Othello
Othello, a Moorish general of Venice, promoted Cassio as a lieutenant over Iago. Iago started plotting revenge against both Othello and Cassio by using Desdemona, the new bride of Othello, as a means to carry out his plans. When Othello transfers to Cyprus, Iago transports Desdemona there and sets his plans into motion. He uses a former suitor of Desdemona to pick a fight with a drunken Cassio. This fiasco demotes Cassio, but Iago assures him that he is certain he would get his position back if he talked to Desdemona. However, Iago uses Cassio’s meeting with Desdemona to plant the suggestion of an affair between them in Othello’s mind. In the meantime, Iago gets his hands on Desdemona’s special handkerchief, and plants it in Cassio’s room. Not knowing where it came from, Cassio gives the handkerchief to an admirer. Othello’s suspicion of Desdemona’s infidelity mounts when he asks about the handkerchief, and she responds that it was lost. The intensity of Othello’s rage increases when he misinterprets the topic of a conversation between Cassio and Iago as being about Desdemona, instead of Cassio’s admirer. Othello vows to have Cassio killed and angrily confronts Desdemona. Othello’s jealousy could not be curbed despite Desdemona’s protest of innocence. When Roderigo fails to kill Cassio, Iago kills Roderigo so he would not associate him with the chaos. Emilia, Iago’s wide and Desdemona’s attendant cries murder when she discovers that Othello has strangled Desdemona. Eventually Emilia pieces together the puzzle and blames her husband, Iago, as the cause of the tragedy. Iago stabs his wife to death and tries to escape as soon as she has told the truth about the handkerchief. More evidence mounts against Iago when letters are found on Roderigo implicating Iago. Othello stabs himself to death when he realizes that he has killed an innocent Desdemona.
Comments: