OTHELLO

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

1564 Birth in Stratford-upon-Avon in Stratford, England

1582 Marriage with Anne Hathaway

1604 Othello is penned, being performed on November the 1st at Whitehall.

1610. Othello is performed at Oxford College by the King’s Men during a summer tour.

1612-1613. The King’s men perform Othello and Julius Caesar amongst others in this year.

1616. Death on April 23rd, his burial being recorded in the Stratford Holy Church Register two days later.

He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets

Nickname- The Bard

THE WILLOW SONGhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iYm2MQWPUA

ACT IScene I

Roderigo and Iago have an arguement

Reason for Iago’s hatred is Othello’s recent promotion of Michael Cassio to the post of lieutenant

Iago is serving Othello only for his own interests

They seek revenge by rousing Desdemona’s family against the general

Roderigo and Iago inform Brabantio of Desdemona’s secret marriage to Othello

Enraged, Brabantio sets out in search of his daughter

ACT IScene II

Scene takes place near Othello’s house

Iago warns Othello that Brabantio is searching for him

Cassio brings a suons from the duke demanding Othello’s presence on a matter of urgent state business

Brabantio accuses Othello of abducting Desdemona and wants him to be arrested

There is almost a fight between Othello’s and Brabantio’s men but Othello brings the confrontation to a halt

ACT IScene III

The duke is told about the threatened Turkish invasion of Cyprus

He listens to Brabantios accusation and Othello’s defence and sends for Desdemona to find out who is right

Othello is ordered to go to Cyprus and Desdemona may join him

Roderigo is desperate because he realizies that he’ll never win Desdemona’s love, but Iago has a plan to help him.

IMPORTANT QUOTESWere I the Moor I would not be Iago.In following him I follow but myself;

Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,But seeming so for my peculiar end.

For when my outward action doth demonstrateThe native act and figure of my heart

In compliment extern, ’tis not long afterBut I will wear my heart upon my sleeveFor daws to peck at. I am not what I am. 

IMPORTANT QUOTESBut here’s my husband,

And so much duty as my mother showedTo you, preferring you before her father,So much I challenge that I may profess

Due to the Moor my lord.

ACT IIISCENE I

Cassio brings musicians to serenade Desdemona

He asks Emilia to help him get access to Desdemona

ACT IIISCENE II

Iago, Othello, and a gentleman walk together at the citadel

Othello gives Iago some letters to deliver to Venice

He then leaves his quarters to inspect the island’s fortifications

ACT IIISCENE III

Desdemona promises Cassio that she will intercede for him

Desdemona asks Othello to and reinstate Cassio as lieutenant

Iago sows suspicions in Othello’s mind until the Moor is conivinced that Desdemona is unfaithful to him

Emilia gives Othello’s handkerchief to her husband, who places it in Cassio’s room

Othello finds it and and flies into a rage, but asks for clearer evidence

By the end of the scene he swears that he will be revenged and orders Iago to kill Cassio

Iago is promoted to lieutenant by Othello

ACT IIIScene IV

Othello asks Desdemona for his handkerchief, but she wants to talk about Cassio

Othello leaves in a rage

Cassio and Iago enter, and Cassio immediately continues with his suit to Desdemona for help

Cassio shows Bianca the handkerchief he found in his room and asks her to copy its embroidery

IMPORTANT QUOTESHaply for I am black,

And have not those soft parts of conversationThat chamberers have; or for I am declined

Into the vale of years—yet that’s not much—She’s gone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu7FgXSD_Vg&feature=related

ACT VScene I

Roderigo lies in wait for Cassio

In the fight both, Roderigo and Cassio, are wounded

Othello hears them and thinks that Iago has murdered Cassio as promised

Now he wants to do the same to Desdemona

Lodovico and Grantiano hasten to see what is the matter, Iago appears as well and stabbs Roderigo

“This is the fruits of whoring”

Iago takes control of the situation, sending Emilia back to Othello and Desdemona

ACT VScene II

Othello comes to Desdemona’s bed-chamber, determined to kill her

Desdemona pleads for innocence but Othello doesn’t believe her

He covers her head with a pillow and suffocates her

Emilia comes in and brings the news of the death Roderigo and the fighting

When she sees the dead Desdemona she raises the alarm

Iago, Gratiano and Montano enter the room

Emilia denounces Iago, who draws his sword on her and escapes

Othello stabs himself, Iago is taken away to be tortured

16TH-CENTURY ELIZABETHAN THEATRE

Religious groups condemned theater for the immorality in the plays.

All of society attended the theater, including royalty. Plays were meant to be performed-- not seen as

literature, therefore only rough copies of Shakespeare’s plays survive today.

Only men were actors at the time, even for female roles.

OTHELLO Play’s protagonist and hero

Moorish prince living in Venice

General in the Venetian Army

Very powerful and respected figure

However, he is very insecure and jealous

Kills Desdemona in the end because of jealousy

Commits suicide

CASSIO Othello’s lieutenant

Honourable Florentine

Likes women and alcohol

Unjustly accused of having an affair with Desdemona

In the end he outsmarts everyone by foiling his own murder

IAGO Othello’s ancient and a professional soldier

Snake in the grass

Misuses Othello’s trust, abuses Roderigo for his own profit

Fools Desdemona and kills his own wife

Regards women as things

Main motives are greed and envy

Considers love as "merely a lust of the blood and permission of the will” and virtue as a “fig” that is soon rotted

Embodiment of evil

THE GLOBE THEATRE Shakespeare’s theater group constructed The Globe,

an open-air round theatre. The original theatre burned in 1613. A new Globe

Theatre was built in London in 1997.

JEALOUSYIago:

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock

The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss,Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger:

But O, what damnèd minutes tells he o'erWho dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!

Othello:O misery!

THE HANDKERCHIEF