Course work theme: Visibility and essence in the tragedy Othello

Characters

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  Othello – General in the Venetian military, a noble Moor
  
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  Desdemona – Othello's wife; daughter of Brabantio
  
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  Iago – Othello's trusted, but jealous and traitorous ensign
  
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  Cassio – Othello's loyal and most beloved captain
  
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  Emilia – Iago's wife and Desdemona's maidservant
  
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  Bianca – Cassio's lover
  
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  Brabantio – Venetian senator and Desdemona's father (can also be called Brabanzio)
  
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  Roderigo – dissolute Venetian, in love with Desdemona
  
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  Duke of Venice
  
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  Gratiano – Brabantio's brother
  
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  Lodovico – Brabantio's kinsman and Desdemona's cousin
  
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  Montano – Othello's Venetian predecessor in the government of Cyprus
  
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  Clown – servant
  
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  Senators
  
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  Sailor
  
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  Officers, Gentlemen, Messenger, Herald, Attendants, Musicians, etc.
  

Title page of the first quarto (1622)
Based on its style, the play is usually dated 1603 or 1604, but arguments have been made for dates as early as 1601 or 1602. The play was entered into the Register of the Stationers Company on 6 October 1621, by Thomas Walkley, and was first published in quarto format by him in 1622:
Tragedy of Othello, The Moore of Venice. As it hath beene diuerse times acted at the Globe, and at the Black-Friers, by his Maiesties Seruants. Written by William Shakespeare. London. Printed by N. O. [Nicholas Okes] for Thomas Walkley, and are to be sold at his shop, at the Eagle and Child, in Brittans Bursse, 1622.

The first page of Othello from the First Folio, printed in 1623
One year later, the play was included among the plays in the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays. However, the version in the Folio is rather different in length, and in wording: as the editors of the Folger edition explain: "The Folio play has about 160 lines that do not appear in the Quarto. Some of these cluster together in quite extensive passages. The Folio also lacks a scattering of about a dozen lines or part-lines that are to be found in the Quarto. These two versions also differ from each other in their readings of numerous words." Scholars differ in their explanation of these differences, and no consensus has emerged. Kerrigan suggests that the 1623 Folio version of Othello and a number of other plays may have been cleaned up relative to the Quarto to conform with the 1606 Act to Restrain Abuses, which made it an offence "in any Stage-play, Interlude, Shew, Maygame, or Pageant, iestingly [jestingly], and prophanely [to] speake, or vse the holy Name of God, or of Christ Iesus, or of the holy Ghost, or of the Trinitie".This is not incompatible with the suggestion that the Quarto is based on an early version of the play, whilst the Folio represents Shakespeare's revised version. It may also be that the Quarto was cut in the printing house to meet a fixed number of pages. Most modern editions are based on the longer Folio version, but often incorporate Quarto readings of words when the Folio text appears to be in error.^[5]
Othello begins on a street in Venice, where Roderigo and Iago are arguing. Roderigo has been paying Iago to suit Desdemona for him, yet he has found out that Desdemona has married a black general named Othello. Iago argues that he also hates Othello since Othello has recently 3 given the position of lieutenant to Michael Cassio, an inexperienced soldier, who according to Iago does not deserve to have this position. Roderigo and Iago then go to Brabanzio’s house and cry out to him, claiming his daughter, Desdemona, has been stolen by Othello. Shocked and betrayed, Brabanzio finds out that his daughter is in fact missing, so he decides to gather some officers to find Othello and thus rescue his beautiful daughter. Iago, not wanting to reveal his hatred toward Othello, quickly leaves to join Othello before Brabanzio gets to see him. At Othello’s lodging, Othello is informed that his help is needed in Cyprus, and he must go and speak with the duke about this matter. At this time, Brabanzio and his group arrive and begin accusing Othello, claiming he has stolen Desdemona using witchcraft. The duke and the senate, however, are quite sympathetic toward Othello, and Othello, too, defends himself and asserts that he has wooed Desdemona through his stories of adventure and not witchcraft. In this moment, Desdemona enters the scene and confidently defends her marital choice and bravely declares her pure and true love for her husband. Disappointed and upset, Brabanzio leaves the senate meeting, and soon Othello and Desdemona get ready to go to Cyprus. In Cyprus, Montano, the governor of Cyprus, along with three gentlemen stand on the shore. One of the gentlemen states that the Turkish fleet has been wrecked in the storm. Cassio’s ship soon arrives, and soon after that, the second ship carrying Roderigo, Iago and his wife, and Desdemona arrives. Cassio politely treats Desdemona and claps her hands, and in this moment, Iago addresses the audience by stating that he will use this incidence to destroy the reputation of 4 Cassio. Then Othello’s ship arrives, and he greets Desdemona and states that in the evening, they will celebrate the Cyprus’s safety from the Turks. When everyone has left, Roderigo complains to Iago, arguing he has no chance of getting to Desdemona. Iago, however, once again assures Roderigo that Desdemona, herself, will soon change her mind when she faces the black body of Othello; he argues that Desdemona will look for someone else to fulfill her sexual needs. Iago, however, claims that Desdemona may search for Cassio to fulfill her needs, so Roderigo must destroy Cassio’s high reputation by getting him into a fight at the revels. Then Iago explains to the audience that this is the first and important part of his plan for ruin Othello. At night, Iago gets Cassio too drunk and then asks Roderigo to go and start a fight with him. Being so drunk, Cassio chases Roderigo across the stage and later stabs Montano. Othello, who had left with the intention to consummate his marriage, soon returns to manage the problem. Seeing Cassio as the main cause of the problem, Othello strips Cassio from his position. Cassio expresses his melancholy to Iago and asserts that he can never regain his previous high status; however, Iago argues that Cassio can easily get back his position through getting help from Desdemona. Then Iago explains to the audience that he wants to raise the jealousy in Othello by portraying Cassio and Desdemona as lovers. Cassio sends some musician to play beneath Othello’s window in order to please Othello, but Othello orders the musician to go away. Cassio then tries to speak with Desdemona, and Iago tells him that he will take Othello away so that Cassio could privately talk to Desdemona. When 5 Iago, Othello, and some other gentlemen have gone to examine some of the town’s fortifications, Cassio gets to talk to Desdemona. Desdemona is quite sympathetic to Cassio and promises him to do all she can to make Othello forgive Cassio. As he is leaving, Iago and Othello return, and Cassio leaves without speaking to Othello. Othello then asks Iago to find out if Cassio was the person talking to Desdemona, and Iago, in this scene, begins to kindle the fire of jealousy in Othello. Iago claims that Cassio and Desdemona are involved in a sexual relationship. At night, Desdemona goes to call Othello for supper and finds him feeling unwell. She offers her handkerchief to wrap around his head, but Othello rejects it. The handkerchief drops to the floor, and Emilia comes and picks up the handkerchief and later gives it to Iago since he had repeatedly asked her for it. Iago uses the handkerchief as an evidence to prove Desdemona’s infidelity. He tells Othello that he has personally seen Cassio wiping his beard with Desdemona’s handkerchief. This really upset Othello, and he promises to take revenge on both his wife and Cassio. Later that day, he asks Desdemona about the handkerchief. She asserts that she does not have the handkerchief at the moment and tries to change the conversation by speaking about Cassio and his former position—a fact that further drives Othello in rage. Iago then make another plan to prove Desdemona‘s unfaithfulness. He talks with Cassio about a prostitute name Bianca while making Othello to think that he is talking about Desdemona. When Bianca comes with Desdemona‘s handkerchief, Othello becomes convinced of his wife’s infidelity and is also consumed by jealousy. In the next scene, Othello strikes Desdemona in front of Lodovico, whom has come to give Othello a letter from Venice asking him to return to Venice while instating Cassio for his replacement. Later that day, Othello calls 6 Desdemona a whore and ignores her; he also asks her to wait for him in bed and send Emilia away. At night, with Iago’s instruction, Roderigo intends to kill Cassio; instead, Cassio wounds Roderigo, and Iago wounds Cassio. When hearing the sound of Cassio‘s cry, Othello assumes that Iago has killed Cassio. He then prepares to kill Desdemona, but she wakes up and starts pleading with him. Othello ignores her attempts of rescuing herself and smother her in the bed. He soon regrets his action when he hears that Cassio is alive and he has been betrayed by Iago. In front of Montano, Graziano, and Othello, Iago kills Emilia in order to silence her and then flees, yet he is cut by Lodovico and Montano. Othello then wounds Iago and becomes disarms. Othello lastly gives a speech about how he likes to be remembered and then kills himself with a sword that he had hidden. The play ends with a speech by Lodovico, giving Othello’s house and goods to Graziano while ordering Iago to be executed.