Othello

Characters:

• Othello
• Christian Moor
• general of armies of Venice
• Desdemona
• daughter of Brabanzio
• secretly married to Othello before the play begins
• Iago
• Othello's ensign
• ostensible reason for desiring Othello's death is that he has been passed over for promotion to lieutenant
• Michael Cassio
• Othello's liutenant
• young and inexperienced soldier whose high position is resented by Iago
• truly devoted to Othello
• Emilia
• Iago's wife and Desdemona's attendant
• deeply attached to her mistress and distrustful of her husband
• Roderigo
• jealous suitor of Desdemona
• convinced that if he gives Iago all his money, Iago will help him win Desdemona's hand
• Bianca
• courtesan whose favorite customer is Cassio, who teases her with promises of marriage
• Brabanzio
• Desdemona's father
• self-important Venetian senator
• Duke of Venice
• official authority in Venice
• respects Othello as a public and military servant
• Montano
• governor of Cyprus before Othello
• Lodovico
• one of Brabanzio's kinsmen
• acts as messenger from Venice to Cyprus
• Graziano
• Brabanzio's kinsman who accompanies Lodovico to Cyprus
• Clown
• Othello's servant

Plot summary:

• Roderigo and Iago argue in the middle of a street in Venice. Roderigo has been paying Iago to help him in his suit of Desdemona but he has just learned that she has married Othello. Iago says he hates Othello who recently passed him over for the position of lieutenant in favor of Michael Cassio
• Iago and Roderigo tell Brabanzio that his daughter has been stolen and married by Othello the Moor. Brabanzio gathers some officers to find Othello.
• Not wanting his hatred of Othello to be known, Iago hurries back to Othello.
• Cassio arrives at Othello's lodgings with a message from the Duke that his help is needed in the imminent Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
• Brabanzio arrives with Roderigo and accuses Othello of stealing his daughter by witchcraft. He follows Othello to the duke's in order to accuse him in front of the assembled senate.
• However, the duke and the senate are sympathetic towards Othello as he explains that he wooed and won Desdemona with stories of his adventures. Desdemona enters and defends her choice in marriage. Brabanzio eventually acquiesces.
• The duke orders Othello to go to Cyprus and Desdemona insists she accompany him.
• Cassio, Desdemona, Roderigo, Iago and Emilia wait for Othello's ship on the shores of Cyprus. Cassio greets Desdemona by clasping her hand, and Iago informs the audience that he will use "as little a web as this" hand-holding to ensnare Cassio.
• Othello arrives and announces that there will be celebrations that evening to celebrate Cyprus's safety as the Turkish fleet has been wrecked at sea. 
• Roderigo complains to Iago that he has no chance of breaking up Othello's marriage but Iago reassures Roderigo that she will grow bored of him soon. However, he warns Roderigo that she might seek solace in the arms of Cassio instead. Iago tells Roderigo that he should cast Cassio into disgrace by starting a fight with him that evening. 
• Iago explains to the audience that eliminating Cassio is his first step in his plan to ruin Othello.
• That night, Iago gets Cassio drunk and sends Roderigo to start a fight with him. Cassio chases Roderigo across the stage. Governor Montano attempts to hold down Cassio but Cassio stabs him instead. Iago sends Roderigo to raise the alarm in town.
• Othello arrives at the commotion and Iago feigns reluctance to implicate Cassio. However, he eventually points the finger at Cassio and Othello strips Cassio of his rank as leiutenant. Cassio is extremely upset but Iago assures Cassio that he can get back into Othello's good graces by using Desdemona as an intermediary. Iago tells the audience that he will make it seem as if Cassio and Desdemona as lovers to inflame Othello's jealousy.
• In an attempt at reconciliation, Cassio sends some musicians to play beneath Othello's window. Othello only sends his clown to tell the musicians to go away. Cassio asks the clown to send Emilia to him in the hopes of arranging a meeting with Desdemona. Iago passes by and tells Cassio that he will get Othello out of the way so the he can speak privately with Desdemona. Othello and Iago go to examine the town's fortifications.
• Desdemona is sympathetic to Cassio's request and promises she will try to get Othello to forgive him. Othello and Iago return but Cassio feels uneasy and leaves without talking to Othello. Othello wonders if it was Cassio who had just left and Iago begins to kindle Othello's jealousy. Othello becomes upset and moody and Iago suggests Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair.
• Desdemona's pleas to Othello to reinstate Cassio as lieutenant add to Othello's conviction that his wife is unfaithful. She leaves to have dinner with him and drops her handkerchief on her floor. 
• Emilia picks up Desdemona's handkerchief and gives it to Iago, because he has always wanted her to steal it for him. Iago plants it in Cassio's room as "evidence" of his affair with Desdemona. Iago then tells Othello that he has seen Cassio using Desdemona's handkerchief, the first gift Othello gave her. Othello vows to take vengeance on his wife and Cassio. 
• Later that night, Othello asks Desdemona for her handkerchief but she tells him she does not have it and continues to ask him to forgive Cassio. Othello storms out in a rage.
• Cassio comes onstage wondering about the handkerchief in his chamber. Bianca greets him and he asks her to copy its embroidery for him.
• Othello becomes so consumed by jealousy and has a fit of epilepsy. Cassio comes by but Iago tells him to come back in a few minutes to talk. Othello recovers and Iago tells him to hide while he talks to Cassio. 
• Iago pumps Cassio for information about Bianca, causing Cassio to laugh and confirm Othello's suspicions. Bianca enters with Desdemona's handkerchief and reprimands Cassio for asking him to make her copy the embroidery of a love token given to him by another woman. 
• Desdemona enters with Lodovico who gives Othello a letter from Venice calling him home and instating Cassio as his replacement. Othello strikes Desdemona and storms out.
• Othello accuses Desdemona later that night of being a whore. Iago assures Desdemona that Othello is simply upset about matters of state. Later that night, Othello tels Desdemona to wait for him in bed.
• Iago assures Roderigo that everything is going as planned but that Roderigo must kill Cassio in order to attain Desdemona.
• Roderigo ambushes Cassio but misses his mark and Cassio wounds him instead. Iago wounds Cassio and runs away. Othello hears Cassio's cry and assumes that Iago has killed Cassio as he said he would. Lodovico and Graziano enter to see what the commotion is about. Iago enters shortly and flies in to a pretend rage as he "discovers" Cassio's assailant Rodergio. Iago kills Roderigo and Cassio is taken to have his wound dressed.
• Othello stands over Desdemona sleeping in their bedchamber, preparing to kill her. Desdemona wakes and pleads with Othello but he smothers her. Emilia enters with the news that Roderigo is dead and is mortified with Emilia when she tells him he is not. 
• Othello tells Emilia that he has killed Desdemona for her infidelity which Iago brought to his attention. Upon coming into the room, Iago attempts to silence Emilia, who realizes what Iago has done. Othello insists that Iago has told the trut, citing the handkerchief as evidence, but Emilia tells him how she found the handkerchief and gave it to Iago.
• Othello is crushed and begins to weep. He tries to kill Iago but fails. Iago kills Emilia and fles, but he is caught by Lodovico and Montano. They also bring Cassio. Othello wounds Iago. Lodovico then tells Othello that he must come back with them to Venice to be tried. Othello makes a speech about how he would like to be remembered and then kills himself with a sword. The play ends with Lodovico giving Othello's house and goods to Graziano and he orders that Iago to be executed.