Reading Response Shakespeare’s Othello

Question 1

The plot of the play is made of love, deception, murder and envy. Shakespeare tells the story of the main character Othello. Othello is a Moorish general who serves in the Venetian army and is married to Desdemona, the daughter of Brabantio the Senator. The main conflict of the play arises when Othello develops two main enemies; Rodrigo, who is deeply in love with Desdemona, and Iago, Othello’s employee, who is mad at him for promoting another man over him. Thus, to get back at Othello, Iago hatches a plan to manipulate Othello into thinking that Desdemona is cheating on him. The conflict ends with Othello killing Desdemona then committing suicide.

Question 2

Othello

He is the main character in the play and is an army general in the Venetian army. He is well-respected and a trustworthy soldier, which is why he is tasked with the responsibility of leading the Venetians against the Turkish army.

Iago

He is an employee of Othello and serves under him. Iago is an evil person who is consumed by hate and jealousy. He becomes jealous of Cassio when he is promoted by Othello to the position of Lieutenant. He is also racists and is against Othello for holding the highest position in the army despite his race.

Desdemona

She is Othello’s wife and the daughter of the Senator, Brebantio. She is graceful and demonstrates her loyalty to her husband through her love. 

Rodrigo

He is Iago’s friend and is secretly in love with Desdemona. Rodrigo gets upset when he realizes that the woman he loves has been married by another man. He is rich and uses his wealth to try and get Desdemona.

Emilia

She is Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s maid. She is intelligent and demonstrates emotional intelligence when in the end she denounces Iago’s lies and defends Desdemona’s honor.

Question 3

Iago deceives Othello into thinking that Desdemona is cheating on him. Iago is successful in his deception since Othello trusts him.

Another example is when Iago manipulates Rodrigo into thinking that he is his friend and that they should work together to take down Othello. Rodrigo is easily deceived due to his love for Desdemona, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get Desdemona