Othello Act 1 Summary

Enc. 1102.217
Literary Review Shakespeare

“Othello”

Act IV Scene 1: Summary

Enter Iago and Othello with Iago almost forcing the Moor to imagine his wife and Cassio together intimately. Iago then begins to ask about the loss of the handkerchief, as if to add fuel to the fire, saying that if Desdemona could in fact give away the handkerchief so freely what else could she give away just as easily. Othello had completely forgotten all about the matter with the handkerchief until Iago had so graciously reminded him. Then to make matters worse, Iago flat out lies to Othello claiming that Cassio and Desdemona have in fact slept together. That he heard this from Cassio himself. After listening to this Othello immediately
Othello still very much affected about the thought of his wife and her unknown faithful standings, interprets this to mean Iago is suggesting any man’s head would hurt if they were just deceived by their wife. Iago then comforts Othello explaining to him things like this happen all the time and that he will in fact get through it. Othello then declares Iago to be very wise. Iago not straying away from his goal to ruin Othello’s life, tells him to hide back a ways so that he can over hear a conversation between him and Cassio. A conversation in which Iago plans to incriminate Cassio by the way in which it will seem he talks about Desdemona so lightly. Othello agrees and is almost pleased with this idea. After Othello backs away, Iago divulges this particular plan to us, the audience, explaining that he’ll talk in veiled terms to Cassio about a prostitute, Bianca, whom Cassio takes very lightly. Iago believes when Othello listens to this conversation, he is bound to think Cassio is making light of his wife, Desdemona. Iago will underhandedly have given proof to Othello, yet again. When Cassio comes back, Iago brings up Bianca. Cassio, of course, laughs about how much the woman loves him, how desperate she is, and how easily beguiled she has been by his false intentions of marriage. This conversation is overheard by Othello, who apparently missed the key word
He praises her for being the gatekeeper to Hell, and tells her that she'd do best to keep the events of this night to herself. Othello then exits making quite an unsettling expression of himself. Emilia questions Desdemona worriedly about Othello's behavior, wondering what's happened to her husband’s mind. She then declares that she has no lord, nor does she have tears to cry, and no answer is appropriate about what is going on with Othello except an answer that could be told in tears. Desdemona bids Emilia to lay her wedding sheets on the quarreling lovers' bed tonight, and asks to have Iago come and talk to her. Alone, she resents bearing all this abuse, mostly because she's done nothing wrong. Emilia returns with Iago, and Desdemona says she can't even begin to convey what Othello called her. Emilia does this for her. She then lists off that Othello called Desdemona a whore and all sorts of other cruel names. She also reminds Desdemona that she turned down all sorts of nice, rich Venetian boys, even her father, and her friends, and her country… all to marry Othello. She also suggests that it could only be some really vile person, seeking his own self-interest that plied Othello with lies about Desdemona's faithfulness in order to make him jealous. She talks on this matter for a while, and Iago tells her to speak quietly, but Emilia notes that it was a very similar scheme, lies from a