2. Dramatis Personae

 Duke of Venice
 Othello: Moor, married to Desdoma
 Iago: Solider in Othello’s army
 Cassio: Lieutenant in Othello’s army
 Desdemona: Othello’s wife
 Emilia: Iago’s wife
 Rodreigo: Solider, love Desdemona

3. Act I Scene 1
 Othello begins in the city of Venice, at night
 Roderigo is having a discussion with Iago, who is bitter at
being passed up as Othello's lieutenant.

 Though Iago had greater practice in battle and in military
matters, Cassio, a man of strategy but of little experience,
was named lieutenant by Othello.
 Iago says that he only serves Othello to further himself,
and makes shows of his allegiance only for his own gain
 He admits that his nature is not at all what it seems.
 Iago is aware that the daughter of Brabantio, Desdemona ,
has run off with Othello, the black warrior of the Moors.
 Brabantio knows nothing of this coupling
 Iago decides to enlist Roderigo, who lusts after
Desdemona, and awaken Brabantio with screams that his
daughter is gone.

4. Act I Scene 1

 At first, Brabantio dismisses these cries in the dark
 He realizes his daughter is not there, he gives the
news some credence.
 Roderigo is the one speaking most to Brabantio, but
Iago is there too, hidden, yelling unsavory things
about Othello
 Brabantio panics, and calls for people to try and find
his daughter
 Iago leaves, not wanting anyone to find out that he
betrayed his own leader
 Brabantio begins to search for his daughter.

5. Analysis: Friendship
 The relationship between Roderigo and Iago is
somewhat close

 Roderigo shows this in his first statement:
 Iago "hast had [Roderigo's] purse as if the strings
were thine," he tells Iago (I.i.2-3)
 The metaphor shows how much trust Roderigo
has in Iago, and also how he uses Iago as a
confidante
 Does Iago share the same kind of feeling?
 As far as Roderigo knows, Iago is his friend
 Appearance is one thing and reality another, as
Iago soon will tell.

6. Analysis: Trusting Appearance
 Iago tells several truths about himself to Roderigo
 He trusts Roderigo with the knowledge that he serves

Othello, but only to further himself.
 How ironic that after Iago's lengthy confession of
duplicity, Roderigo still does not suspect him of
doublecrossing or manipulation.
 Iago seems to do a great deal of character analysis and
exposition for the audience
 He divulges his purpose in serving Othello, and the kind
of man he is.
 Appearance vs. Reality is a crucial theme in Iago's story
 He enacts a series of roles, from advisor to confidante
 He appears to be helping people though he is only acting out of
his twisted self-interest.

7. Analysis: Metaphors and Paradox
 "These fellows" that flatter for their own purposes "have some soul,"
Iago says
 There is a double irony in this statement that Iago passes off as a

truth

People who act one way and are another are duplicitous, and
scarcely deserve the credit that Iago is trying to give them.
 Iago, though he is one of those fellows, seems to have no soul
 He never repents, never lets up with his schemes, and never seems
to tire of damaging whatever he is able to.
 "In following [Othello] I follow but myself," Iago also professes
 This is a paradox in terms, but is revealing of Iago's purposes in
serving Othello.
 His language is revealing of his dark character;
 He uses the cliché "I will wear my heart upon my sleeve" to convey
how his heart is false, and his shows of emotion are also falsified
 He turns this cliché into something more dark and fierce, when he
adds the image of the birds tearing at this heart
 He has foreshadowed the great deceptions that he will engineer,
and the sinister qualities that make up his core.

8. Analysis: Parallels
 The key to Iago's character is in the line "I am
not what I am“

 Roderigo should take this as a warning, but fails
to.
 Everything which Iago presents himself as is a
false show
 This first scene represents the peak of Iago's
honesty about himself with another character.
 Iago lacks remorse and uses false
representations of himself to gain other’s trust.

9. Analysis: Racism
 Racial issues and themes which are at the core of
Othello's story and position are beginning to
surface.

 When Roderigo refers to Othello, he calls him
"the thick lips“
 This singles out one prominent characteristic of
Othello's foreignness and black heritage
 It displays a racial distrust of Othello based on
his color.
 Roderigo and Iago are not the only characters to
display racism when referring to Othello
 Racism is a pervasive theme within the work,
spreading misconceptions and lies about Othello
by tying him to incorrect stereotypes.

10. Analysis: Black and White
 Another element that surfaces repeatedly in the play is
the use of animal imagery; "an old black ram is tupping
your white ewe," Iago yells to Brabantio

 The use of animal imagery is used in many places in the
play to convey immorality and illicit passion, as it does
in this instance.
 Iago also compares Othello to a "Barbary horse"
coupling with Desdemona, and uses animal imagery to
reinforce a lustful picture of Othello
 Iago's statement is doubly potent, since it not only
condemns Othello for his alleged lust, but also plays on
Brabantio's misgivings about Othello's color
 The juxtaposition of black and white, in connection with
the animal imagery, is meant to make this image very
repellent, and to inflame Brabantio to anger and action.

11. Analysis: Devils
 Iago especially mentions the devil many times in
the text

 The first time here in the first scene to make
Othello sound like a devil with:
 lust
 indiscretion
 strangeness
 The irony is that Iago is so quick to make others
out to be evil
 The devil often takes disguises, just as Iago does
embodying the theme of appearance vs. reality
 He is the one who looks least guilty.

12. Analysis: Imagery and Setting
 Important to this scene is the fact that it is held
in darkness

 Things are unsteady and eerie, and disorder
rules - secrets.
 With Brabantio's call for light, there is a
corresponding call for some kind of order:
 darkness vs. light
 order vs. disorder
 Both important juxtapositions within the play
 they highlight the status of situations
 These themes will appear again at the end, as
the play returns to darkness, and chaos

13. Iago’s Soliloquies

 Soliloquy – in a drama when a character speaks to
himself and relates thoughts and feelings
 Iago’s intensions and motives are revealed in his
soliloquies
 It is his only opportunity to really be honest
 The other characters call him honest yet he is only
honest with the audience
 He makes the audience his co-conspirators

14. Act I Scene 2
 Iago has now joined Othello, and has told Othello
about Roderigo's betrayal of the news of his
marriage.

 He tells Othello that Brabantio is upset, and will
probably try to tear Desdemona from him.
 Cassio comes at last, as do Roderigo and Brabantio
 Iago threatens Roderigo with violence, again
making a false show of his loyalty to Othello.
 Brabantio swears that Othello must have bewitched
his daughter (racial reference), and that the state
will not decide for him in this case.
 Othello says that the Duke must hear him, and
decide in his favor, or all is far from right in Venice.

15. Analysis: Janus
 Iago continues his deliberate misrepresentation:
 Swearing to Othello that he could have killed

Roderigo for what he did.
 Iago is a very skilled actor:
 He is able to successfully present a contrary
appearance
 Ironically, Iago alludes to Janus, the two-faced
god, in his conversation with Othello.
 Since Iago himself is two-faced Janus seems to
be a fitting figure for Iago to invoke.

16. Analysis
 Iago's duplicity is again exhibited in this scene as his
tone swings:
 friendly to backbiting as soon as Othello steps away

 back to his original friendliness when Othello returns.
 Iago acted supportive of Othello's marriage to
Desdemona
 Cassio enters and uses a rather uncomplimentary
metaphor to tell what Othello has done:
 "He tonight hath boarded a land-carrack"
 His diction and choice of metaphor make Othello into some
kind of pirate
 stealing Desdemona's love
 Cassio reduces Desdemona into a mere prize to be taken.
 Iago will soon want Cassio to think of Desdemona as an
object to be taken, and to believe Othello to be less
honorable than he is.

17. Analysis: Pride
 Othello's pride first becomes visible here
 He is exceptionally proud of his achievements and his
public stature

 Pride is a huge theme of Othello's story.
 He is proud of Desdemona's affection for him
 He would not give her up "for the seas' worth," he says
(l. 28).
 Othello is very confident in his worth, and in the respect
he commands
 If the leaders of the city decide to deny a worthy man
like him his marriage to Desdemona, then he believes:
 "bondslaves and pagans shall our statesmen be."
 This statement of paradox betrays Othello's faith in the
state and in the Duke's regard for him; hopefully, neither
will fail him.

18. Analysis: Racism and Magic
 The issue of race comes to the forefront, as Brabantio
confronts Othello about his marriage to Desdemona.
 Desdemona never would have "run from her guardage

to the sooty bosom of a thing such as thou," Brabantio
says (l. 71-2).
 Brabantio assumes that Desdemona must have been
"enchanted" to marry Othello merely because Othello is
black
 Brabantio ignores all of Othello's good qualities, and
gives into his racist feelings.
 Magic is another recurrent theme, and here is linked to
stereotypes of African peoples as:
 knowing the black arts of magic
 being pagans
 being lusty
 The theme of magic does not always play into the theme
of race within the play

19. Analysis: Stereotypes and History
 At the time Shakespeare was writing, there were
in fact free blacks in England

 However, racism was even more pronounced in
Shakespeare's England than it is in Othello
 A character like Othello could not have risen to
such ranks in England at the time
 Shakespeare's play is much more progressive
than the time in which it was written.
 Stereotypes are linked to Othello by other
characters, but he manages to evade them
through his nobility and individuality.

20. Act I Scene 3
 Military conflict is challenging the Venetian stronghold of
Cyprus
 There are reports that Turkish ships are heading toward the
island, which means some defense will be necessary.

 Brabantio and Othello enter the assembled Venetian leaders,
who are discussing this military matter
 Brabantio announces his grievance against Othello for
marrying his daughter.
 Othello addresses the company, admitting that he did marry
Desdemona, but wooed her with stories, and did her no
wrongs.
 Desdemona comes to speak, and she confirms Othello's
words:
 Brabantio's grievance is denied
 Desdemona will indeed stay with Othello.
 Othello is called away to Cyprus, to help with the conflict
there
 Othello and Desdemona win their appeal, and Desdemona is
to stay with Iago, until she can come to Cyprus and meet
Othello there.

21. Act I Scene 3
 Roderigo is upset that Desdemona and Othello's
union was allowed to stand

 He lusts after Desdemona.
 Iago assures him that the match will not last
long, and at any time, Desdemona could come
rushing to him.
 Iago wants to break up the couple, using
Roderigo as his pawn, out of malice and his
wicked ability to do so.
 Watch movie scene

22. Analysis: Brabantio
 Brabantio again accuses Othello of bewitching
his daughter, and airs his racism-based views.

 He is not against the match because of any
incompatibility of the couple
 His metaphor of his grief as a flood, that
"engluts and swallows other sorrows, and is still
itself," means that he feels very strongly on this
issue.
 His strong objection foreshadows a
confrontation between him and his daughter
 If Desdemona does choose to stay with Othello,
it seems likely that she will risk her father's love.

23. Analysis: Desdemona

 In this scene Desdemona both reinforces and breaks the
stereo type of women at the time
 First she demonstrates she can not be trusted – her father
warns Othello about this later
 She then supports her “master” – her husband as her
mother supported her father
 She requests to go to Cypress with Othello
 It was very unusual for women to accompany their
husbands during a war
 Othello states, “she wished/ That heaven had made her
such a man.”

24. Analysis: Tragedy
 Othello's appointment to Cyprus marks the true
beginning of his tragedy

 He will be much more vulnerable to Iago's vicious
attacks on his love and jealousy.
 This battle between order and chaos is a theme running
throughout the play
 As Othello sinks deeper into distrust of Desdemona and
is more consumed by his jealousy, chaos increases and
threatens to devour him.

25. Analysis: Verse vs. Couple
 The Duke's words of advice to the couple also
mark the beginning of their tragic story
 The Duke foretells trouble between the couple if

they do not let grievances go, which ends up
being a reason for Othello's fall.
 The change of the verse into couplets signals the
importance of the advice being offered.
 The words of the Duke, and Brabantio's words
that follow, are set off from the rest of the text
and emphasized by this technique
 The reader is notified, through the couplet
rhyme, which hasn't appeared before in the text,
that these are words that must be marked.

26. Analysis: Othello’s Tragic Flaw
 The only magic that Othello possesses is in his
power of language.

 His language shows his pride in his
achievements
 Othello portrays himself as a tested, honorable
warrior, and indeed is such.
 This view of himself will prove troublesome
when he is hard pressed to recognize his
jealousy and his lust
 His inability to reconcile himself with these two
aspects of his personality means that his doom is
almost certain.
 Othello's lack of self-knowledge means that he
will be unable to stop himself once Iago begins
to ignite his jealousy

27. Analysis: Allusions
 Othello's speech before the assembly shows
what he believes Desdemona's love to be:

 He thinks that Desdemona's affection is a form of
hero-worship
 She loves him for the stories he tells, and the things
he has done.
 He believes it is his allusions to strange peoples
and places, like the "Anthropophagi," that
fascinate her
 Indeed, his powers of language successfully win
the Duke over, and soften Brabantio's
disapproval.

28. Analysis: White and Black
 Light and dark are again juxtaposed in the Duke's
declaration to Brabantio, that:
 "if virtue no delighted beauty lack/ your son-in-

law is far more fair than black."
 Black is associated with sin, evil, and darkness;
 These negative things are also associated to black
people, merely because of the color of their skin.
 The Duke's statement is ironic, since Othello is
black, but truthful, because his soul is good and
light.
 Light/white/fairness all convey innocence,
goodness, any symbol that is white has these
qualities.
 The juxtaposition of black and white, light and dark
shows up again and again in the play, as the colors
become symbolic within the story.

29. Analysis: Origin of Chaos
 "Our bodies are our gardens," Iago tells Roderigo
 Iago is a very good judge of human nature, and easily

able to manipulate people in ways that will benefit him
most
 This cleverness also means that he is a source of wisdom
in the play
 Iago's metaphor is particularly applicable to many in
this play, himself excluded; characters do have vices that
they allow to grow in themselves
 They also have aspects of themselves which balance
these vices out.
 Iago's knowledge of this allows him to do away with
this balance and set chaos into motion

30. Analysis: Cross Purposes
 Iago's purpose becomes plain:
 He sees that Othello and Desdemona's marriage is
less than solid

 He seeks to use his powers to break this marriage
apart.
 Iago is again "honest" about his intent, but only
to a person whose involvement will help him
greatly.
 The words "honest" and "honesty" appear
repeatedly in the play, and are usually used by
Iago, or in reference to him
 Ironically, Iago is the only person in the play
whom Othello trusts to judge who is and is not
honest