Othello Brief Summary

Act 1
1. To Shakespeare, the Venetian world was a stable democracy, and this is depicted with the presence of a senate. The author depicts Iago and Desdemona, as Venetian citizens by blood, while Othello is a citizen, not by blood but by virtue of loyalty and bravery. Basing on this, Iago believes he is more qualified to lead the army than Othello (Shakespeare, 3).
2. Iago is a treacherous person, full of jealousy. The reasons he gives for hating Othello are vague because Othello promoted him later, but still, he plotted his destruction. His relationship with Roderigo is full of treachery. He wants to use him to frustrate Othello, and also get his money.
3. Iago uses vulgar language to express himself, while Othello uses polite language to express himself. The significance of the difference is to depict the social classes of Othello and Iago. Othello is an elite, while Iago belongs to a lower social status.

ACT 2
1. Cassio is a naïve personality, who easily falls into the trap of Iago. Cassio loses his job due to drunken behaviors and close association with Desdemona. Iago plans to manipulate Othello on an existing relationship between Desdemona and Cassio (Shakespeare, 12).
2. We learn that Iago is a revengeful person. He believes that Othello slept with the wife, and therefore wants him to pay, by creating a non-existent relationship between Desdemona and Cassio. His soliloquies introduce the reader to the true nature of Iago and create a stylistic device of suspense, whereby the audience is eager to know how Iago will achieve his objectives.

Act 3
1. Iago managed to manipulate Othello’s mind and lead him to believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Iago manages to convince Othello that Desdemona is asking him to give Cassio his job back because they are lovers.  He makes it grow by manipulating Othello’s mind through treachery and deceit on issues involving Cassio and Desdemona (Shakespeare,27).
2. Emilia is a faithful servant of Desdemona, and her relationship with that of Iago is based on mistrust. This is because she refused on numerous occasions to steal the handkerchief of Desdemona for the husband.

Act 4
1. The handkerchief plays a role in making Othello believe that the wife is having an affair with Cassio. The handkerchief is important to Othello because it was a charming gift from the mother
2. Othello is changing from a loving husband to a violent man. His public humiliation of Desdemona was a sign that he was losing the ability to control himself, and this would result in his downfall.
3. The relationship between Emilia and Desdemona is that of confidants. The two are friends and share pieces of confidential information. It manages to bring out the characters of the two women, of Desdemona as a faithful companion and wife, and Emilia as a vengeful woman. Shakespeare manages to highlight the views of women concerning relationships in this conversation.

Act 5
1. Othello kills Desdemona, and he believes he is getting justice for Desdemona’s infidelity.
2. Emilia now takes the role of Desdemona as a dominant character. She is standing up to Othello because she believes Othello is wrong about his conceptions of Desdemona. She stands up against her husband because she believes he had a role in the murder of Desdemona, as a result, Iago kills her (Shakespeare, 41).
3. Initially, Othello justified his killing of Desdemona, but later on he realized it was a mistake, and accepted responsibility for her death. In his last speech, Othello is mourning the death of his wife.
4. It is a tragedy because it ends with the death of its main characters such as Othello and Desdemona. This occurred due to treachery from Iago, and Othello’s lack of judgment.

 Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Othello the Moor of Venice. Waiheke Island: Floating Press, 2008. Print.