Othello
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Othello SparkNotes Study Guide
Top 50 Othello quotes
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Othello - Interactive Character Map
Click here to use the Royal Shakespeare Company's interactive character map, arrange the characters on the screen and review the connections between the characters and their relationships.
Othello
Beginning with the opening lines of the play, Othello remains at a distance from much of the action that concerns and affects him. Roderigo and Iago refer ambiguously to a “he” or “him” for much of the first scene. When they begin to specify whom they are talking about, especially once they stand beneath Brabanzio’s window, they do so with racial epithets, not names...continue reading...
Iago
Possibly the most heinous villain in Shakespeare, Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. In the first scene, he claims to be angry at Othello for having passed him over for the position of lieutenant (I.i. 7–32). At the end of Act I, scene iii, Iago says he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia: “It is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office” (I.iii.369–370). Iago mentions this suspicion again at the end of Act II, scene i, explaining that he lusts after Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello “wife for wife” (II.i.286)...continue reading...
Desdemona
Desdemona is a more plausible, well-rounded figure than much criticism has given her credit for. Arguments that see Desdemona as stereotypically weak and submissive ignore the conviction and authority of her first speech (“My noble father, / I do perceive here a divided duty” [I.iii.179–180]) and her terse fury after Othello strikes her (“I have not deserved this” [IV.i.236])...continue reading...
Michael Cassio
Cassio functions mainly to move the plot forward by inadvertently becoming a pawn in Iago’s plan. Cassio’s thoughts, feelings, and motivations are rarely revealed, but his character and behavior are significant for creating the conditions under which Iago can enact his plan...continue reading...
Brabanzio
Brabanzio is an old man and a Senator of Venice. He is a genteel racist: he has been very friendly to Othello and often invited him to his house to honor him and for the sake of hearing the tales of his life, but when his daughter runs away with the Moor, however, he is appalled, and convinced that witchcraft is the only explanation...continue reading...
Emilia at first appears to be one of her husband Iago’s puppets. When Iago wants to set up the appearance of inappropriate behavior between Cassio and Desdemona, he decides that “my wife must move for Cassio to her mistress” (2.3.) and shortly thereafter Emilia facilitates a meeting between Desdemona and Cassio, and encourages her mistress to advocate on behalf of Cassio...continue reading...
Shakespeare Unbound
ABC Education and Bell Shakespeare bring you a modern twist of
some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes.
Othello: Was Shakespeare a Feminist?
Shakespeare seems to have a complicated relationship with his female characters. Some of his heroines are quite timid and compliant while others are complex and strong. Here, James Evans and Kate Mulvany from Bell Shakespeare explore Emilia's impassioned speech to Desdemona in Act 4, scene 3 of 'Othello'. They consider whether the character of Emilia could be considered a feminist.
Othello: 'Tis a Wrong in Your Own World
What's good for the goose is good for the gander, so the saying goes. But does everyone agree with this? In Act 4, scene 3 of 'Othello', Emilia and Desdemona discuss the concept of fidelity. In doing so, they raise moral questions about gender and equality in Shakespeare's times. Listen as Kate Mulvany and Eryn-Jean Norvill from Bell Shakespeare present the playwright's expression of this subject through the eyes of his characters.
Othello: The Birth of the Green-Eyed Monster
You'd never want to get into an argument with Shakespeare, who certainly knows how to use words to convince! A key moment in Othello is in Act 3, scene 3, where Iago plants the seeds of doubt in Othello's mind about his wife's faithfulness. It is a study in masterful manipulation, as illustrated by Hazem Shammas and Damien Ryan of Bell Shakespeare.
Othello: Is Iago the Vilest Villian?
Some characters we just love to hate! Iago, the villain in Shakespeare's 'Othello', is a perfect example: scheming, manipulative but oh-so-clever. James Evans and actor Damien Ryan both of Bell Shakespeare, discuss the complex role of Iago. Evans explains just how skillfully Shakespeare employs language to fashion the dark depths of Iago's character.
Podcasts
Slate Podcasts - Lend Me Your Ears: Othello
Othello isn’t just a play about race, toxic masculinity, and the nature of identity - it’s a play that has influenced our own views on race throughout the centuries. But what did race mean in early 17th-century London? Duration 43 mins.
University of Oxford - Approaching Shakespeare : Othello
Emma Smith's Approaching Shakespeare lecture series - looking at the central question of race and its significance in the play. Duration 47 mins.
A selection of academic articles focusing on critical analyses of Othello
