Othello ending summary. Othello by William Shakespeare Plot Summary 2022-12-18
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In the play "Othello" by William Shakespeare, the tragic ending is a result of the character Othello's jealousy and mistrust, which are fueled by the manipulations of the villainous character Iago.
At the beginning of the play, Othello, a respected military general, has married the beautiful Desdemona against the wishes of her father. Iago, who is jealous of Othello's success and angry that he was not promoted in the military, decides to ruin Othello's life by convincing him that Desdemona is unfaithful.
Iago begins his scheme by planting seeds of doubt in Othello's mind, using fake evidence and manipulating the words of others to make it seem like Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio, a friend of Othello's. Othello, who is deeply in love with Desdemona, becomes consumed with jealousy and begins to suspect her of infidelity.
As the play progresses, Othello becomes more and more suspicious and paranoid, leading him to make rash and dangerous decisions. He ultimately decides to kill Desdemona, believing that she has betrayed him.
The play ends in tragedy as Othello realizes the truth too late – that Iago had been lying to him all along and that Desdemona was completely innocent. Othello is consumed with guilt and grief over his actions, and he takes his own life. The play ends with the deaths of Desdemona, Othello, and several other characters, as well as the imprisonment of Iago for his crimes.
In summary, the ending of "Othello" is a tragic one, brought about by the destructive power of jealousy and mistrust, as well as the manipulation of Iago. The play serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving into these emotions and the importance of trust and honesty in relationships.
Othello movie review & film summary (1995)
When Othello once again returns to seek Iago's counsel, he is already convinced that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. Act Two After arriving in Cyprus, Othello learns that the Turkish fleet has been destroyed in a great storm, and orders a celebration. And he nearly succeeds. But instead, the council validates the marriage of Othello and Desdemona. Othello Summary Iago is furious about being overlooked for promotion and plots to take revenge against his General; Othello, the Moor of Venice. Although Iago steals most of the spotlight during the play, in the end, the tragedy is Othello's; it is his pain, folly, and misfortune which reverberate, and make this drama so compelling and so telling of human nature. Of course, all threads are wrapped up in this last scene of the play; letters are produced that expose Iago's part in these unfortunate events, even though these letters have not been mentioned or shown earlier in the play.
Iago promises to take care of Cassio himself. He also believes that Iago is an honest man, as Othello states "This fellow's of exceeding honesty. Is all of this starting to sound a little middle schoolish? Again, Shakespeare uses this act to show how far unchecked emotions, in this case, jealousy, can go. Iago assures Desdemona that Othello is simply upset about matters of state. The Senate is concerned about the imminent threat of a Turkish invasion fleet on Cyprus. This line obviously refers to his relationship with Desdemona, but it also speaks of the alliance he and Iago made during the play.
To further deceive Othello, Iago leaves Desdemona's handkerchief in Cassio's bedroom, and then tells Othello to eavesdrop on a conversation he will have with Cassio. Cassio complains about his demotion to Iago who tells him that if he tells Desdemona his story, she will be sympathetic and talk Othello into reinstating him as lieutenant. Emilia discovers Othello in the bedchamber with the body of Desdemona and calls for help. His machinations and evil intentions drive the plot, turning a happy marriage and bloodless military victory into a murderous tragedy. Othello and Desdemona, despite the obstacles they face to their marriage, such as the secret nature of their wedding, their different skin colors, and Iago and Roderigo's plot to set Desdemona's father, Barbantio, against them, successfully affirm their love before the Senators in Act One and are given permission to live together unhindered. Once Othello recovers, Iago tells him of the meeting he has planned with Cassio.
Iago instructs Roderigo to wait outside Bianca's house that night and kill Cassio when he leaves. In his soliloquy, he says he must "put out the light, and then put out the light" meaning that he will both extinguish the lantern that he has brought with him and then murder her in darkness, thereby extinguishing her light, or life, as well. She starts to speak up to explain what happened, but as soon as she finishes the explanation, she is killed by Iago. Othello, upset, demands that Iago show him proof of Desdemona's infidelity. Adaptedand directed by Thatis not to say Branagh's Iago is badly done; he is the best thing in the movie. Cassio, whose ship did not suffer the same fate, arrives soon after, followed by a second ship carrying Iago, Roderigo, Desdemona, and 169.
Act Four In the first scene of Act Four, Iago's lies drive Othello to an epileptic episode. But Desdemona had not lost the handkerchief. She professes her love to Othello and explains that she is bound by love to Othello just as her mother was bound to her father. This, plus Iago's suggestions that Cassio and Desdemona are being intimate, causes Othello to become jealous and angry. He is insecure about his position in Venetian society as an older, darker-skinned man with a young, white Venetian wife. Desdemona's father complains to the local governing body, the Senate, and Othello offers his rebuttal, stating that he won Desdemona's love by telling her the exciting stories of his military adventures.
To some degree, any modern production must makeIago the villain and Othello the victim, and suffer as a result. At the beginning of the play, he seems calm, controlled, and eloquent. Modern interpretations of Desdemona may find fault with her resignation, but here she is a tool of tragedy. Rodrigo is effectively telling Iago that he can't be friends with both him and Othello, while the fact that Othello picked someone else first for kickball has really upset Iago. Key Thoughts The tragedy Othello by Enraged by the mere thought of an illicit affair of his wife with another man, Othello goes to the extent of killing his own beloved. He justifies this with images, metaphors, and ideas of her rebirth after death, and though his rage is softened, he is still much mistaken about her. Iago's plan hurts many more people than just Othello.
Othello Short Summary By Shakespeare • English Summary
Though he believes Desdemona's soul to be black, he can only focus on her whiteness; he pledges not to mar "that whiter skin of hers than snow," although he is determined to take her life V. The play ends with Cassio reinstated and placed in command as Governor of Cyprus. When summoned, Desdemona supports Othello's story. Roderigo, dressed as a guard, picks a fight with Cassio. However, Desdemona's goodness is a beacon in the play, and must remain unsullied - even beyond reason - if the full gravity of the play is to be achieved. To keep Roderigo from revealing their plot, Iago stabs and kills Cassio.
Iago believes that Cassio does love Desdemona but that she loves Othello and acknowledges that Othello would prove to be a good husband to her. The play opens in Venice, Italy, with Iago, the play's villain, and Roderigo, a man who is paying Iago to help him in his romantic pursuit of Desdemona, arguing about Desdemona's recent marriage to Othello. Act V, scene ii: A bedchamber in the castle: DESDEMONA in bed asleep; a light burning. The duke says that Othello must go to Cyprus to aid in the defense against the Turks, who are headed for the island. It needs must wither. However, the jealousy of Iago, one of Othello's officers who proves himself to be ultimately unable to handle the fact that Othello has chosen to put his faith in another officer, Cassio.
His revelation came too late. Desdemona appears before the Senate to confirm Othello's story and tells her father that her allegiance is now to her husband. When Barbantio arrives at Othello's residence, he finds the Duke of Venice's guards, who were called by the Duke to summon Othello because news has arrived that the Turks were launching an attack on Cyprus. Othello demotes Cassio to make an example of him. Of one whose hand, Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away Richer than all his tribe. One more, and this the last.
Othello confirms that the Turks are defeated. He then goads Roderigo into provoking Cassio, starting a brawl. In front of the Duke, Brabantio accuses Othello of having used magic to seduce Desdemona. Meanwhile, Othello enters the chambers of his wife. In a vain attempt to prevent his scheme from being revealed, Iago stabs and kills Emilia, and is then taken prisoner while Othello, lamenting the loss of his wife, kills himself next to her. Act Five Roderigo and Iago ambush Cassio in the dark as Cassio is returning from Bianca's lodgings. Shakespeare uses this to show Othello's progression from military hero to tragic hero.
