Othello:
Character Map
By Carlos Maldonado
Othello
Physical Features:
Traits:
Major Conflict:
Quotes:
- Dark Skinned hence the term "moor" due to his race
- Shakespeare, throughout the play has particular characters references to Othello's physical characteristics as "black" and "thick lipped".
- Eloquent and Powerful (Status-wise)
- His skill as a soldier and leader is valuable
- Possesses a “free and open nature"
- Presents himself as an outsider because he
recognizes his exotic appeal
- Othello's major conflict is that he is convinced by Iago that his wife, Desdemona, who he love's with all his hart is cheating on him with one of his lutenants, Cassio. It is an internal conflict for the most part because he does not have an solid proof.
1. "Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul
But I do love thee! And when I love thee not,
Chaos is come again." Act 3 Scene 3 (90-2)
2. "By heaven, thou echo'st me
As if there were some monster in thy thought
Too hideous to be shown." Act 3 Scene 3 (106-8)
Quotes
Desdemona
Physical Features:
Traits:
Conflict:
Quotes:
- Iago portrays Desdemona as a "white ewe" in order to make Brabantio angry enough to punish Othello.
- Desdemona is portrayed as beautiful because of both Othello's love her her and Roderigo's love/lust.
- She refuses to marry any of the rich, handsome Venetian men that everyone expects her to marry. Instead, she elopes with Othello
- She is perceived as "Gentle", kind, refined, and of a good family. Othello values his freedom highly, but Desdemona more highly because of this.
- She is a model wife, if perhaps too trusting, especially of people like Iago. She follows Othello to Cyprus and shows constant loyalty to him.
- She accompanies Othello to Cyprus on the campaign against the Turks but finds him becoming distant and making wild accusations against her. She firmly believes that he will see that she is true to him, but when she realizes he is about to kill her, she can only feel despair and grief.
1. "Upon my knee, what doth your speech import?
I understand a fury in your words
But not the words." Act 4 Scene 2 (31-3)
2. "I am not merry; but I do beguile
The thing I am by seeming otherwise." Act 3 Scene 1 (122-3)
IAGO
Physical Features:
Traits:
Conflict:
Quotes:
- Iago, despite the fact that he plays an immense role in this play, does not have a specified physical appearance but has mainly been portrayed as a younger man than Othello old enough to hold a lieutenants position.
- Has a lack of convincing motivation for his actions.
- He is willing to take revenge on anyone whether it be
Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo, even Emilia and enjoys the pain and damage he causes.
- Therefore, Iago is characterized as an overall very manipulative person and in a deeper sense, also a coward due to the fact that everyone thinks and expects the exact opposite of him making his plans all the more brilliant
- Iago is angry at Othello for passing him over and promoting a soldier named Cassio to the position of lieutenant. Because of this, Iago develops a plan to destroy Othello's life.
1. "The Moor is of a free and open nature
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so;
And will as tenderly be led by th' nose
As asses are." Act 1 Scene 3(391-4)
2. "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on." Act 3 Scene 3 (165-7)
RODERIGO
Physical Features:
Traits:
Conflict:
Quotes:
- Roderigo is a rich, unintelligent guy who thinks that if he sends Desdemona enough expensive presents, she'll fall in love with him characterizing him as desperate for love; her love.
- He, quite obviously, is also a venetian nobleman but despite his title, lacks a great deal of common sense.
- As far as his appearance goes, Rodrigo's character is also fitted to whomever my play his part but overall, due to the fact he's rich, Rodrigo is usually well groomed and classy in his many iterations.
- Adding to his love for Desdemona, he is frustrated as Othello marries Desdemona and then takes her to Cyprus, Roderigo is ultimately desperate enough to agree to help Iago kill Cassio after Iago points out that Cassio is another potential rival for Desdemona.
1. "Tush! never tell me; I take it much unkindly / That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse / As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this" (1.1.1-3).
2. "Come hither. If thou be'st valiant,-- as, they say, base men being in love have then a nobility in their natures more than is native to them--list me" (2.1.214-216).
CASSIO
Physical Features:
Traits:
Conflict:
Quotes:
- In order to characterize Cassio well and have him apporopiatley play his role in the play , much of his character is specified in his appearance exemplifying things such as good-looing and rather young giving him his charm.
- Adding to from his physical appearance, Cassio is a little bit too much of a lady's man which unfortunately it comes back to bite Cassio in the end, since his flirtatious charisma helps convince Othello that Cassio is having sex with Desdemona.
- He is inexperienced soldier, whose high position is much resented by Iago further adding to the clfinct of the whole play.
- Cassio is the kind of guy who likes to put women in one of two categories – virgin or whore. When he talks about Desdemona, we can tell that he sees her as a kind of secular Virgin Mary.
- Iago while having his simple humiliation as a conflict for a brief moment in othello is actually more part of another much bigger conflict. Iago uses Cassio’s youth, good looks, and friendship with Desdemona to play on Othello’s insecurities about Desdemona’s fidelity.
1. "Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial." Act 2 Scene 3 (251-3)
2. "You may relish him more in the soldier than in the scholar." 2.1. (165-6)
BIANCA
Physical Features:
Traits:
Conflict:
Quotes:
Again, Bianca's appearance is one that is not specified but assumptions because she is a prostitute portray her as beautiful but with a very strong demeanor. Her adaptations in plays all share that very same characteristic.
- A courtesan, or prostitute, in Cyprus. Bianca’s favorite customer is Cassio, who teases her with promises of marriage.
- Bianca plays in important role in the play because she is used to portray one of the most important themes; She is used for the comparison of jealousy.
- Shakespeare's portrayal of Bianca is sympathetic
- She becomes jealous after Cassio gives her a handkerchief, and this normal jealousy is compared against Othello's brutal, murderous, revenge seeking jealousy.
-
"And I was going to your lodging, Cassio. / What, keep a week away? seven days and nights?" (3.4.172-173)
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“thither comes the bauble, and, by this hand, she falls me thus about my neck" (4.1.134-135).
Emilia
Physical Features:
Traits:
Conflict:
Quotes:
- Emilia's appearance is also one that is not specified like many other characters but in her many iterations, she is to portrayed as beautiful and young but usually a bit older and older than other female characters as well as less presentable.
- Emilia is far less idealistic about marriage and the world than most characters like Desdemona.
- She is a very loyal person.
- She is woman of practical intelligence and emotional resilience to put it simply as well.
- However towards the end of the play, he main traits are put to the test. For example, she speaks crudely of men, but, until the last scene, she supports her husband when needed. However, when finally she sees the truth, Emilia abandons all loyalty to Iago and verbally attacks him.
- Much like Cassio, Emilia is more part of a conflict than actually has one herself until the end of the play. She steals Desdemona's handkerchief for Iago even though she doesn't know anything about Iago's plot. In fact, when she learns of his plot, she reveals Iago's duplicity, and he kills her for it.
1. "Who would not make her husband a cuckold to make him a monarch? I should venture purgatory for't" (4.3.85-87).
2. "I nothing but to please his fantasy,"3.3.343).
Quotes
BrabANZIO
Physical Features:
Traits:
Conflict:
Quotes:
- Brabanzio, due to the fact he is Desdemona's father is a much older man. This is also due to him being a venetian political; he is often portrayed as such.
- Brabanzio tends to see his daughter as his property, which means that he sees marriage as a matter of business rather than actual love.
- He has irrational fears about his daughter's interracial marriage make him a central figure in one of the play's themes which is race and sex.
- Brabanzio's main conflict comes directly from where his traits come from and that is, like previously mentioned, that he tends to view women, especially his daughter as objects he can posses. Therefore, he fears that now that she is married to Othello, she no longer belongs to him.
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“She, in spite of nature,Of years, of country, credit, everything, To fall in love with what she feared to look on! It is a judgment maimed and most imperfect That will confess perfection so could err Against all rules of nature” (1.3.114-119)
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“This is Venice. My house is not a grange.” (1.1.119)
Othello: Character Map
By Carlos Maldonado
