen, Iago and Roderigo cry out to Brabanzio that his
daughter Desdemona has been stolen by and married to Othello, the Moor.
Brabanzio finds that his daughter is indeed missing, and he gathers
some officers to find Othello. Not wanting his hatred of Othello
to be known, Iago leaves Roderigo and hurries back to Othello before
Brabanzio sees him. At Othello’s lodgings, Cassio arrives with an
urgent message from the duke: Othello’s help is needed in the matter
of the imminent Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Not long afterward,
Brabanzio arrives with Roderigo and others, and accuses Othello
of stealing his daughter by witchcraft. When he finds out that Othello
is on his way to speak with the duke, -Brabanzio decides to go along
and accuse Othello before the assembled senate.
Brabanzio’s plan backfires. The duke and senate are very
sympathetic toward Othello. Given a chance to speak for himself,
Othello explains that he wooed and won Desdemona not by witchcraft
but with the stories of his adventures in travel and war. The duke
finds Othello’s explanation convincing, and Desdemona herself enters
at this point to defend her choice in marriage and to announce to
her father that her allegiance is now to her husband. Brabanzio
is frustrated, but acquiesces and allows the senate meeting to resume.
The duke says that Othello must go to Cyprus to aid in the defense against
the Turks, who are headed for the island. Desdemona insists that
she accompany her husband on his trip, and preparations are made
for them to depart that night.
In Cyprus the following day, two gentlemen stand on the
shore with Montano, the governor of Cyprus. A third gentleman arrives and
reports that the Turkish fleet has been wrecked in a storm at sea. Cassio,
whose ship did not suffer the same fate, arrives soon after, followed
by a second ship carrying Iago, Roderigo, Desdemona, and Emilia,
Iago’s wife. Once they have landed, Othello’s ship is sighted, and
the group goes to the harbor. As they wait for Othello, Cassio greets
Desdemona by clasping her hand. Watching them, Iago tells the audience
that he will use “as little a web as this” hand-holding to ensnare
Cassio (II.i.169).
Othello arrives, greets his wife, and announces
that there will be reveling that evening to celebrate Cyprus’s safety
from the Turks. Once everyone has left, Roderigo complains to Iago
that he has no chance of breaking up Othello’s marriage. Iago assures Roderigo
that as soon as Desdemona’s “blood is made dull with the act of
sport,” she will lose interest in Othello and seek sexual satisfaction
elsewhere (II.i.222). However, Iago warns
that “elsewhere” will likely be with Cassio. Iago counsels Roderigo
that he should cast Cassio into disgrace by starting a fight with
Cassio at the evening’s revels. In a soliloquy, Iago explains to
the audience that eliminating Cassio is the first crucial step in
his plan to ruin Othello. That night, Iago gets Cassio drunk and
then sends Roderigo to start a fight with him. Apparently provoked
by Roderigo, Cassio chases Roderigo across the stage. Governor Montano
attempts to hold Cassio down, and Cassio stabs him. Iago sends Roderigo
to raise alarm in the town.
The alarm is rung, and Othello, who had left
earlier with plans to consummate his marriage, soon arrives to still
the commotion. When Othello demands to know who began the fight,
Iago feigns reluctance to implicate his “friend” Cassio, but he
ultimately tells the whole story. Othello then strips Cassio of
his rank of lieutenant. Cassio is extremely upset, and he laments
to Iago, once everyone else has gone, that his reputation has been
ruined forever. Iago assures Cassio that he can get back into Othello’s good
graces by using Desdemona as an intermediary. In a soliloquy, Iago
tells us that he will frame Cassio and Desdemona as lovers to make
-Othello jealous.
In an attempt at reconciliation, Cassio sends some musicians
to play beneath Othello’s window. Othello, however, sends his clown to
tell the musicians to go away. Hoping to arrange a meeting with Desdemona,
Cassio asks the clown, a peasant who serves Othello, to send Emilia
to him. After the clown departs, Iago passes by and tells Cassio
that he will get Othello out of the way so that Cassio can speak
privately with Desdemona. Othello, Iago, and a gentleman go to examine
some of the town’s fortifications.
Desdemona is quite sympathetic to Cassio’s request and
promises that she will do everything she can to make Othello forgive
his former lieutenant. As Cassio is about to leave, Othello and
Iago return. Feeling uneasy, Cassio leaves without talking to Othello. Othello
inquires whether it was Cassio who just parted from his wife, and
Iago, beginning to kindle Othello’s fire of jealousy, replies, “No,
sure, I cannot think it, / That he would steal away so guilty-like,
/ Seeing your coming” (III.iii.37–39).
Othello becomes upset and moody, and Iago furthers his
goal of removing both Cassio and Othello by suggesting that Cassio
and Desdemona are involved in an affair. Desdemona’s entreaties
to Othello to reinstate Cassio as lieutenant add to Othello’s almost immediate
conviction that his wife is unfaithful. After Othello’s conversation
with Iago, Desdemona comes to call Othello to supper and finds him
feeling unwell. She offers him her handkerchief to wrap around his
head, but he finds it to be “[t]oo little” and lets it drop to the
floor (III.iii.291). Desdemona and Othello
go to dinner, and Emilia picks up the handkerchief, mentioning to
the audience that Iago has always wanted her to steal it for him.
Iago is ecstatic when Emilia gives him the handkerchief,
which he plants in Cassio’s room as “evidence” of his affair with
Desdemona. When Othello demands “ocular proof” (III.iii.365)
that his wife is unfaithful, Iago says that he has seen Cassio “wipe
his beard” (III.iii.444) with Desdemona’s
handkerchief—the first gift Othello ever gave her. Othello vows
to take vengeance on his wife and on Cassio, and Iago vows that
he will help him. When Othello sees Desdemona later that evening,
he demands the handkerchief of her, but she tells him that she does
not have it with her and attempts to change the subject by continuing
her suit on Cassio’s behalf. This drives Othello into a further
rage, and he storms out. Later, Cassio comes onstage, wondering
about the handkerchief he has just found in his chamber. He is greeted
by Bianca, a prostitute, whom he asks to take the handkerchief and
copy its embroidery for him.
Through Iago’s machinations, Othello becomes so consumed
by jealousy that he falls into a trance and has a fit of epilepsy.
As he writhes on the ground, Cassio comes by, and Iago tells him
to come back in a few minutes to talk. Once Othello recovers, Iago
tells him of the meeting he has planned with Cassio. He instructs
Othello to hide nearby and watch as Iago extracts from Cassio the
story of his affair with Desdemona. While Othello stands out of
earshot, Iago pumps Cassio for information about Bianca, causing
Cassio to laugh and confirm Othello’s suspicions. Bianca herself
then enters with Desdemona’s handkerchief, reprimanding Cassio for
making her copy out the embroidery of a love token given to him
by another woman. When Desdemona enters with Lodovico and Lodovico subsequently
gives Othello a letter from Venice calling him home and instating
Cassio as his replacement, Othello goes over the edge, striking
Desdemona and then storming out.
That night, Othello accuses Desdemona of being
a whore. He ignores her protestations, seconded by Emilia, that
she is innocent. Iago assures Desdemona that Othello is simply upset
about matters of state. Later that night, however, Othello ominously tells
Desdemona to wait for him in bed and to send Emilia away. Meanwhile,
Iago assures the still-complaining Roderigo that everything is going
as planned: in order to prevent Desdemona and Othello from leaving,
Roderigo must kill Cassio. Then he will have a clear avenue to his
love.
Iago instructs Roderigo to ambush Cassio, but
Roderigo misses his mark and Cassio wounds him instead. Iago wounds Cassio
and runs away. When Othello hears Cassio’s cry, he assumes that
Iago has killed Cassio as he said he would. Lodovico and Graziano
enter to see what the commotion is about. Iago enters shortly thereafter
and flies into a pretend rage as he “discovers” Cassio’s assailant
Roderigo, whom he murders. Cassio is taken to have his wound dressed.
Meanwhile, Othello stands over his sleeping
wife in their bedchamber, preparing to kill her. Desdemona wakes
and attempts to plead with Othello. She asserts her innocence, but
Othello smothers her. Emilia enters with the news that Roderigo
is dead. Othello asks if Cassio is dead too and is mortified when
Emilia says he is not. After crying out that she has been murdered,
Desdemona changes her story before she dies, claiming that she has committed
suicide. Emilia asks Othello what happened, and Othello tells her
that he has killed Desdemona for her infidelity, which Iago brought
to his attention.
Montano, Graziano, and Iago come into the room. Iago attempts to
silence Emilia, who realizes what Iago has done. At first, Othello insists
that Iago has told the truth, citing the handkerchief as evidence.
Once Emilia tells him how she found the handkerchief and gave it
to Iago, Othello is crushed and begins to weep. He tries to kill Iago
but is disarmed. Iago kills Emilia and flees, but he is caught by Lodovico
and Montano, who return holding Iago captive. They also bring Cassio,
who is now in a chair because of his wound. Othello wounds Iago
and is disarmed. Lodovico tells Othello that he must come with them
back to Venice to be tried. Othello makes a speech about how he
would like to be remembered, then kills himself with a sword he
had hidden on his person. The play closes with a speech by Lodovico.
He gives Othello’s house and goods to Graziano and orders that Iago
be executed.