What is the play Othello all about?

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Please.) Othello is a tragedy written by the big dog of English theater himself: Billy Shakespeare. The play tells the story of a powerful general of the Venetian army, Othello, whose life and marriage are ruined by a conniving, deceitful, and envious soldier, Iago.

What is Othello’s job?

Othello’s lieutenant, or second-in-command. Cassio is highly educated but young and inexperienced in battle. Iago resents Cassio’s high position and dismisses him as a bookkeeper. Truly devoted to Othello, Cassio is ashamed after being implicated in a drunken brawl on Cyprus and losing his place as lieutenant.

What is the meaning of Othello syndrome?

Pathological jealousy, also known as Morbid jealousy, Othello syndrome or delusional jealousy, is a psychological disorder in which a person is preoccupied with the thought that their spouse or sexual partner is being unfaithful without having any real proof, along with socially unacceptable or abnormal behaviour

Which characters die in Othello?

In the final scene, Othello (thinking she has cuckolded him with Cassio) murders Desdemona; and, in another husband-murders-wife parallel, when she speaks out about what he has done, Iago murders Emilia. Othello then kills himself. Iago is taken off to be tortured but – as the curtain falls – is still not killed.

Why is Iago jealous?

Here, Iago claims he hates Othello because Othello passed him, Iago, over for a promotion, giving “one Michael Cassio” the job as his military lieutenant instead. Iago claims he’s far more qualified than Cassio, who lacks Iago’s experience on the field of battle. Clearly, Iago seems pretty jealous.

What is the climax of the play Othello?

Iago tells the audience of his scheme, arranges for Cassio to lose his position as lieutenant, and gradually insinuates to Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful. climax. The climax occurs at the end of Act III, scene iii, when Othello kneels with Iago and vows not to change course until he has achieved bloody revenge.

What is the story of Othello?

Othello (The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603. It is based on the story Un Capitano Moro (“A Moorish Captain”) by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565.

Who betrayed Othello?

Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most evil villians. His betrayal of his commander, his friend and his own wife spring from his jealousy of being overlooked for a promotion. He immediately begins spreading the idea that the Moor Othello has used witchcraft in convincing Desdemona to marry him.

Who is the villain of the play Othello?

Iago

How is the play Othello a tragedy?

Othello is a tragedy because it meets the definition of tragedy in such standard authorities as Aristotle. Othello is brought down due to an external force (the hatred of Iago) working in harmony with his own jealousy, his tragic flaw, to end in his destruction and that of his wife, an equally admirable character.

How long does it take to perform Othello?

Shakespearean plays are usually performed at a rate of about 1,000 lines per hour. The length of Othello is 3,560 lines. At that rate, the play should take approximately three and a half hours to perform.

Is Othello a tragedy?

Othello is about as near as Shakespeare gets to classical tragedy. A. C. Bradley saw Shakespearean tragedy characterized by the “tragic flaw,” the internal imperfection in the hero that brings him down. His downfall becomes his own doing, and he is no longer, as in classical tragedy, the helpless victim of fate.

How does the play Othello end?

Iago stabs Emilia for telling all about his plots, and then Emilia dies; the Venetian nobles reveal that Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, is dead, and so cannot be grieved by this tragedy now. Othello stabs Iago when he is brought back in; Othello then tells all present to remember him how he is, and kills himself.

Who is married to Desdemona?

Shakespeare’s Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish man several years her senior. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the Republic of Venice, Desdemona accompanies him.

Is Othello truly a tragic hero?

Othello is a tragic hero because of his tragic flaw. There are many undesirable traits in Othello, like his jealousy and gullibility. However, the core of these problems and his main tragic flaw is his insecurities. Othello being the only black character and an outsider in Venice brings upon many insecurities.

Where does Cassio come from?

Iago claims to resent Cassio because Othello chose Cassio rather than Iago as his lieutenant, in spite of the fact that Cassio has no practical knowledge of battle. Iago uses Cassio in his scheme to destroy Othello; Iago insinuates throughout that Cassio is having an affair with Othello’s wife, Desdemona.

What is the time period of Othello?

Written during Shakespeare’s great tragic period, which also included the composition of Hamlet (1600), King Lear (1604–5), Macbeth (1606), and Antony and Cleopatra (1606–7), Othello is set against the backdrop of the wars between Venice and Turkey that raged in the latter part of the sixteenth century.

Who is Emilia in the play Othello?

Emilia having heard from Othello that Iago told him of Desdemona “cheating” on him with Cassio, accuses him of gross dishonesty leading to an unjust murder. When she hears about the handkerchief, she reveals her role and Iago threatens and then kills her at the first opportunity.

What is the genre of the play Othello?

There are six major genres of literature: fiction, nonfiction, short story, poetry, drama, and folktale/mythology. Within these genres are many subgenres, such as romance, fairytale, comedy, tragedy, and the like.

Where is Othello set and why?

Venice

Who were the Moors in the Othello?

Although Othello is a Moor, and although we often assume he is from Africa, he never names his birthplace in the play. In Shakespeare’s time, Moors could be from Africa, but they could also be from the Middle East, or even Spain. American actor John Edward McCullough as Othello in 1878.

What does the word Othello mean?

A tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character, a Moor, or dark-skinned Muslim, is a general commanding the forces of Venice. The villain Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona, the general’s beautiful and faithful wife, has been guilty of adultery; at the end of the play, Othello smothers Desdemona.

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