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.
