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The play opens on a street In Venice, Italy. In the opening scene Ago, Toothless ensign, and Ordering, the suitor of Desman, decide to tell senator Abrogation that his daughter Desman has left to marry Othello without her father’s permission. Abrogation confronts Othello, but finally he is convinced by Othello and Desman that they love each other and gives them permission. At the same time Turkish invasion is reaching Cyprus, so Othello is asked to sail to Cyprus and lead the deference forces against Turks.
All main characters travel to Cyprus, but when they reach Cyprus they find out that the Invasion was dispersed by a storm. At the party Ago manipulates Cassia to make him drunk, for which he is fired. Cassia asks Desman to convince Othello to give him his Job back and Ago uses this meeting to persuade Othello that Desman is having an affair with Cassia. Moreover, Ago slip Adhesion’s handkerchief In Cassia’s room which proves her infidelity. Othello trusts Ago and mad with Jealousy he asks Ago to help him kill Cassia and Desman. Ago manipulates Ordering to kill Cassia, but Ordering Is not successful ND both are hurt.
Meanwhile, Othello kills Desman. After she is killed, Emilie, Adhesion’s servant and Sago’s wife, discovers the subterfuge. She declares Ago a liar and explains the true story. When Othello sees the truth, he tries to kill Ago, but he is not successful and finally commits suicide. Main Characters Othello is a Christian black Moor who is the general of the armies of Venice. He begins as a noble man who Is a respected soldier and a loving husband. However, because of his naivety and trustfulness he becomes an irrational, Jealous and violent arson who kills his own wife.
Ago is Othello ensign and the main antagonist in the play. He is a brilliant manipulator who wants to take a revenge on Othello, but his motivations are not clearly expressed in the play. Desman is a beautiful, young, white lady, who refuses to marry any of rich men and has a relationship with Othello. This posture confronts sixteenth century attitudes about society, marriage and race. Ordering Is a rich, foolish and Jealous suitor of Desman who Is repeatedly manipulated by Ago. Michael Cassia Is appointed as Othello lieutenant, which makes Ago furious.
Emilie is Sago’s wife and Adhesion’s attendant. She is a cynical woman, who is loyal to her mistress. Peregrination and historical context Shakespeare is the best known author from Elizabethan era, which is a period of time between 1558 and 1603. Elizabethan literature can be described not only as the period of growth, but also can be characterized “by a new energy, originality, and confidence” (Talkback, 2013, [online]). “Elizabethan drama often used poetical meter (rhythm) for its dialogue, especially the five-foot iambic pentameter” (Talkback, 2013, online]).
However, the term Elizabethan literature is only chronological reference and “does not describe any special characteristic of the writing” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013, [online]). According to Encyclopedia Britannica (2013, [online]) some of the other key writers of this period are Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spencer, Roger Chasm, Richard Hooker, and Christopher Marlowe. Both Shakespeare and subjects for their drama, including the question of political power” which we can see in Timberland the Great by Marrow and in Shakespearean Macbeth (Talkback, 2013, online]). There were even more authors writing about similar issues.
For instance, Thomas Kid was influenced by William Shakespeare a lot, which can be seen in his play called The Spanish Tragedy because it is very similar to Shakespearean Hamlet (Talkback, 2013, [online]). Social conditions were doubled during this period – there were rich people who became even richer and on the other side poor people who became even poorer. This gave reasons to many authors to write the pamphlets providing view of “a horrific world of vagabondage and crime, the Elizabethans’ suggest, unsolvable social problem” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013, [online]).
The pamphlets of Thomas Herman and Robert Greene, as well as Shakespearean King Lear are the most important and well-known ones. Moreover, during this period many works focused on black and exotic people started to be written. As the examples we can use Shakespearean Othello, and Johnny’s The Masque of Blackness. Literary influence on creating Othello According to Johnson-Instate (2005, [online]) the basic source for the plot of the play Othello was a short story written by Italian writer Cynthia Gymnastics Garibaldi.
The plot of Conation’s story centers on four characters, all of whom Shakespeare borrowed for his tragedy: the Moor, the Ensign, the Captain and the Moor’s wife, Discommode” Nonsense-Instate, 2005, [online]). However, all these characters are a little bit differentiated from the original ones. For example, “Conation’s Moor reflects certain racial stereotypes of the day, such as a proclivity toward Jealousy and passion, whereas Shakespeare takes pains to establish Othello heroic qualities alongside his blind spots” Nonsense-Instate, 2005, [online]). The contrast of black and white color in Othello
The contrast of black and white has a crucial meaning in Othello. It is represented mainly with a race because Othello is Moor and the contrast between a white beautiful girl and a black Moor is fascinating for people through many centuries. (Hill’s, 2010, 538) The contrast can be seen in the speech of Ago when he wakens Abrogation with the news that his daughter eloped with Othello: AGO Even now, now, very now, an old black ram Is tipping your white ewe. Arise, arise; Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, Or else the devil will make a grandkids of you. Arise I say! (Shakespeare, 1968: 54)
The term Moor was used for non-whites or Muslims of any origins. These people were stereotypically referred to as devils or villains and their blackness was connected with moral corruption, animal sexuality, sins, tendency to be Jealous and mean, while white color was considered to be pure and noble Nonsense-Instate, 2005, [online]). Hill’s (2010: 542) pointed out that Ordering and Ago are trying to impose their view of Othello that correspond with Elizabethan racist stereotype of black man or Moor: AGO daughter covered with a Barbara horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have recourse for cousins and gannets for Germans.
I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs. You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbara horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you. (Shakespeare, 1968: 55) However, Lagos words are hypocritical because when Othello appears we realize that he is a trustful, level-headed, wise and serene person which denies all stereotypes about Moors. Instead of a black devil there is a Judicious man, a soldier who does not like useless violence (Hill’s, 2010, 543). Nevertheless, during the play
Othello changes and becomes a Jealous and villainous person because of his trustfulness. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses black color with an irony. For example, when Desman sees Othello Jealous humor, she “refers to black bile, one of the four ‘humors’ that were thought to affect human emotion” (Kay, [online]). Moreover, black color is mentioned by Othello as well. He calls Desman “begrimed and black as mine own face” (Shakespeare, 1968: 119) and talks of “black vengeance” (Shakespeare, 1968: 121). The paradox is that it is Ago with whom “black vengeance” is associated.
In my point of view, this play is timeless because it deals with issues like race or Jealousy that are still valid these days, although this play was written almost four centuries ago. As I see it, the fact that Shakespeare was able to write about these issues makes him a brilliant and unique playwright.