Othello Act Two

Scene One
There is a report that Turkish ships are on their way to Cyprus to take the island out from under Venetian power. Defences will need to be strengthened and more of the army sent. Othello and Brabantio go before the senators who are talking of this impending battle. Brabantio speaks of his grievance against Othello for marrying his daughter. Othello defends himself by saying, yes he did marry Desdemona, but he stole her heart with stories, not witchcraft. Desdemona has come and confirms the words of her husband. The senators decide that Desdemona should stay with Othello, and deny Brabantio his grievance. Othello is then called away to Cyprus and he asks if Desdemona could come with him. He is granted his wish and Desdemona will stay with Iago until she goes to join him in Cyprus. Roderigo is immensely jealous and upset that Desdemona and Othello are permitted to remain married. Iago assures him that the union will soon crumble and at any moment Desdemona could come running to Roderigo. Iago has a plan to destroy the newlyweds and is using Roderigo as a means of doing so. 

Scene Two
A herald to Othello enters, proclaiming that the Turks will not attack. Joy fills those around, Othello and Desdemona celebrate the happiness of being married.

Scene Three
Cassio and Iago stand on watch together and Iago gets Cassio drunk, for he knows Cassio is unable to hold his liquor. Iago tries to tempt Cassio into lusting after Desdemona; he uses friendly tactica and fails. Cassio leaves and Iago reveals that he hopes Cassio’s drunkenness will cause a fight between Cassio and Roderigo, who hates Cassio. Iago hopes to see Cassio discredited so he may take Cassio’s position as lieutenant.  Montano and others join Iago and he amuses them with light conversation and song. Cassio becomes even more drunk and Roderigo approaches. Offstage Roderigo fights Cassio who  chases him onstage. Montano attempts to stop Cassio, but he ends up injured. Othello is woken up by all the noise and he comes to find out what is going on. Montano informs Othello of what he knows and Iago fills in the gaps, making up his own part of the story.  Cassio is stripped of his rank and everyone else leaves, only Cassio and Iago remain. Cassio complains that his reputation is ruined, and his reputation meant everything to him. Iago tries to make him believe that reputation means next to nothing; also, is Cassio were to speak with Desdemona, she might be able to put in a good word for him with Othello. This is all part of Iago’s plan to convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are together, this would enrage Othello. Iago then goes into great lengths to describe how Desdemona will back up Cassio and he will be able to turn against them both.

Othello - A Comparison: Iago & Janus

Iago is a very interesting literary character. He’s the villain in Othello, he goes out of his way to make Othello miserable. But the thing is, he doesn’t seem to care. Iago is one of the few villains who is evil and knows it. He almost flaunts his unsavory characteristics while simultaneously being a very humorous character. Iago is manipulative, faking traits to get others to do his dirty work for him.

Janus is the roman god of beginnings and transitions.  He is often depicted with two heads, one to the future, one to the past. Janus is commonly referred to as the “two faced god” in roman mythology. He is commonly associated with war and peace, along with travel. Unlike most roman gods, the greeks have no counterpart, making Janus exclusively roman.

These two characters are often compared, and it is clear why. Iago seems charming, mischievous, known to be honest and sincere. However, his true colours are terrible, vile, scheming, worrisome. His masks seem to be opaque as he shows Roderigo his true colours; yet Roderigo still believes Iago is not the bad guy. Perhaps Roderigo is blinded by love, but even the blind can see that this man has dangerous intentions. Janus is never fully trusted as the people could never determine whether he was on their side. This was true for most of their gods, but was exceedingly prevalent when discussing Janus. He was the god of both war and peace, whatever happened to the people didn’t affect him, he thrived either way.These two are similar for one main reason. They’re both two-faced. And good at it. Janus is expected to always have his own agenda, you’re never sure with Iago. Both are highly terrifying and highly effective. That is what makes both incredibly dangerous.

Othello - Act One

Scene One
Open to one Venice eve; Roderigo, a gentleman of the city, talking with Iago. Iago is bitter and jealous, due to Othello naming Cassio his lieutenant. Cassio may be a man of strategy but Iago is seasoned in battle. Iago confesses to Roderigo that he is only in it for himself, a means to his own end. Yet, Roderigo doesn’t see any unsavory beginnings in Iago. Roderigo is in love with Desdemona, daughter of Brabantio and the girl Othello has just run away to marry. Brabantio has no knowledge of the wedding. Iago begins his scheme to undo Othello by convincing Roderigo to wake Brabantio up, screaming that Desdemona is gone. Brabantio is convinced the cries are false until he discovers his daughter is not at home. Roderigo is the one speaking to Brabantio, though Iago hides in the dark yelling out Othello’s intentions towards Desdemona. This sends Brabantio into a state of panic and he calls for a search party. Iago then leaves to avoid being discovered, he doesn’t want anyone to know he betrayed his own leader.

Scene Two
Iago finds Othello and tells him that Roderigo has betrayed him. That Brabantio knows of his marriage to Desdemona and is unhappy about it. Cassio arrives along with Roderigo and Brabantio. Iago take Roderigo aside and threatens him with violent acts. This once again proved his disloyalty to Othello. Othello comes under the wrath of Brabantio, who believes Othello must have bewitched Desdemona and that he wants him prosecuted in the court of the state. Othello responds that the Duke must hear his case and decide in his favor, or something is very rotten in the state of Venice.

Scene Three
There is a report that Turkish ships are on their way to Cyprus to take the island out from under Venetian power. Defences will need to be strengthened and more of the army sent. Othello and Brabantio go before the senators who are talking of this impending battle. Brabantio speaks of his grievance against Othello for marrying his daughter. Othello defends himself by saying, yes he did marry Desdemona, but he stole her heart with stories, not witchcraft. Desdemona has come and confirms the words of her husband. The senators decide that Desdemona should stay with Othello, and deny Brabantio his grievance. Othello is then called away to Cyprus and he asks if Desdemona could come with him. He is granted his wish and Desdemona will stay with Iago until she goes to join him in Cyprus. Roderigo is immensely jealous and upset that Desdemona and Othello are permitted to remain married. Iago assures him that the union will soon crumble and at any moment Desdemona could come running to Roderigo. Iago has a plan to destroy the newlyweds and is using Roderigo as a means of doing so.

Othello - An Overview

"Othello" written by William Shakespeare around 1603 spins the tale of Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army. Other central characters include: Desdemona (Othello's wife), Cassio (Othello's lieutenant) and Iago (Othello's ensign).  Through this series on Othello I'm going to look at the plot along with the motivation of the characters. Before we go there however, we need an understanding of the play. This is a brief overview of the entire show. I’ll go into further detail as I read and watch the production.

“Othello” one of Shakespeare’s tragedies, begins with Othello as a highly regarded general in the Army of Venice. He appoints a man by the name of Michael Cassio as his personal lieutenant and one of his friends, Iago, becomes jealous. Iago begins to conspire against Othello in an attempt to bring him down. Othello, unaware of this plot against him, runs off to marry Desdemona. This is when Iago implements his scheme. Othello becomes suspicious of Desdemona and plans her murder, he confides in Iago detailing his plot to poison his wife. Othello ends up smothering Desdemona before Emilia, Iago’s wife, tells Othello of her husband's intentions. The play ends with Othello wounding Iago, then committing suicide as Iago murders Emilia.

   

    Another cheery production from the desk of William Shakespeare.