Folger Theatre 2011-2012Directed by Robert RichmondOctober 18-December 4, 2011

Montano: an official in Cyprus

Chris Genebach*

Who’s Who in Othello

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Roderigo: a Venetian gentleman

Louis Butelli*

Brabantio: father of Desdemona

Jeff Allin*

Iago:Othello’s ensign

Ian Merrill Peakes*

Lodovico: a Venitian gentleman

Joe Guzman*

The Duke: The Duke of Venice Gratiano: a Venetian gentleman

Todd Scofield*

Desdemona: a Venetian lady, wife of Othello

Janie Brookshire*

Othello: a Moorish General

Owiso Odera*

Cassio: Othello’sLieutenant

Thomas Keegen*

Bianca: a woman in Cyprus, in love with Cassio

Zehra Fazal

Emilia: Iago’s wife, Desdemona’s attendant

Karen Peakes*

Che Wernsman - Production Stage ManagerEric Arnold - Assistant Stage ManagerKaren Bilotti - Light Board OperatorBrandon Roe - Sound Board OperatorAdalia Vera Tonnyeck - WardrobeKirsten Parker - Production AssistantCasey Kaleba - Fight ChoreographerMichelle Osherow - Resident DramaturgAllison Bucca and Alex Calvin- Dramaturg Assistants

Robert Richmond - DirectorAnthony Cochrane - ComposerTony Cisek - Scenic DesignerAndrew F. Griffin - Lighting DesignerWilliam Ivey Long - Costume DesignerDaniel Pinha- Scenic Assistant/Prop MasterMelissa Wunder - Prop AssistantSasha Bratt - Assistant DirectorMegan Behm- Assistant to the Director

PRODUCTION TEAM AND CREW

* The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association,

the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Cover: Owiso Odera as Othello and Ian Merrill Peakes as Iago. Photo by James Kegley

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SynopsisOthello to reconcile with Cassio. After Desdemona leaves, Iago continues to plant seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind about her and his former lieutenant. Othello demands proof of his wife’s infidelity. Emilia finds Desdemona’s handkerchief and gives it to Iago, who plans to leave it in Cassio’s lodging. Iago then tells Othello that he heard Cassio declaring his love for Desdemona in his sleep. Othello is convinced of her guilt, flies into a rage, and asks Iago to kill Cassio. Iago agrees, and Othello makes Iago his lieutenant.

Desdemona cannot produce the handkerchief when the angry Othello demands to see it. Later, Cassio meets Bianca, his courtesan lover, and asks her to copy the embroidery of a handkerchief he found in his room. Iago tells Othello that Cassio has confessed to infidelity with Desdemona. Othello, overcome with passion, falls into a trance. Later he listens to a conference between Iago and Cassio. Iago asks Cassio about Bianca, and Othello hears only Cassio’s smug laughter. Bianca arrives and returns the handkerchief to Cassio; Othello recognizes the token and reaffirms his desire to see both Desdemona and Cassio dead.

Othello questions Emilia about his wife’s infidelity. She insists that Desdemona is chaste, but Othello refuses to believe her. Roderigo seeks out Iago in desperation and Iago convinces him that he will win Desdemona if he kills Cassio that night. Othello orders Desdemona to prepare for bed and dismiss Emilia; Desdemona obeys. Roderigo ambushes Cassio, and Cassio injures him. Iago stabs Cassio in the leg and flees. While Lodovico and Gratiano tend to Cassio, Iago returns and kills Roderigo. Iago sends Emilia to alert Othello.

Othello enters Desdemona’s sleeping chamber. She wakes to his accusations of infidelity, denies the charge, and pleads for her life. Othello smothers her and Emilia enters to discover her mistress murdered. Montano, Gratiano, and Iago hear Emilia’s cries for help and enter the chamber. Othello cites the handkerchief as evidence and Emilia reveals Iago’s lies. Iago kills his wife and flees, but is captured and returned to the room with the injured Cassio. Othello wounds Iago, then asks for Cassio’s forgiveness. Iago is turned over to the state for torture. Asking the statesmen to report his tragic story justly, Othello stabs himself and dies on the bed with his wife.

One night in Venice, Iago tells Roderigo that Othello, the Moorish general of the Venetian army, has eloped with Roderigo’s beloved Desdemona, daughter of Brabantio. Iago reassures Roderigo that he hates Othello because he made Michael Cassio his lieutenant while Iago remains the general’s ensign, a position of lower rank. Iago and Roderigo wake Brabantio and tell him of Desdemona’s flight. Brabantio storms off with officers to apprehend Othello. Brabantio arrives at Othello’s lodging at the same time as messengers who request the general’s presence before the Duke on state matters. The enraged Brabantio demands justice against Othello, and they depart to have audience with the Duke.

The Duke and members of the Senate discuss news that the Turks have launched a fleet to attack Venetian-controlled Cyprus. Brabantio accuses Othello of using witchcraft to ensnare his daughter. Othello describes their courtship; Desdemona is sent for and confirms that she freely gave her heart to Othello. Brabantio accepts her decision. The Duke sends Othello to defend Cyprus, and Desdemona asks to accompany Othello on his campaign. Othello entrusts her care to Iago and his wife, Emilia. As Roderigo despairs over the loss of Desdemona, Iago advises him to follow her to Cyprus, promising that her love for Othello will not last long. Iago plots to poison Othello’s marriage with jealousy in part because of his suspicions that Emilia has been unfaithful with Othello.

A storm off the coast of Cyprus destroys the Turkish fleet, ending the attack. The Venetian’s ships are delayed by the storm but arrive safely. Iago pulls Roderigo aside and tells him that Desdemona is in love with Cassio. He convinces Roderigo to start a fight with Cassio that evening to discredit his rival. During the celebration of the defeat of the Turks, Iago gets Cassio drunk and Roderigo attacks him. Montano, an official in Cyprus, is wounded by Cassio when he intervenes. Othello enters and demands to know who began the fray. Pretending reluctance, Iago blames Cassio for the violence. Othello dismisses Cassio as his lieutenant. Iago advises Cassio to plead his case to Desdemona who will be able to convince Othello to reinstate him, though Iago plans to make Othello think Desdemona pleads out of love for Cassio.

Emilia and Desdemona listen to Cassio’s suit. Cassio departs abruptly at the sight of Othello and Iago, which Iago hints is cause for suspicion. Desdemona entreats

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“If Shakespeare is to survive it has to be brought screaming into the twenty-first century.” - Robert Richmond, director

When imagining the environment for Othello, one may think of a dark and tragic story of war, race, and jealousy only. Director Robert Richmond also envisioned this play through the lens of religion.

To that end, he set the play during the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) when, historically, armies of Knights from Europe and the Roman Catholic Church invaded and conquered Constantinople in Turkey. The Italian city of Venice, where Othello begins, was the launching place for this final attempt by the Crusaders to capture Jerusalem and Cyprus, where the armies in the play arrive after battle, was an actual stronghold island during these invasions.

To demonstrate these two worlds, scenic designer Tony Cisek created a set that represents aspects of both societies–the vertical, black and white world of Venice juxtaposed against the lush colors and textures of the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus. Lighting designer Andrew Griffin worked with Cisek to illuminate and enhance the darkness of Venice and the vividness of Cyprus. William Ivey Long, costume designer, has dressed the company in thirteenth-century European clothing of the court and the warrior-like garb of the crusading Knights. Anthony Cochrane, composer, collaborated with Richmond, extensively researching and generating the soundscape for the play. From his findings, he composed original music that has a modern feel. Cochrane and sound designer Matt Nielson blended this original composition and recorded sound to bring these two disparate worlds vividly to life.

Richmond’s production is fully infused with opposites–light and darkness, Venice and Cyprus, order and lawlessness, love and betrayal, honor, and deceit.

About the Production

The court in Venice

The bazaar in Cyprus(renderings by Tony Cisek, set designer)

A Note About The Crusades

The “Crusades” is a name given to a series of Holy Wars launched by European Christians during the Middle Ages.

The Saracens had controlled Jerusalem for many years, but they had allowed and even encouraged European Christians to visit Jerusalem. But in 1065, Jerusalem was overtaken by the Turks from the ancient kingdom of Persia. The Turks killed 3,000 Christians and destroyed churches. In 1095, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II called for Christians to fight to take control (continued)

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A Note About The Crusades ...continued

of Jerusalem from the Muslims. The speech appealed to the crowd, who cried out their approval and affixed crosses to their garments and pledged to join the fight. The term “crusade” comes from the old French word “crois” and Latin word “crux” both meaning cross. Following the Pope’s speech, thousands of knights and barons pledged to leave home and travel to the Holy Land to answer the Pope’s call. In August of the following year, the first expedition departed, and the Crusades had begun.

There were a total of nine crusades, lasting from the Pope’s speech in 1095 to 1291 when Acre, the last of the Christian holdings in Jerusalem, was lost.

The first four crusades were the most significant. The first crusade was led by some of the most distinguished representatives of knighthood in Europe: Raymond of Toulouse, Godfrey and Baldwin of Boillon, Bohemond, the son of Robert Guiscard, and Robert, the son of William the Conqueror. The expedition numbered about 700,000 men, who traversed Europe by different routes and reassembled at Constantinople. They were successful, capturing Nicaea, Antioch, and finally Jerusalem.

The success of the first crusade did not last. The second crusade ended with a failure to take Damascus. The third crusade ended with an agreement between English King Richard I (nicknamed the “Lion Hearted”) and Muslim leader Saladin. The fourth crusade led to the sacking of Constantinople and the establishment of a Latin Kingdom of Byzantium in 1204. The Children’s Crusade, led by 12-year old Stephen of Cloyes, led to thousands of children being sold into slavery, lost, or killed. These were followed by minor crusades, lasting until 1291 when the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem ceased to exist.

Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine are the co-editors of the Folger Shakespeare Library editions and, having recently completed editing all of Shakespeare’s plays, they have started to revise them once again.

The job of an editor is a challenging one, especially when it comes to editing Shakespeare’s plays. Often, editors are working with several texts of the same play and must make choices regarding which words were most likely the ones Shakespeare used when he first wrote the plays.

Think about the choices editors have to make when it comes to deciding whether to keep a passage from Romeo and Juliet, for example, that many readers and audiences know as “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet” (2.2.46-7) when research tells the editor that the line should be: “By any other word would smell as sweet.” What’s an editor to do?

Click on the link below to watch an interview with Dr. Mowat on the issues an editor confronts when editing Shakespeare. In the interview, Dr. Mowat discusses the challenges that arise when an editor is faced with multiple editions of the same play. In this segment of a longer interview, Dr. Mowat comments on editing decisions she has had to make with regard to Macbeth, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet. http://www.folger.edu/EditingOthello

On Editing Shakespeare

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The name Cyprus comes from one of the names of the goddess Venus, Kypris, for whom the island was supposedly named. In fact, the story of Venus underlies the plot of Othello. Venus’ husband was a the god called Vulcan, a blacksmith with a lame leg. She also had a lover, Mars, the god of war. In his jealousy, Vulcan created a net of gold mesh to catch them in the act. One day when Venus and Mars were together, Vulcan sprang the trap and caught the lovers in the net. He held them up to be ridiculed by all the other gods for their behavior. In Shakespeare’s play, Iago often refers to nets and snares and traps he’s set for Othello and Desdemona. Othello is a dramatic reworking of the tale of Vulcan and Venus which would have been familiar to Shakespeare’s audiences.

Mars and Venus discovered by Vulcan. 18th c Italian. National Gallery of Ireland

Classical Roots

In Othello, Shakespeare ostensibly presents us with two very different worlds. For an English audience in the seventeenth century, Venice represented thriving capitalism where wealthy merchants controlled the state, buying powerful military forces to protect their colonial interests. In Shakespeare’s play, Venice appears to be the place of urbanity and civilization, reason and light, the archetypal Renaissance city. In 1.3, although the action takes place at night, the Senators meet in a brightly lit chamber, where light symbolizes the search for control and order.

On the other hand, Cyprus, the borderland, appears to be a place of wildness, passion, and rebellion. The island is beset with “desperate tempest” (2.1.21) and “high seas, and howling winds” (2.1 68), and our introduction to the island is a violent storm where the natural boundaries between sky and sea are blurred. However, as with many of Shakespeare’s plays, it may be that the playwright layers into the text a more subtle connection between the two locations. Despite its apparent self-confidence, Venice itself may conceal a suppressed version of Cyprus,

revealed through the action of the play. In the opening scene outside Brabantio’s palace, elements of disorder, jealousy, bestiality, theft, and deception are presented to us and prompt us to wonder, long before Othello lands there, whether or not “Cyprus” is already in Venice.

Where Worlds Collide

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I am sorry that I am deceived in him. (4.1.321)

Othello is a play about deception and the emotional upheaval it can cause when it goes undetected and un-checked. The character in the play that stands out most clearly as a deceiver is Iago. Iago’s assures Roderigo that he hates the Moor in the first act of the play when he says, “Despise me/If I do not” (1.1.8-9). And he underscores his hatred of Othello later when he say, “I hate the Moor” (1.3.408). While the reader/audience knows this about Iago, Othello does not, so when Othello describes Iago to Cassio as, “most honest,” (2.3.7) the groundwork for the deception to follow is laid. The destruction he causes in the play as a result of his plot to bring Othello down is clear.

Iago, however, isn’t the only character involved in deception. Othello also engages in a kind of self-deception, perhaps not as obvious, but present nevertheless in the play. Emilia, whose relationship with her husband Iago is subject to much discussion, engages in a deceit with him when she steals Desdemona’s handkerchief. Even Desdemona can, to some degree, be seen as a perpetrator of deception when she marries Othello without telling her father, Brabantio, who reminds Othello about her ability to deceive when he says, “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see./She has deceived her father and may thee” (1.3.333-4). Later in the play, she tells Othello that her handkerchief is in her possession when, in fact, she has lost it. Roderigo deceives himself into believing that he can woo Desdemona away from Othello by providing cash and jewels to Iago as his go-between.

It is difficult to look at Othello and find an important character who hasn’t been the victim of deception. Decep-tion leads to disastrous results for everyone by the end of the play. What point is Shakespeare making about deception in the play?

What motivates DECEPTION?

Iago’s Motivation -- Now sir, be judge yourself... (1.1.40)

What leads a man to the villainy that Iago resorts to in Othello? If Iago is a man of “honesty and trust,” (1.3.323), as thought by Othello, then why would he set the traps that would eventually kill his superior, that man’s wife and eventually his own wife? Is he purely evil or do his motives have merit? The play deals very little with the motives, but spends a lot of time allowing the audience to see Iago almost get away with his dirty deeds. However, towards the beginning of the play Iago does mention at least two reasons for the fatal plans he is setting into motion. One is the fact that Iago has been passed over for a promotion by Othello, who gave his desired military post to Cassio, a younger and presumably less knowledgeable man. “He [Cassio] in good time, must his lieutenant be, /And I…his Moorship’s ancient” (1.1.34-35).

Secondly, Iago mentions that there have been rumors of his wife Emilia being unfaithful to him with Othello. “ …it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets [he] ‘Has done my office”(1.3.430). Iago goes on to say that this may not actually be the case, but because he hates Othello so, he will act solely on suspicion.

Shakespeare’s Othello is thought to be an adaptation of the Italian writer Cinthio’s Un Capitano Moro. The plot line is very similar in the play, however Cinthio’s “Iago” has a slightly different motivation: he is in love with “Desdemona” and seeks revenge when his love is unrequited.

What do you think? Do you believe Iago might have other reasons for his behavior? What lines from the play can you cite to support your argument?

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Much Ado About RhetoricWhether you are trying to move one person or a nation, how you speak influences how your audience listens. In order to be a persuasive speaker, the Greek philosopher Aristotle highlights three qualities the speaker must have: the speaker must be (or appear to be) believable, must stir your emotions, and the topic must hold at least a grain of truth in order to make sense.

The art of rhetoric was also studied during Shakespeare’s lifetime; classical Greek and Roman literature and history held an attraction for educated people. As a boy, Shakespeare would have studied the speeches of famous rhetoricians, and may even have had to present his own persuasive speeches to his classmates during their 11-hour school day. It could explain why many characters he created, like Othello, are so well-spoken:

Othello eloquently tells the story of the hardships of his life (truth), which sometimes distresses Desdemona to tears, and Brabantio invites him to tell these stories time and time again because he likes Othello (believable). The Duke sums it up best after Othello defends himself, “I think this tale would win my daughter too.” (1.3.197)

Modern rhetoricians have included presidents, lawyers, politicians, and a leader of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr., who was an influential speaker because he shared stories from his own experiences with oppression (truth), which raised passions in his audience on both sides of the movement (emotions), and he spoke with such fervor and emotion that people wanted to hear more (believable). Many of his most inspirational quotes can be found in the new monument honoring him in Washington, DC.

Think about how speech influences your attention as an audience. Are you listening for truth? Does the speaker pique your emotions? Do you believe the speaker, and would you listen to him or her again? Whom have you heard speak that you believe to be a talented rhetorician?

From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes,That I have passed.I ran it through, even from my boyish days,To the very moment that he bade me tell it;Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,Of moving accidents by flood and fieldOf hair-breadth scapes i’ the imminent deadly breach,Of being taken by the insolent foeAnd sold to slavery, of my redemption thenceAnd portance in my travels’ history:Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle,Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heavenIt was my hint to speak,--such was the process;And of the Cannibals that each other eat,The Anthropophagi and men whose headsDo grow beneath their shoulders.This to hearWould Desdemona seriously incline:…She loved me for the dangers I had pass’d,And I loved her that she did pity them.This only is the witchcraft I have used: (1.3.151-70, 193-195)

The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare; by Thomas Fuller,

1603. Folger Shakespeare Library.

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A motif is a recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work. There are symbols and easily identifiable motifs throughout Othello. Symbols found in plays can be defined as objects, characters, and figures that are used to represent ideas or concepts.

You will notice that, in subject matter, this is a dark play indeed. As Iago spins his web to ensnare Othello, the other characters are literally and figuratively kept in the dark. When Othello demands “ocular proof” of Desdemona’s deception, he is still not able to see things clearly. He is blinded by rage and cannot see the truth. Eventually this motif of light and darkness, of seeing and not seeing, are symbolized in the candle to which Desdemona’s life is compared. “Put out the light, then put out the light.” (5.2.7)

Another literary motif is the use of animals in describing Othello. The terms “Barbary horse,” “black ram,” and “beast,” are all used in reference to Othello. This comparison to animals represents the prejudice that Venetians had towards people of Moorish or African descent at the time. In general, describing a person or group of people in animal terms is a way of defining that person or group as being less than human. This prejudice is manipulated by Iago to paint a subhuman picture of Othello in the eyes of Brabantio and other characters. The most predominant symbol in Othello is the handkerchief that Othello gives to Desdemona as a token of his love. Othello describes it as a token of love from his mother, who received it from an Egyptian sorceress. The strawberries embroidered on it were known to be a symbol of chastity. But just as Othello has given this gift to Desdemona as a symbol of his unfailing love, Desdemona’s supposed loss of the item is a symbol to Othello of her unfaithfulness.

The creation of the handkerchief itself and the way in which Othello woos Desdemona alludes to another motif that Shakespeare uses, which is mysticism and magic. The handkerchief was thought to hold certain powers because of the way it was made. “There’s magic in the web of it” (3.4.81) Othello says, and was meant to keep Othello’s father close to his mother’s side. Brabantio also says quite plainly that he believes that Desdemona has been bewitched by Othello, and that only supernatural forces would have brought her to love him. Othello argues [quite convincingly] that the only spell he put on Desdemona was through his storytelling.

Can you pick out other symbols throughout the play or identify motifs used by Shakespeare and the production designers?

What’s in a Symbol?

L. Marchetti. Othello, act 3, scene 3, “What will you give me now for that same handkerchief?” 19th or 20th

century. Folger Shakespeare Library.

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Othello is a play about contrasts – white and black, innocent and guilty, friends and enemies – by contrasting them against each other, you see the stark differences between them. Much of the action of the play takes place at night, when differences between shapes and colors become muddled, and you can’t trust your own eyes. Iago uses this to his advantage, but what does it mean for the play?

Brabantio How! the duke in council! In this time of the night!

Lodovico Two or three groan: it is a heavy night: (5.1.47)

Theatrical lighting design is as much about designing darkness as it is designing light. In an Elizabethan theatre, there would have been no design at all – the actors would perform in the afternoon while the sun was out and say that it was evening. Today, lighting design is its own field, and this production’s lighting designer, Andrew F. Griffin, navigates the text of Othello to find where light and dark merge.

Q: How do you decide what moments within the play to light clearly?AFG: From the simple to the complex, most clues come from the text. For example, if the scene takes place during the day, then it should be bright and clear; if the scene is at night it’s dark and murky. Lighting, as is the case with all elements of design, is an extension of the story being told. However, in lieu of telling a story through the traditional medium of an actor and speech, my story is told through interpretation of the script. The lighting should psychologically connect the audience with the performers while visually guiding them through the story. Q: What moments in Othello are particularly suited for dark lighting?AFG: A great deal of Othello takes place in the evening. However, there are varying degrees of darkness that need to be dealt with. For example, the refracted moonlight that envelopes the action of Act I is different from the night where reveling takes place in Act 2. Darkness has a tendency to be a dirty word in my line of work, but used properly and with care it doesn’t have to be. It’s just another tool I use to tell the story.

Q: How do you use contrast in your design?AFG: Contrast is one of the great essences of lighting design. Think of any three-dimensional object you’ve looked at today. Without touching it, how did you know it was three-dimensional? You knew because of the contrast of light and shadow on that object. I can use contrast in varying degrees to over-exaggerate an object’s shape or flatten it entirely. Contrast can also be used to help fool the eye when it comes to darkness. By increasing the contrast and deepening the shadows you can make a scene appear to be darker without drastically reducing visibility of the action.

Q: What lighting cues did you take from the text?AFG: Shakespeare wasn’t writing with lighting design in mind. This gives a lot more free reign over interpretation than today’s scripts do, and it’s an exciting challenge. The most obvious things that come to mind are references to light the characters make. For example, at one point after a series of nighttime scenes Roderigo comments that the sun has risen: a great place to put a sunrise cue. Later, when Roderigo comments that Iago kills him in the dark, you want to make sure that you sculpt the cue so that the area where the murder happens onstage is darker than the rest of the stage.

Lighting Darkness

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15-Minute OthelloThe Fifteen-Minute Play is a plot summary intermingled with quotations from the play. It is typically used to introduce students to the play or to prepare them to see a production. You can alter it as you see fit, invent a version of your own for a different play, or have your students create one. Try to keep it as short and simple as possible.

Create cards for the quotations with the corresponding numbers, shown below, in bold. The cards should • be large enough for three to five people to read simultaneously. Divide the class into groups and distribute the cards. Each group may have multiple cards.• Give the groups five to ten minutes to prepare dramatic renditions of their line(s). They can read the • line(s) as a chorus, individually, or in sub-groups, but everyone must speak part of the text. Encourage students to physicalize/dramatize the line(s) in some way. Using props is acceptable, but not necessary.When the rehearsal period is over, ask everyone to stand in a circle. • The leader (you, or a student) stands in the circle, too, and reads aloud the script of the story, calling out • the numbers of quotations where indicated and pausing for the group responsible for that quotation to step quickly into the center and perform it. The leader should keep a quick, steady pace - the activity is much more fun when it moves right along.

Othello begins late at night in the streets of Venice. Roderigo and Iago are talking about the recent elopement of Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army, and Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian Senator. They gripe about how much they both can’t stand Othello (1. Thou toldst me thou didst hold him in thy hate.) Roderigo is upset because he was in love with Desdemona and wanted to marry her. Iago is furious because Othello promoted young Cassio to be his lieutenant instead of him. Roderigo and Iago wake up Desdemona’s father Brabantio and tell him that his daughter has run away with Othello (2. Sir you’re robbed. . . Your heart is burst. You have lost half your soul.) When Brabantio finds out his daughter is gone, he is very angry and warns all other fathers (3. From hence trust not your daughter’s minds by what you see them act.) Even though Iago hates Othello, he is two-faced and continues to pretend to be his friend. He runs to warn Othello that Brabantio is coming for him. Brabantio arrives and accuses Othello of using witchcraft to make Desdemona fall in love with him. (4. Thou hast practiced on her with foul charms) They bring their argument before the Duke and senators. Othello declares (5.I’ll present how I did thrive in this fair lady’s love, and she is mine), then tells them the story of how he and Desdemona fell in love and married. Desdemona arrives and tells her father (6. I am hitherto your daughter, But here’s my husband.) Brabantio leaves angrily, warning Othello not to trust his new wife. (7. Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.) The Duke sends Othello and his lieutenant Cassio to the island of Cyprus to defend it against the invading Turks. But when they arrive, they find out that the Turkish fleet was destroyed by a storm at sea. (8. News, lads! Our wars are done.) Desdemona, Iago, and Iago’s wife Emilia all arrive in Cyprus. Othello is overjoyed to see his new bride again. (9. O my soul’s joy!) He orders that a victory celebration will be held that night. Before the party, Iago plots to destroy the happy love between Othello and Desdemona. (10. I put the Moor At least into a jealousy so strong That judgment cannot cure.)

15-Minute Othello, cont.

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That night at the celebration, Othello assigns Cassio to keep peace among the partiers. But Iago gets Cassio drunk on wine and urges Roderigo to start a fight with him. Othello returns and is so angry with Cassio that he strips him of his rank, telling him, (11. I love thee, But nevermore be officer of mine.) Cassio, in despair, cries out (12. Reputation! Reputation! Reputation! O, I have lost my reputation!) Iago has had his revenge on Cassio, but he isn’t finished messing with people. He sees an opportunity to make Othello believe Desdemona and Cassio are in love (13. So will I turn her virtue into pitch). He tells Cassio to cozy up to Desdemona and have her talk to Othello for him. Iago then begins planting suspicions of an affair in Othello’s mind, even while warning (14. O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster). Othello is torn. He trusts Iago completely, yet he cannot believe that Desdemona would cheat on him. (15. If she be false, heaven mocks itself!) Desdemona drops her handkerchief that was the first gift Othello ever gave her. Emilia picks it up and remembers that Iago had asked her to steal it for him, though she doesn’t know why. (16. What he will do with it Heaven knows, not I) She gives it to Iago, who plans to use it to further incriminate Desdemona. Iago tells Othello that he saw Cassio with the handkerchief. Othello is so angry that he tells Iago (17. Within these three days let me hear thee say that Cassio’s not alive) to which Iago readily agrees. He then finds Desdemona and asks her for the handkerchief, and when she cannot find it, he flies into a jealous fit. He is now thoroughly convinced that Iago is right and Desdemona has been cheating on him (18. My heart is turned to stone). He decides that he must kill Desdemona. That evening Iago and Roderigo attack Cassio on a dark street, but things do not turn out as planned. Cassio wounds Roderigo and Iago stabs Cassio in the leg, but neither one dies. However, afraid he might talk, Iago kills Roderigo. Cassio is carried away alive. Othello enters Desdemona’s bedroom and stands over her sleeping form, readying himself to kill her (19. Put out the light, and then put out the light) But Desdemona wakes up and says (20. I hope you will not kill me) to which Othello says (21. It is too late) and smothers her. Emilia comes in just in time to hear Desdemona say (22. A guiltless death I die). Emilia runs for help (23. The moor hath killed my mistress!) Iago, the wounded Cassio, and a group of other officers come in. Emilia reveals what Iago has been plotting all along. In anger, Iago kills her. Cassio is given the responsibility of punishing Iago for his crimes. Othello is overcome with grief that he has murdered an innocent and faithful wife (24. O Desdemon! Dead, Desdemon! Dead! O, O!). He begs the onlookers to (25. Speak of me as I am. Of one who loved not wisely, but too well) He then stabs himself, and delivers his last dying words to Desdemona’s corpse (26. No way but this, Killing myself to die upon a kiss.).

Folger Resources

Lesson Plans - www.folger.edu/lessonplans - Folger Education’s featured lesson plans are updated every month. Search “Lesson Plans Archive” to the left for a complete listing of all of our lesson plans listed by play.Folger Theatre: Othello - www.folger.edu/Othello - Behind-the-scenes background on the play, images from our collection, artists talking about the play, and more.Shakespeare Set Free, Teaching Twelfth Night and Othello- www.folger.edu/ssf - Our publication features lesson plans, essays, and performance-based activities.

Movies & Radio

Orson Welles’ Othello - Orson Welles. Mercury Productions, 1952.Othello - Lawrence Fishburne. Oliver Parker, Castle rock Entertainment, 1995. O - Mekhi Pfhiefer. Tim Blake Nelson, Chickie the Cop, 2001.Kingdom of Heaven - Orlando Bloom. Ridley Scott,Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2005.Prince of Persia - Jake Gyllenhall. Mike Newell, Walt Disney Pictures, 2010.Shakespeare’s Othello - Lenny Henry, BBC Audio, 2010.

Theatrical and Literary Adaptations

Un Capitino Muro - Italian opera by Cinthio. Gli Hecatommithi,1565. Othello - Oscar Zarate. Oval Projects LTD, 1985.Otello - Verdi, 1887. and Fortier. Routledge, 2000. Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) - Ann-Marie Macdonald. Coach House Press, 1990. Othello - Julius Lester. Scholastic Inc, 1995.Playing Juliet/Casting Othello - Caleen Sinnette Jennings. Dramatic Publishing, 1999.Desdemona: a Play About A Handkerchief - Paula Vogel. Dramatists Play Service, 1994. Harlem Duets - Djanet Sears. Scirocco Drama, 1998.The Sourcebook Shakespeare: Othello - Macaisa and Raccah. Sourcebooks Inc, 2005. The Stranger in Shakespeare - Leslie A. Fielder. Barnes & Noble Publishing Inc, 2006.Othello (Manga Shakespeare Series) - Richard Appiganesi, art by Ryuta Osada, 2009. Kill Shakespeare - McCreery and Del Col. IDW Publishing, 2010.

Additional Resources

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