This document provides a bullet point summary of every scene within William Shakespeare's 'Othello.' It can be used to better understand the text and where key moments occur in order to construct essays.
- Starts in the middle of conversation.
- Roderigo accusing Iago of taking his money without fulfilling his promise of bringing
Roderigo Desdemona.
- Iago mocks Othello before he has had a chance to speak on stage.
- Iago says Cassio is not worthy of being Lieutenant (jealousy.)
- Iago speech about how he will go against Othello and that he is putting on a façade.
- Iago tells Roderigo to go wake D’s father and they wake Brabantio.
- Iago uses crude language to tell B his daughter has eloped with Othello.
- Brabantio calls Iago a villain and a wretch.
- B listens to Roderigo, realises D is missing, calls it a treason of blood.
- Brabantio commands everyone goes looking for the couple.
Act 1 Scene 2:
- Iago assures Othello of his honesty and warns Othello of Brabantio’s power.
- Othello assures justice will be found for him (hubris?)
- Cassio tells Othello he is called for; he did not know about the marriage.
- Brabantio delivers speech referring to Othello as bewitching his daughter.
- B wants Othello punished as a thief (Desdemona as an object.)
- The Duke arrives as he wants to speak to Othello.
Act 1 Scene 3:
- The duke and senators arrive discussing the war conflict against the Turks (they are
referencing the real Battle of Lepanto) when the Turks were defeated.
- Senator discussing how Turks are planning to deceive them pretending to retreat
(establishes theme of deception.)
- Brabantio, Othello etc join the Duke, Othello is named ‘valiant.’
- Brabantio explains how D has betrayed him, taking part in an unnatural marriage.
- Othello uses good language for a speech how he fairly ‘won’ D.
- Othello asks to send for Desdemona to defend them (unusual for women to have a
voice at this time.)
- Othello gives a speech about how he won D over with his exotic stories.
- Duke sees him as innocent (shows power of Othello language at this point.)
- Desdemona explains how her loyalty has shifted from father to Othello.
- Desdemona shown as an object for men to possess.
- Duke uses prose to discuss matters of the state.
- Desdemona insists upon coming to Cyprus with Othello.
- Othello ironically assures he won’t let his private life interfere with his public role.
- Othello trusts Iago and trusts him to look after D/ accompany her (epithet.)
- Duke says he’s ‘more fair than black.’, Brabantio says D will deceive O.
- Roderigo talks to Iago as a jilted lover. Iago tells him to man up.
, - Iago’s speech to be a man and put money in his purse. He discusses D’s appetite and
O’s fickleness.
- Roderigo is manipulated by this and ‘changed.’
- Iago has his first soliloquy to the audience, he questions if his wife slept with Othello,
improvises his plan to take down Othello, hellish imagery.
Act 2 Scene 1:
- Montano and gentlemen discuss the wild storm that took place.
- Revealed the Turks were drowned by the storm (war won.)
- Chaotic stage directions as chaos begins and characters separated.
- Cassio enters first, describing Desdemona in complimentary way.
- All except Othello join next (racial divide), Cassio greets both women flirtatiously.
- Iago makes misogynistic comments surrounding Emelia (being humourist, deceptive.)
- Desdemona stands up to Iago during flirtatious banter. Iago uses paradoxes to show
the pressure on expectations of women.
- Iago does an aside to explain he is going to use Cassio in his plan.
- Othello arrives and him and D have a loving reunion.
- He gets distracted by her (mixing public and domestic) and gives Iago orders.
- Iago speaks in prose to Roderigo about their plan to anger Cassio.
- Iago has another soliloquy (guiding narrative) about fearing Cassio of sleeping with
his wife, about jealousy as poisonous and about revenge (wife for wife.)
Act 2 Scene 2:
- Herald delivers a message from Othello that the Turkish fleet is defeated and
everybody should celebrate (dramatic irony as perfect for Iago’s plans.)
Act 2 Scene 3:
- Othello puts trust in Cassio to be night’s guard and uses “Honest Iago” epithet again.
- Iago manipulates Cassio into having a drink to celebrate (makes him feel guilty.)
- Iago speaks to himself how Cassio is now drunk enough, Iago in control.
- Cassio and others sing drunk together, Cassio discusses belief in good and evil (ironic
as doesn’t know Iago is evil, Cassio wants to be good.)
- Iago insinuates to Montano that Cassio is unreliable, Montano questions if Othello is
too trustworthy.
- Iago never openly insults, just subtle comments, lets people draw own conclusions.
- Interrupted Cassio going after Roderigo and fighting him.
- Othello interrupts, compares behaviour to Turks (prejudice), asks Iago what occurred.
- Iago fakes loyalty that he cannot say, strings imagery used.
- Othello irrational with anger, trusts Iago to tell him the truth.
- Iago uses flattery to mask him selling out Cassio in speech, pretends to protect him.
- Cassio no longer lieutenant.
- Cassio discusses with Iago about the loss of his reputation.
- Iago lies about his sadness over the event, tells Cassio to seek help from D.
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