Othello

Shakespeare creates a powerful marital drama that begins with admiration (between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona), slippage, and intense interdependence, and ends with jealous anger and violent death. It places this story in the romantic world of the Mediterranean, transferring the action from Venice to the island of Cyprus and adding an even more exotic color with the stories of Othello's African past. Shakespeare places so many differences in his protagonist and hero — differences in race, age, cultural origin — that perhaps it's no wonder the marriage ended in disaster. But most people who have seen or read the play think that the love represented by the game between Othello and Desdemona is so strong that one could have overcome all these differences had it not been for the words and actions of Iago, the standard bearer of Othello, who hates Othello and is about to destroy him. When Othello lends himself to Iago's insinuations that Desdemona is unfaithful, the admiration that dominates the play's early actions turns into horror, especially for the audience. We are confronted with the glasses of the generous and naïve Othello in the grip of Iago's plans; The innocent Desdemona, who has devoted herself entirely to her love for Othello, is subjected to terrible verbal and physical attacks as a result of Othello's false beliefs about her disbelief.

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