"Othello" (0)

Book Report
Title – „ Othello “
Author – William Shakespeare
Genre – play, tragedy
Setting time – between 1489 and 1571
Setting place – Venice and Cyprus
Topics – miscommunication, jealousy, revenge , hatred
Othello was written in the 17th century and it is based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro " (A Moorish Captain ) by Cinthio ( Giovanni Battista Giraldi). It was first published in 1565. The main characters of the play are Othello, Desdemona , Cassio and Iago. The play in this book has 91 pages and this book is published in 1996 by Dover Publications.
Characters:
Major characters:
Othello – he is the play’s protagonist and hero . He has risen to high military prestige in Venice, after defeating the Turks and other enemies in battle . He is well-liked and honored, despite his racial difference . He moves to Cyprus after becoming a general and he marries Desdemona. He falls victim to Iago's plan causing Othello to believe his wife has betrayed him with Cassio, becomes insanely jealous of their relationship and ultimately smothers his wife to death . After he realizes that Iago has tricked him and that Desdemona has always been faithful and chaste, he stabs Iago, leaving him to a life of pain and then kills himself .
(Michael) Cassio – he is Othello's lieutenant and another victim of Iago's evil plan. He meets Desdemona and asks her help to mend his relationship with her husband . Iago schemes and makes Othello believe that Cassio is having an affair with her, though he has a mistress Bianca . At the end of the play, Cassio is injured and Othello is dead and after Othello’s death, he wants to become, but lives to become the new General and leader of Cyprus, though he is a young and inexperienced soldier.
Iago – he is Othello's ensign. He is 28 years old and his wife is Emilia . He loves destroying happiness and ruing many lives. He pretends being honest, amicable and faithful, but during the play, he is a very cruel man.
Desdemona – she is the daughter of Brabantio, a Venetian senator . She marries Othello, disappointing her father and Rodrigo, who is also in love with her. The couple moves to Cyprus, where she meets Othello's lieutenant, Cassio. Desdemona is also the victim in Iago's plan and Othello smothers her to death, though Desdemona always loved Othello, remained faithful and died loyal to her true love.
Minor characters:
Brabantio – he is Desdemona's father and a senator of Venice. He is horribly angry when he discovers that his daughter has married Othello secretly. He brings her to the Duke of Venice, but in front of the court , she confesses, that she is in love with Othello.
Rodrigo – he is a gentleman from Venice. He is in love with Desdemona and also one of Iago's proponents in the plan to destroy Othello. Iago kills Rodrigo in the dark , pretends that someone else was the murderer. He is young, rich and still foolish by trusting Iago.
Duke of Venice – he runs the city and delegates order , he is the official authority there . The Duke sends Othello to Cyprus and allows Desdemona to meet him there. He admires Othello as a public and military servant.
Montano – he is the governor of Cyprus. He supports Cassio in his attempted reconciliation with Othello and tries to make peace between Cassio and Rodrigo.
Gratiano – he is Brabantio's brother. He comes to Cyprus in the end of the play and tells about the death of Brabantio's.
Lodovico – he is one of Gratiano and Brabantio's kinsmen. He comes to Cyprus with Gratiano. He says Othello that he must leave Cyprus to Cassio's rule . He sais the final words of the play.
Emilia – she is Iago's wife and Desdemona's maidservant. She is strong , forthright and honest. Iago treats her with disdain and annoyance , but Emilia loves Iago. She doesn’t believe, that Iago is a cruel man, but soon the secret is revealed. Later Iago kills her.
Bianca – she is a seamstress and the wife of Cassio. She is often referred to as a prostitute, because she is of lower class than Desdemona and Emilia.
Sailor, Messenger, Herald, Officers, Gentlemen, Musicians, Attendants, Other senators but Brabantio
Plot Summary:
The story starts in Venice, when Rodrigo and Iago walk towards Brabantio’s house. Rodrigo had just heard, that Desdemona married Othello and they said that to her father, who sends some officers looking for Othello. Cassio goes to Othello with a message, that his help is needed in the matter of the imminent Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Soon, Brabantio arrives with Rodrigo and others , accusing Othello of stealing his daughter by witchcraft . Othello explains that he won Desdemona’s heart honestly, not by witchcraft. The duke says that Othello must go to Cyprus to aid in the defense against the Turks, who are headed for the island and Desdemona goes along .
On the following day in Cyprus, two gentlemen stand on the shore with Montano and third man arrives saying that the Turkish fleet has been wrecked in a storm at sea. Cassio’s ship did not suffer the same fate, he arrives soon after, followed by another ship carrying Iago, Rodrigo, Desdemona and Emilia. When they wait for Othello, Cassio greets Desdemona by clasping her hand . Watching them , Iago is drawing up a plan. Soon Othello arrives. Later, Rodrigo says Iago that he has no chance winning Desdemona’s heart, but Iago assures him that very soon Desdemona will lose interest in Othello. That night, Iago gets Cassio drunk and sends Rodrigo to start a fight with him. Cassio chases Rodrigo and governor Montano attempts to hold him down, but Cassio stabs him. Rodrigo goes to raise alarm in the town. Othello arrives to still the commotion. Othello strips Cassio of his rank of lieutenant and he is extremely upset thinking , that his reputation has been ruined forever .
In an attempt at reconciliation, Cassio sends some musicians to play beneath Desdemnona’s window , hoping to arrange a meeting with her. Iago tells Cassio that he will get Othello out of the way so Cassio could speak privately with Desdemona. Desdemona promises that she will do everything she can to make Othello forgive his former lieutenant. When Cassio is about to leave, Othello and Iago return. Cassio leaves without talking to Othello, after what he becomes upset and moody and Iago furthers his goal of removing Cassio and Othello by suggesting that Cassio and Desdemona are involved in an affair. Desdemona’s entreaties to Othello to reinstate Cassio as lieutenant add to Othello’s almost immediate conviction that his wife is unfaithful. Desdemona finds him feeling unwell and offers him her handkerchief to wrap around his head, but it is too little and he lets it drop to the floor . Later, Emilia picks up the handkerchief and gives it to Iago. He plants it in Cassio’s room as an evidence of their affair.
Iago tells Othello of the meeting he has planned with Cassio and instructs him to hide nearby and watch as Iago extracts from Cassio the story of his affair with Desdemona. While Othello stands out of earshot, Iago pumps Cassio for information about Bianca, causing Cassio to laugh and confirm Othello’s suspicions. Then Bianca enters with Desdemona’s handkerchief. When Desdemona enters with Lodovico and Lodovico gives Othello a letter from Venice calling him home and instating Cassio as his replacement, Othello goes over the edge , striking Desdemona and then storming out.
That night, Othello is upset and ignores Desdemona’s excuses. Later, Othello tells Desdemona to wait for him in bed and to send Emilia away . Iago’s plan is going as planned. Iago instructs Rodrigo to ambush Cassio, but Rodrigo misses his mark and Cassio wounds him instead. Iago wounds Cassio back and runs away. Othello hears Cassio’s cry, assuming that Iago has killed him. Lodovico and Gratiano enter to see what the commotion is about. Iago enters shortly thereafter and flies into a pretend rage as he discovers Cassio’s assailant Rodrigo, whom he murders. Cassio is taken to have his wound dressed.
Meanwhile , Othello stands over his sleeping wife in their bedchamber, preparing to kill her. Desdemona wakes asserting her innocence, but Othello ignores her. Emilia enters with the news that Rodrigo is dead. Othello asks about Cassio, but Emilia says he is not. Othello tells her that he has killed Desdemona for her infidelity, which Iago brought to his attention . Montano, Gratiano and Iago come into the room and Emilia, who realizes what Iago has done , is very frustrated. Once Emilia tells him how she found the handkerchief and gave it to Iago, Othello is crushed and begins crying. Iago kills Emilia and he is caught by Lodovico and Montano. Cassio is wounded. Othello wounds Iago and is disarmed. Othello makes a speech about how he would like to be remembered , then kills himself with a sword. The play ends with a speech by Lodovico, who gives Othello’s house and goods to Gratiano and orders that Iago be executed.
Conclusion :
In conclusion, the book had advantages and disadvantages . I liked, that it was a play and it didn’t have a lot of epic parts (in case of Shakespeare’s book) and that it was long enough for a play. The disadvantages were, that I actually didn’t understand the colloquial language very well. Thats why I confess, that I had some help from the book translated into Estonian language, but I read both of the books through. Otherwise, it was a readable book, definitely a tragedy and well-written. The author absolutely achieved his purpose . I would definitely recommend it to everybody , especially younger girls, because there is a lot written about love, evil people and their thoughtless acts , it is just what people experience mostly in their younger age.