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.