Othello: Plot summary (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)

Othello: Plot Summary

One of the most useful ways to prepare for the exam is to get to grips with the plot of William Shakespeare’s Othello. If you are familiar with the key events and the order in which they occur, then you will find it easier to connect ideas in response to broader questions on character or theme. Having an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the text will also help you to gain confidence to find the most relevant references to support your response.

Below you will find:

• An overview of the play

• A plot summary broken down into sections of the play

Overview

Othello is a five-act tragedy by William Shakespeare, written and first performed in 1604. It is set in Renaissance-era Venice and Cyprus, and takes place against the backdrop of the Ottoman-Venetian War. Othello, a Venetian military general in and former slave, is the play’s central character, and Shakespeare’s first and only black protagonist. At the start of Othello, the soldier Iago announces his hatred for his commander, Othello, who promoted a young soldier named Cassio, to be his lieutenant. Iago discusses Othello with Roderigo, a wealthy Venetian seeking Desdemona’s hand in marriage, who is unhappy that Desdemona has secretly wed the Moor.

 Iago and Roderigo crudely inform Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, that Othello and Desdemona have eloped. Othello is summoned to defend his actions before the Venetian Senate. Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona. Othello recounts the history of his relationship with Desdemona, making it clear that the young woman willingly sought out his affections. The Senators wish to send Othello to Cyprus, which is under threat from Turkey. They bring Desdemona before them, and she tells the assembly of her love for Othello. The marriage stands; the Duke urges Brabantio to reconcile himself to the marriage. On Desdemona’s insistence, the Senate agrees to let her join Othello in Cyprus.

In Cyprus, the Turkish fleet is destroyed in a storm, while Othello, Desdemona, Iago and Cassio all arrive safely. The newly-weds seem secure in their happiness, but Iago continues to plot against Othello and Cassio. He tricks Cassio into a drunken fight, for which Cassio loses his new rank; Cassio, at Iago’s urging, then begs Desdemona to intervene on his behalf. Iago uses this and other ploys (misinterpreted conversations, insinuations, and a lost handkerchief) to convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. Othello, his mind poisoned by Iago’s manipulation, goes mad with jealousy: he denounces his wife in public and strikes her. So toxic is his jealousy that he interprets her protestations of innocence as proof of her infidelity. In the final Act he smothers Desdemona on their marriage bed. Desdemona survives just long enough to accept the blame for her death and absolve her husband of responsibility. Othello then learns of Iago’s treachery and realises his dreadful mistake. He requests that the onlookers remember him for his military service, then kills himself in remorse. The play ends with Iago being sent to trial, while Cassio is reinstated and made Governor of Cyprus. 

Act-by-Act Plot Summary

Act 1

• Before the play begins, Othello, a Moor and respected General in the Venetian military, secretly marries Desdemona, a wealthy noblewoman

• Roderigo, a Venetian aristocrat, has been pursuing Desdemona and is unhappy to hear from his soldier friend, Iago, about her marriage to Othello  

• Iago holds a grudge against Othello for overlooking Iago for a lieutenant position 

• Instead, Othello promoted an inexperienced soldier, Michael Cassio, and left Iago as his ensign, a lower rank

• Roderigo has been paying Iago to endorse him to Desdemona; Iago encourages him to continue his pursuit

• Late at night, Iago and Roderigo cause trouble by waking Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, to crudely inform him of Desdemona’s elopement 

• Brabantio angrily summons the militia to arrest Othello

• Iago warns Othello that Brabantio may use his influence to have Othello’s marriage dissolved 

• Othello is confident that his reputation and services to the state make him a suitable match for Desdemona

• As Brabantio and his followers seek to arrest Othello, Othello is summoned to an urgent meeting of the Senate 

• The Senate is concerned about the imminent threat of a Turkish invasion fleet on Cyprus

• Full of fury, Brabantio interrupts the council, claiming that Othello bewitched his daughter 

• Othello denies the accusation and explains how his stories of military battles and far-off lands helped him to earn Desdemona's love 

• Desdemona is called upon, and she supports Othello’s version of events and defends her marriage 

• Brabantio disowns her, and she chooses to go with Othello on his campaign

Act 2

• In Cyprus, Montano, the governor of Cyprus, greets Cassio, Iago, Desdemona, and Emilia 

• Othello soon arrives with news that storms at sea have scuppered the Turkish fleet and a night of celebration is announced 

• Roderigo confesses doubts to Iago about his potential to woo Desdemona, but Iago assures him that there is still hope

• Iago claims that Desdemona is actually falling in love with Cassio

• At Iago’s urging, Roderigo challenges Cassio to a duel at the Venetian celebration

• Iago gets Cassio drunk, and Roderigo incites his anger

• Montano, the governor, is stabbed during the fracas as he attempts to restrain Cassio

• Othello is angered by the fight and by being called away from Desdemona to restore order

• Iago speaks in Cassio’s defence, but this only makes Othello more upset 

• Othello blames Cassio and strips him of his recently conferred officer status

Act 3 

• The next day, Iago persuades Cassio to ask Desdemona for help in regaining his post

• When Cassio asks, Desdemona innocently agrees

• Meanwhile, Iago sows seeds of jealousy in Othello’s mind by suggesting that Desdemona is overfond of Cassio

• Othello does not suspect Iago’s sinister intentions, and begins to observe his wife with growing suspicion 

• Later, Othello asks Desdemona to produce the first gift that he ever gave her: a handkerchief, embroidered with strawberries 

• The handkerchief is especially important to Othello, and he becomes angry when Desdemona cannot find it 

• It transpires that Desdemona has not lost the handkerchief: Iago instructed Emilia, his wife and Desdemona’s handmaiden, to take it

• Iago hides the handkerchief where Cassio will find it

• Desdemona urges her husband to reconsider Cassio’s demotion, and her defence of Cassio confirm the suspicions planted in Othello’s mind by Iago 

• Overcome with jealousy, Othello vows revenge on Desdemona and Cassio

• Cassio, finding the handkerchief, gives it to his mistress Bianca

Act 4

• Iago continues to torment Othello with insinuations about Desdemona and Cassio’s affair

• Othello’s agitation brings on an epileptic fit

• While Othello recovers from his seizure, Iago engineers another opportunity to ‘prove’ Desdemona’s infidelity: he encourages Othello to listen in on, and misinterpret, part of a conversation between Cassio and Iago 

• Othello, unable to hear what is being said, interprets Cassio laughing evidence that he is having an affair with Desdemona 

• Afterwards, Bianca confronts Cassio about how he obtained the embroidered handkerchief

• Othello observes Bianca with the handkerchief and takes this as proof that Desdemona has been unfaithful 

• Othello orders Iago to kill Cassio, but Iago suggests that Othello smother her on the marital bed instead

• Othello becomes increasingly abusive to his wife, striking her in the presence of her relative, Lodovico, who has arrived as an ambassador from Venice 

• Desdemona cannot understand Othello's change of attitude towards her

• As she prepares for bed, she talks with Emilia

Act 5

• Iago enlists Roderigo to assist him in killing Cassio

• Roderigo agrees to help, but has begun to suspect Iago is not quite the friend he seems 

• That night, Roderigo attacks Cassio on Iago’s instruction, and in the fight that ensues, Iago goes undetected and wounds Cassio from behind

• Iago enters again as himself to accuse and kill Roderigo for the act of wounding Cassio

• Unbeknownst to Iago, Roderigo was carrying letters detailing Iago’s schemes

• Meanwhile, Othello comes to his sleeping wife's bedroom to murder her as punishment for her supposed adultery

• He smothers her with a pillow in their marital bed as she protests her innocence

• Emilia interrupts the murder when she comes to alert Othello of the attack on Cassio

• Desdemona refuses to blame her husband and dies blaming herself

• Emilia alerts the household, causing Iago and others to come to the scene

• Othello is arrested, and Iago’s plots are revealed when Roderigo’s letters are discovered and Emilia, realising the truth, betrays Iago 

• Iago stabs and kills his wife for her betrayal, then attempts to escape but is arrested and wounded by Othello

• Iago is given the chance to explain his actions, but refuses

• Othello, facing the inevitability of his own trial, realises his folly and makes a speech about how he would like to be remembered

• He then kills himself with a hidden sword which he once used to defend Venice

• The play closes with a speech by Lodovico, who gives away Othello’s house and goods, and orders that Iago be executed

• The play ends with Cassio reinstated and placed in command as Governor of Cyprus

Sources 

Shakespeare, William (1975). Othello. Oxford: Clarendon Press