othello essay 400 words summary

Master Shakespeare's Othello using Absolute Shakespeare's Othello essay, plot summary, quotes and characters study guides.

Plot Summary : A quick review of the plot of Othello including every important action in the play. An ideal introduction before reading the original text.

Commentary : Detailed description of each act with translations and explanations for all important quotes. The next best thing to an modern English translation.

Characters : Review of each character's role in the play including defining quotes and character motivations for all major characters.

Characters Analysis : Critical essay by influential Shakespeare scholar and commentator William Hazlitt, discussing all you need to know on the characters of Othello.

Othello Essay : Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famous essay on Othello based on his legendary and influential lectures and notes on Shakespeare.

“Othello” by William Shakespeare: Summary and Analysis Essay

Many critiques of Shakespeare’s play Othello tend to suggest and thus agree that Othello as a character is intelligent, proud, and strong but also naïve. They summarily agree that the play is all about honesty and trust and the cunning and witting nature of Iago who manipulates the trust and honesty of various characters in the play. Othello is such one character who falls into Iago’s web.

Othello is an integral part of the Venetian civic society. His skills as a soldier and leader are necessary and valuable to the state of Venice. His background history shows that he has been a soldier since he was seven years old. However, he is a cultural and racial outsider in Venice. As such, the Venetian natives refer to him not by his name, but by various symbolic names like “the moor”, “the thick lips” and “an old black ram,” amongst others. These nicknames are set to introduce to us the native origin of Othello and the way the native Venetians view him as a person (Jack D, 1992, p. 119).

Moreover, Othello is an honest young man, and his skills are highly sought by the senate as projected by Cassio’s comments that “the senate has sent about three several quests, to search you out.” This shows that the Duke and the government of Venice trust Othello enough to entrust him with full martial and political command of Cyprus. Othello on his part admits that for nearly the whole of his life, he has been doing war with his hands, faithfully serving the state and this is what his life is made of as seen in the lines, “ For since these arms of mine had seven years. Pith, till now, some nine moors wasted, they have used their dearest action in the tented field- and little of this great world. Can I speak, more than pertains to fears of broils, and battle?” (William J. M. 1984, p. 142).

Othello sometimes also allows himself to feel his status as an outsider thus he is self-conscious and defensive about his difference from other Venetians. He thus sometimes protests about his conduct as shown especially when he apologizes about his speech even after being eloquent in Act 1. scene iii. He says: “ Rude am I in my speech, and little blessed with the soft phrase of peace.” Perhaps it can be argued that this feeling of foreignness makes Othello more dependent on the natives, even as he tries to be on good terms with them, hence allowing Iago to spin him into his deceitful web (William J. M. 1984, p. 151).

In addition, Othello being an honest man believes that everyone is honest. He in this way believes that Iago is an honest man and trusts him to an extent that, he leaves him with his wife and entrusts him to take care of his wife through the voyage to Cyprus. Othello says “So please your grace, my ancient, a man he is of honesty and trust, to his conveyance I assign my wife …” This marks the beginning of Othello’s misplaced trust in his hand man – Iago.

Iago on the other hand, being his master’s hand man, has come to know his master’s characters, passion to serve the venation state, and his love for Desdemona. Iago being shrewd sets out to use Othello’s weaknesses to the best of his manipulative abilities. He has planned revenge on Othello because Othello promoted Cassio to the position of lieutenant instead of him. He employs deceit and the needs of various other characters like Cassio (Need to have his Lieutenant job back) and Roderigo (Need to achieve Desdemona’s love) to achieve and administer his revenge on Othello. In addition, Iago knows that he has gained the full confidence of Othello as his friend (Jack D, 1992, p. 118).

To Iago, His friendship and trust from Othello are confirmed by Othello himself in his utterances like “O, that’s an honest fellow”, and “I know thou is full of love and honesty” and utterances from other characters like Cassio “You advise me well.” This serves but to encourage Iago of Othello’s and other characters’ naivety and he takes full advantage of this naivety to build Othello’s jealousy and mistrust of his wife Desdemona. On his part, Othello fails to see that Iago is an evil conning and wicked person until the bitter end after he has tragically killed his faithfully and most adoring wife.

Perhaps we can also argue that Brobantio’s accusations on Othello about his color and origin and his ability to genuinely make Desdemona love him without using charms punctured Othello’s belief that Desdemona truly loved him. Othello’s uncertainty of Desdemona’s love is heightened when Iago constantly pumps into his head infidelity thoughts until Othello’s trust in Desdemona is worn out. After “honest Iago” had said and shown that Desdemona is unfaithful to Othello, his killing Desdemona is justifiable and true.

Iago, knowing the nature of Othello’s work (General in the Venetian Army) and the call of Othello by the duke to attend to the impeding from the Ottoman Turks, knows well that Othello will not have enough time to stay with his newly wedded wife and get to know her better, leave alone the chance to consummate his marriage. Iago, therefore, sets out to exploit this situation to his full advantage. Iago accompanies Othello to Cyprus and backs Home. He takes this chance to explain to Othello that while he was away and busy attending to the matters of the state, Cassio and Desdemona might have been busy having an affair behind Othello’s back. Indeed, this appears to be the truth when Othello comes home and Cassio who had been talking to Desdemona hastily retreats. When Othello seeks to know from Iago whether it is Cassio that he has seen retreating on their approach, Iago answers that “Cassio my lord? No, sure I can not think it, that he would steal away so guilty – like seeing you coming.” With these words, Iago plants the seed of mistrust in Othello and at the same time, makes himself, the chief adviser of Othello (Virginia M. V, & Kent C, 1992, p. 129).

Moreover, it can be argued that the role Othello plays when wooing Desdemona is to him not substantial. He is uncomfortable with the role Desdemona played in their relationship and eventual marriage. After his mind has been poisoned by Iago, Othello doubts his wife’s love and instead starts to think that Desdemona might have married him to spite her father Brabantio. The fact that Desdemona fell in love with the battling war stories, Othello told, and thus falling in love with Othello “a moor” as even he believes, makes him doubt Desdemona’s love.

Desdemona on the other hand is a gentle, humble, and outgoing woman. When Cassio approaches him and requests him to talk to her husband, Desdemona agrees because she simply wants to help a friend. When Othello comes home, after being deceived that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair, he immediately believes Iago when Desdemona pleads with him to restore Cassio beck to his lieutenant position. The hurting and pain Othello feels after this conversation is symbolically shown when he claims that he has a headache and wishes to be left alone. This misplaced trust in Iago, and the belief that Iago is honestly helping him, kill all the trust Othello had in Desdemona and its place, increase the anger and hate towards his wife (Virginia M. V, & Kent C, 1992, p. 127).

Othello instead of questioning Iago’s allegation on Desdemona and his true intentions falls prey to Iago’s trick and allows himself to be overtaken by jealousy. As the play advances, Othello’s passion and love are transformed into a deep hatred for Desdemona. This jealousy is what leads to Othello killing his adoring and faithful wife l and later after realizing that, he has been deceived, to his suicide. Though this jealous plays the central role in Othello’s undoing, it can be argued that his racial background and his doubt about the genuineness “a white ewe” can give to “an old black ram” leads to his doubting the genuineness of Desdemona’s love. These thoughts make Othello easy prey to Iago’s, wits and hence also leads to his eventual downfall (Jack D, 1992, p. 121).

On the other hand, Iago is possessed with the thoughts of revenge. His true motivation, though not vividly explained, ranges from revenging because he suspects Othello slept with his wife Emilia to his being denied the position of lieutenant, a position he believes should have been his and not Cassio’s. He claims that he is the person suitable for the position of lieutenant basing on the recommendations of three senators and sees Cassio as unqualified and too simple. Iago claims that he has been robbed reputation, a thing which does not make any one rich if he steals it. Iago is thus determined to have his revenge no matter what the cost or who falls into his trap (William J. M. 1984, p. 157).

Iago also outwits Othello Cassio, Roderigo, Desdemona, and even his wife. His supreme deceit and cunning powers give him a measured advantage in his plot to revenge. Like any other character in the play, Othello falls head on to Iago’s cunning powers. Othello fails to see that Iago is a wolf in a sheep skin. Iago himself says (though to the audience) that “when devils will the blackest sins puts on, they do suggest first with heavenly shows, as I do now.” Othello completely fails to see this till the end when he can not change and undo what loss has been done. Othello’s naivety and misplace trust in Iago, makes Iago’s trap an easy job and leads to Othello’s eventual undoing (Virginia M. V & Kent C, 1992, p. 127).

Moreover, Iago uses Cassio to play the integral role as the source of jealousy eminent through out the play. Cassio is personified as a loyal man who is dutiful and attentive to his boss Othello as well as loyal and trusting to Iago to the extent that, he refers to Iago as “honest Iago.” This reference is important to Iago as he toys with cassio and uses him to make Othello believe That his wife Desdemona is capable of loving another (Jason C. 2005, p. 172 ).

In conclusion, it can be argued that Othello’s jealous is caused majorly because, he his blind to his wife’s love ways to him as compared to others in general and his mind being poisoned by Iago. His doubting his true role in wooing his wife and his being uncomfortable about Desdemona’s role in their marriage weakens his trust in his wife. Lastly, Iago is simply too outwitting and cunning to Othello for him to realize that he is being ensnared. All the above factors lead to Othello’s eventual dramatic downfall.

• Jason Cangialosi (2005). Envy and Honour in shakespeare’s Othello. South Atlantic Review. south Atlantic modern language association press. Pages 172:174.
• Jack D. Amico ( 1992). The Moor in English Renaissance Drama. South Atlantic Review. south Atlantic modern language association. Pages 118:121
• Virginia Mason Vaughan, Kent Catwright (1992). Othello new perspective. Fairleigh University press. pp.127 -143.
• William Jerry Maclean (1984). Othello Scorned. The Racial Thought Of John Quing Adams. Journal Of The Early Republic. University Of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 143 – 160.
• Barbara Everet (1961). Reflection on the sentuimentalists. Othello Critical Quaterly. 1467 87055. doi.10.1111/j. pages 127- 139.
• The Importance of Paintings in Hamlet
• Theology of Christian Marriage in "The Four Loves" by Lewis C.S.
• "Othello" by William Shakespeare: Military Honor and Othello
• Iago the Gardener`s Behavior in “Othello” by Shakespeare
• Shakespeare’s Othello: A Tragic Hero
• "Tartuffe" and J. Swift's "Gulliver's Journey" Analysis
• Shakespeare: A Feminist Writer
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare: A Filmic Event
• Utopia by Sir Thomas More Review
• A Good-Enough Mother: "The Fifth Child" by Doris Lessing
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, September 8). "Othello" by William Shakespeare: Summary and Analysis. https://ivypanda.com/essays/othello-by-william-shakespeare-summary-and-analysis/

""Othello" by William Shakespeare: Summary and Analysis." IvyPanda , 8 Sept. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/othello-by-william-shakespeare-summary-and-analysis/.

IvyPanda . (2021) '"Othello" by William Shakespeare: Summary and Analysis'. 8 September.

IvyPanda . 2021. ""Othello" by William Shakespeare: Summary and Analysis." September 8, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/othello-by-william-shakespeare-summary-and-analysis/.

1. IvyPanda . ""Othello" by William Shakespeare: Summary and Analysis." September 8, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/othello-by-william-shakespeare-summary-and-analysis/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""Othello" by William Shakespeare: Summary and Analysis." September 8, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/othello-by-william-shakespeare-summary-and-analysis/.

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

A Summary and Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Othello

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Othello is one of Shakespeare’s five best-known and widely studied tragedies, along with Hamlet , Macbeth , King Lear , and Romeo and Juliet . But as is so often with a well-known text, we don’t know this one nearly as well as we think we do: Othello has more in it than jealousy, the ‘green-eyed monster’, and (implied) racial hatred.

These themes are central to the play’s power, but one of the triumphs of Othello , as the analysis below attempts to demonstrate, is how well Shakespeare weaves different themes and elements together at once. Before we analyse some of these themes, it might be worth recapping the plot of this great tragedy which has inspired everything from opera (Verdi’s Otello ) to a rock musical ( Catch My Soul , from the 1960s).

Othello : plot summary

The main action of the play takes place in Venice, as the play’s subtitle, The Moor of Venice , makes clear. Iago is ensign or flag-bearer to the great military general, Othello, who is a Moor (i.e. a north African Muslim). Iago expects to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant, but instead Othello passes him over in favour of Cassio. For this reason (at least he claims), Iago declares that he hates Othello and will wreak vengeance on both Othello and Cassio.

His first plot is to try to prevent Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of Brabantio, by telling Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona have already slept together even though they are not married. Brabantio summons Othello before the court, but Othello convinces him that he and Desdemona have not yet lain together, and the two of them are married.

Next, in Cyprus on a military campaign, Iago gets Cassio drunk and arranges a brawl, which he makes sure Othello witnesses; Othello has to strip the recently promoted Cassio of his commission. Iago then sets about convincing Othello that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona; he tells Cassio to ask Desdemona to put in a good word for him with Othello so he might get his commission back (but with the result that Othello questions why his wife would want to plead for Cassio).

Iago, having got hold of a handkerchief of Desdemona’s, which she’d lost (a gift from Othello), hatches a plan to make Othello think his wife has been sleeping with Cassio. He hides the handkerchief in Cassio’s bedchamber and then tells Othello that Cassio has it.

When Othello asks Desdemona where her handkerchief is, she confesses that she has lost it; meanwhile, Cassio gives it to Bianca, his mistress, little realising that the handkerchief is part of Iago’s grand plan to implicate him in an imaginary affair.

Iago’s plan works, and Othello is convinced that there is something going on between Cassio and Desdemona. He tells Iago to kill Cassio, and he publicly strikes Desdemona, accusing her in front of everyone. Iago then tells Roderigo to kill Cassio, but Roderigo fails, so Iago kills him so nobody will find out about the plan.

Othello, consumed with jealousy, smothers Desdemona to death with a pillow, Emilia (Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s maid) tells Othello that she was the one who found the handkerchief and gave it to her husband; Iago kills her for revealing this, and Othello wounds Iago. Realising he has thrown away the life of an innocent woman he loved dearly, Othello kills himself publicly, Cassio is made governor of Cyprus, and Iago is taken off for punishment.

Othello : analysis

Othello is a play about sexual jealousy, and how one man can convince another man, who loves his wife dearly, that she has been unfaithful to him when she hasn’t. But Shakespeare does several very interesting, and artistically quite bold, things with this basic plot, and the characters he uses to tell the story.

First, he makes his hero noble, but unusually flawed. All heroes have a tragic flaw, of course: Macbeth’s is his ‘vaulting ambition’ , Hamlet’s is his habit of delaying or over-analysing (although the extent to which he actually delays can be questioned ), and so on. But Othello’s tragic flaw, his pride, is not simply noble or military pride concerned with doing the right thing (as a great military man might be expected to have), but a rather self-serving and self-regarding kind – indeed, self-regarding to the point of being self-destructive.

He is willing to believe his innocent wife has been unfaithful to him even though he is, to all intents and purposes, devoted to her. This makes him a more interesting tragic hero, in some ways, because he isn’t a spotless hero with one major blind spot: his blind spot is, in a sense, everyone else but himself.

Second, Shakespeare doesn’t make Iago, the villain, someone whose motives we can understand. Indeed, he goes out of his way to make Iago as inscrutable as possible. If the first rule of creative writing class is ‘show don’t tell’, the second or third rule may well be ‘make your characters’ motivations clear’.

Yet Shakespeare puts into Iago’s mouth several plausible ‘motives’ for wreaking the confusion and chaos that causes Othello’s downfall and Desdemona’s death, and in providing multiple motives, Iago emerges as ‘motiveless’, to use Coleridge’s famous description (Coleridge described Iago as being possessed of ‘ motiveless malignity ’). We cannot be sure why he is doing what he is doing.

But this does not mean that he is not being driven by anything. In Shakespeare’s source material for the play, a novella by the Italian author Cinthio, Iago is straightforwardly evil and devilish, intent on destroying Othello’s life, and with a clear motive. But Shakespeare’s Iago is more dangerous still: a human, with clearly human attributes and intellect, who nevertheless derives great pleasure from causing harm to others purely because … well, because it gives him pleasure.

Part of the genius of Shakespeare’s characterisation of Iago is that he makes him a convincing ensign to Othello, a loyal servant to the Moorish warrior, even while he is plotting Othello’s downfall. He is a villain, but a charming two-faced one. In Harold Goddard’s fine phrase, he is ‘a moral pyromaniac setting fire to all of reality’ (this phrase is quoted enthusiastically by Harold Bloom in his Shakespeare: The Invention Of The Human ).

Othello is also unlike many of Shakespeare’s other great tragedies, with the possible exception of Romeo and Juliet , in that its plot could easily have been co-opted for a comedy rather than a tragedy, where the confusion created by Iago’s plotting is resolved, the villain is punished, and the hero and heroine are reconciled to live happily ever after.

Compare, in this connection, Iago’s role in Othello with that of the villainous Don John in the earlier comedy, Much Ado about Nothing (a play we have analysed here ). Like Iago, Don John wants to wreck the (upcoming) marriage between Claudio and Hero, and sets about convincing Claudio that his bride-to-be cannot be trusted.

But in Much Ado , Hero’s fidelity is proved and Don John’s villainy is exposed, and we have a comedy. Much of Othello proceeds like a comedy that takes a very dark turn at the end, when it becomes apparent that Othello will not be reconciled with Desdemona, and that the sexual jealousy and suspicion he has been made to feel are too deep-rooted to be wiped out.

The whole thing is really, of course, Iago’s play, as many critics have observed: if Othello is the tragic lead in the drama, Iago is the stage-manager, director, and dramatist all wrapped up in one. Writers from Dickens to George R. R. Martin have often sorrowfully or gleefully talked of ‘killing off’ their own characters for the amusement of others; Iago wishes to ruin Othello’s marriage for his own amusement or, in Hazlitt’s phrase, ‘stabs men in the dark to prevent ennui ’.

Discover more from Interesting Literature

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Type your email…

2 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Othello”

The racial issue is of paramount importance in this play. The only characters whose view of Othello is not distorted by racial stereotyping are Desdemona and Cassio. Desdemona’s dying words are an attempt to exculpate her husband, and Cassio’s first reaction on learning that he has been crippled thanks to Othello’s jealous suspicions is to exclaim “Dear General, I never gave you cause!” I find no evidence that Othello is a Muslim. We’re told that he was sold into slavery in his childhood; presumably he was raised as a Christian. The “Colour” issue would have been evident in the original performances, since the Moor would certainly have been played in blackface.

I had the great good fortune to see the 2007 production of Othello put on at the Donmar Warehouse with Chiwetel Ejiofor in the title role. It was a wonderful experience…

Comments are closed.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Home — Guides — Othello

Othello Study Guide

by William Shakespeare

• Introduction
• All Plot summary
• Full Summary
• By Act and Scene
• All Characters
• Michael Cassio
• Duke of Venice
• Racism And Prejudice
• Appearance vs. Reality
• Gender Roles
• Manipulation
• All Literary Devices
• Dramatic Irony
• By character
• By literary device
• All Infographics
• Character Map
• Biography of author

Othello: Introduction

Dive into the world of Othello as you explore the timeless themes of love, jealousy, betrayal and the destructive power of manipulation.

Othello: Plot Summary

Immerse yourself in the tragic story of Othello, a Shakespearean masterpiece that describes the consequences of uncontrollable emotions and the fragility of trust.

• Full Book Summary
• Summary by Chapters

Othello: Characters

Enter the world of Othello and meet many unforgettable characters

Othello: Themes

Explore deep themes in Shakespeare’s Othello, from human nature to the destructive power of unbridled emotions.

Othello: Literary Devices

Shakespeare masterfully uses a number of literary devices in Othello, adding depth and complexity to the play’s themes and characters.

Othello: Quotes

Powerful and poignant quotes from Shakespeare’s Othello, highlighting the themes and character of the play.

Othello: Infographics

A Visualization of the World of Othello: An infographic that provides a key insight into the play.

The Mastermind of Othello: A Closer Look at the Life and Legacy of William Shakespeare.

Our writers will help you with any type of work on the topic of "Othello"

Dive Deeper into Othello

Free essay examples database

Questions & Answers

Featured Essays

2 pages / 730 words

2 pages / 872 words

2 pages / 889 words

2 pages / 880 words

3 pages / 1443 words

7 pages / 3228 words

Recommended for You

by Franz Kafka

by Flannery O'Connor

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free