He's done my office. Othello: Character List | SparkNotes Othello - Act 1, scene 3 | Folger Shakespeare Library At the end of his tale to Roderigo about how he was passed over for promotion to lieutenant, Iago displays his jealousy of Cassio. To this, Iago says, "My lord, you know I love you" (3.3.117), and Othello then says, "I think thou dost; / And, for I know thou'rt full of love and honesty, / And weigh'st thy words before thou givest them breath, / Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more" (3.3.117-120). In 2007, Othello opened at the Donmar Warehouse in London on 4 December 2007, directed by Michael Grandage, with Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello, Ewan McGregor as Iago, Tom Hiddleston as Cassio, Kelly Reilly as Desdemona and Michelle Fairley as Emilia. Othello, unlike Iago, really does love Cassio, but it's impossible to keep an officer who gets into a drunken brawl while on duty. At this, Iago sees that Othello is becoming visibly upset and says, "but I am much to blame; / I humbly do beseech you of your pardon / For too much loving you" (3.3.211-213). Watson, Robert N. "Tragedy" in Braunmuller, A. R. and Hattaway, Michael (eds.) "Screening Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century" Edinburgh University Press Ltd., 2006 pp.90-112 at p.94. [17][18], In plot terms, Othello's race serves to mark him as "other". As such it has surviving arrangements from both before and after Shakespeare's time. One of the most extreme is related by French novelist Stendhal who reports that at the Baltimore Theatre in 1822 a soldier interrupted the performance just before Desdemona's murder, shouting "It will never be said that in my presence a confounded Negro has killed a white woman!" [7] Cinthio's tale has been described as a "partly racist warning" about the dangers of miscegenation. [98] A review of the latter by John Bernard expressed how Barry's Othello "looked a few seconds in Desdemona's face, as if to read her feelings and disprove his suspicions; then, turning away, as the adverse conviction gathered in his heart, he spoke falteringly, and gushed into tears. It was performed in three languages; Kala Lagaw Ya, Yumplatok and English. Brown, John Russell "The Oxford Illustrated History of the Theatre", Oxford University Press, 1995, pp. Manage Settings In short, he's pretending that he's about to leave Othello all alone to solve his problem by himself. Neill, 2006, p.31. Iago is the play's main antagonist, and Othello's standard-bearer.He is the husband of Emilia, who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona.Iago hates Othello and devises a plan to destroy him by making him believe that Desdemona is having an affair with his lieutenant, Michael Cassio. Gross, John "Shakespeare's Influence" in Wells, Stanley and Orlin, Lena Cowen (Eds.) Othello Character Development Use quote support in your Now, sir, be judge yourself 40 Whether I in any just term am affined To love the Moor. Iago is a character in Shakespeare's play, Othello. Lodovico apprehends both Iago and Othello for the murders of Roderigo, Emilia, and Desdemona, but Othello commits suicide. to Othello was conferred upon Cassio. [216][217], Sometimes the order of the play influencing a composer is reversed, as in the appropriations of classical music by filmmakers retelling Othello's story: for example in the film O, in which excerpts from Verdi's Otello are used as a theme for Odin (the Othello character) while modern rap and hip-hop are more associated with the white college students around him. He means that the natives are friendly to him and that they all will want to meet and greet Desdemona. "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Stage", Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. [86] The play was performed at Court by the King's Men on 1 November 1604, and again in 1612-13 as part of the marriage celebrations of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Frederick of Heidelberg. "[3] Scholars differ in their explanation of these differences, and no consensus has emerged. [66] Its action is continuous from Othello and Desdemona's wedding night, except for the voyage from Venice to Cyprus (during which Cassio and Desdemona are not together) and the time in Cyprus covers an estimated 33 hours. The effect to modern audiences is (in the words of Daniel Rosenthal) "laughably over-the-top"[169] - in keeping with its nature as a filmed stage performance, rather than a performance designed for the screen. The Problem of Time in Othello, Shakespeare and Race: The Relationship Between Othello and Desdemona. However, Othello has also said that he likes Cassio, and that because he likes Cassio, he will restore Cassio's job at the earliest possible opportunity. Gillies, 2008, pp. Iago, at the centre of all these, knows how to exploit this loving tendency in human beings. By way of revenge for this offence, lago's first impulse is to try to corrupt Desdemona, and thus get even with Othello. How to Pronounce the Names in Othello Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. McAlindon, Tom (ed. this premium content, Members Only section of the site! Trying to reassure him that Othello will soon restore him to his position, Desdemona says to Cassio, "You do love my lord: / You have known him long; and be you well assured / He shall in strangeness stand no further off / Than in a politic distance" (3.3.10-13). [12] An English translation by John Pory appeared in 1600 under the title A Geographical Historie of Africa, Written in Arabicke and Italian by Iohn Leo a More in which form Shakespeare may have seen it and reworked hints[further explanation needed] in creating the character of Othello. Othello proceeds to make Desdemona's life miserable and strikes her in front of visiting Venetian nobles. PDF Love - Themes - Othello - AQA English Literature A-level [124], When Laurence Olivier performed Othello at the National in 1964,[125] his sense of "being black", in his words, required him "to be beautiful" with a voice "dark violet - velvet stuff" and a walk "like a soft black leopard". [103], Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Othello was regarded as the most demanding of Shakespeare's roles: it is considered a part of theatre legend that Edmund Kean collapsed while playing the role, and died two months after. Othellos devotion to Desdemona is supreme too but it is vulnerable and imprudent. Othello - Act 2, scene 3 | Folger Shakespeare Library Stanton, Kay ""Made to write 'whore' upon? Iago Character Analysis in Othello | SparkNotes play, must also be accounted for. Bartels, Emily C. "Shakespeare's View of the World" in Wells, Stanley and Orlin, Lena Cowen "Shakespeare: An Oxford Guide", Oxford University Press, 2003, pp.151-164 at pp. Alone with Iago, Roderigo, now in despair of winning Desdemona's love, threatens suicide, but Iago persuades him instead to sell his lands for ready cash and to pursue Desdemona to Cyprus. He goes on in this way until he promises that from now on he'll "love no friend, sith [since] love breeds such offence" (3.3.380). Shakespeare, William "Othello", The Oxford Shakespeare, Oxford University Press, 2006, p.35. But it was fatal when one of the disposition of lago was involved, for it turned him at once into an enemy, not only to himself, but to all the The same Thomas Rymer quoted above, in his 1693 A Short View of Tragedy, suggested that the play should better have been called "The Tragedy of the Handkerchief", arguing "the handkerchief is so remote a trifle, no booby on this side Mauritania could make any consequence from it. Membership includes a 10% discount on all editingorders. [95] Othello was not adapted in this way, although it has often been cut to conform to current ideas of decorum or refinement. It cannot be long that Desdemona should continue herlove to the Moorput money in thy pursenor he his to her. Iago goads Cassio on to talk about his affair with Bianca, a local courtesan, but whispers her name so quietly that Othello believes the two men are talking about Desdemona. Membership includes a 10% discount on all editingorders. He certainly seems to take great pleasure in preventing Othello from enjoying marital happiness, and he expresses his love for Othello frequently and effusively. Of course Iago is glad to accept the assignment. It also shook his confidence in Othello, and roused in him all his force of resentment and turned him into a bitter enemy of Othello. 206207. These two versions also differ from each other in their readings of numerous words. Later in the scene, when Othello is trying to discover who is responsible for the fight between Cassio and Montano, he says to Iago, "Speak, who began this? Professor Bradley may be taken as voicing the best that can be said by those who would lay all the blame of the tragedy upon lago, but who feel they must account in some manner for this sudden malignity. He says to Iago, "Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, / Making it light to Cassio" (2.3.247-248), and then turns to Cassio with his verdict: "Cassio, I love thee / But never more be officer of mine" (2.3.248-249). [219], Aphra Behn's 1688 novel Oroonoko, and its subsequent dramatisation by Thomas Southerne, reset Othello's enslavement in the context of the then-current Atlantic triangle. Themes: [144] The production transferred to Melbourne, Australia with another Mori actor, Regan Taylor, taking over the title role. If Othello can be capable of such gross violation of all military rules and practices, lago sees that he can no longer trust Othello, and that all confidence between them has virtually ceased to exist, and no longer can he hope for the intimate relationships of former days Hoenselaars, Ton "Shakespeare and Translation" in Wells, Stanley and Orlin, Lena Cowen "Shakespeare: An Oxford Guide", Oxford University Press, 2003, pp. The senate is satisfied once Desdemona confirms that she loves Othello, but Brabantio leaves, saying that Desdemona will betray Othello: "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. Othello's good leadership when Cassio loses his position as lieutenant when Cassio gets drunk and becomes violent. Emilia Character Analysis in Othello | SparkNotes Iago alleges that Cassio one night talked in his sleep about making love to Desdemona and that Cassio once wiped his beard with the lost handkerchief. [35], Towards the end of the play, Desdemona's goodness increasingly becomes represented by long-suffering martyrdom, perceived as a longstanding sign of acceptable femininity. Aha! Strictly a "Moor" signifies a resident of the area covered by ancient Mauretania in northwest Africa - but in Shakespeare's England "Moor" was used with broader connotations: sometimes referring to Africans of all regions, sometimes to Arabic or Islamic peoples beyond Africa, such as those of Turkey and the Middle East, and sometimes to Muslims of any race or region. Continue to The Relationship Between Othello and Desdemona. After he's been fired, Cassio is ashamed of himself, but Iago persuades him that what he's done isn't so bad and that he can get his job back by appealing to Desdemona. Othello orders a general celebration and leaves to consummate his marriage with Desdemona. Then he invents a second motive for Iago, and makes him hate Othello also for his supposed relations with Emilia. (1.3.) The Times, quoted by Rosenthal, 2007 p.179. Preferment goes by letter and affection, And not by old gradation, where each second Stood heir to th' first. Howard, Tony "Shakespeare's Cinematic Offshoots" in Jackson, Russell (ed.) "[99], The first professional performances of the play in North America are likely to have been those of the Hallam Company. [128] Willard White in 1989 was the first black actor to play Othello at Stratford since Paul Robeson thirty years earlier. "[79] or if Roderigo had chosen to denounce Iago. 3757, at p.53. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-englishsummary_com-medrectangle-4-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'englishsummary_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',655,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-englishsummary_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Jealousy is shown here as a strong by-product of a strong love. Lectures on Othello: Play Construction and the Suffering and Murder of Desdemona Gurr, Andrew and Ichikawa, Mariko "Oxford Shakespeare Topics: Staging in Shakespeare's Theatres" Oxford University Press, 2000, p.55. Brode, Douglas "Shakespeare in the Movies - From the Silent Era to Today" Oxford University Press, 2000, pp.167-168. Both Othello and Iago tell her to shut up, but she defies them both in order to tell the truth about Desdemona. Othello Navigator: Themes: Proof and Judgment [Scene Summary], After he has lost his job, Cassio asks Emilia if he can talk with Desdemona. Boston R.G. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. [188], Adaptations of - or borrowings from - Shakespeare's Othello began shortly after it first appeared, including Middleton & Rowley's 1622 The Changeling, John Ford's 1632 Love's Sacrifice, Thomas Porter's 1662 The Villain and Henry Nevil Payne's 1673 The Fatal Jealousy. 645-657 at p.648. Truly devoted to Othello, Cassio is extremely ashamed after being implicated in a drunken brawl on Cyprus and losing his place as lieutenant. A few moments later, when Othello appears, Desdemona urges him to restore Cassio to his position because Cassio only made a stupid mistake and is "one that truly loves you" (3.3.48). For examples see Wikipedia's articles on. When Roderigo, who is madly in love with Desdemona, hears that she has eloped with Othello, he complains to Iago. [77][78], Shakespeare's source story in Cinthio takes place entirely in the long time scheme: Shakespeare appears to have introduced the shorter time scheme to increase dramatic tension, while also introducing moments where Iago's plot could fall apart - for example if Emilia had given an honest answer to Desdemona's "Where should I lose that handkerchief? [206] The version of it thought to be most authentic, because it closely matches the lyric given by Shakespeare, is known as "The Poore Soule Sate Sighing"[207] and is one of the most performed pieces of early modern English music. He has little affection for women (even for Emelia, his . Barbara Hodgdon, quoted in Tatspaugh, 2000, p.151. Othello - Act 3, scene 3 | Folger Shakespeare Library Othello then appoints Iago to the lieutenancy. [80], The discovery of a double time scheme has been ascribed to articles written by John Wilson in Blackwood's Magazine in 1849 and 1850, although references to the problem predate that. "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Popular Culture", Cambridge University Press, 2007, pp. Is Iago gay, and motivated by jealousy, or does he simply enjoy being malevolent? When Iago stabs her, she has nothing to say about him, or about anything except Desdemona. Emilia reports Othello as saying, "But he protests he loves you / And needs no other suitor but his likings / To take the safest occasion by the front / To bring you in again" (3.1.47-50). Alone with Iago, Roderigo, now in despair of winning Desdemona's love, threatens suicide, but Iago persuades him instead to sell his lands for ready cash and to pursue Desdemona to Cyprus. Iago entirely discredits Othello's love for Desdemona, saying " [i]t is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the / will. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-englishsummary_com-box-4-0-asloaded{max-width:580px!important;max-height:400px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'englishsummary_com-box-4','ezslot_6',656,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-englishsummary_com-box-4-0'); In contrast to this, the play also shows the like of love of Roderigo. Badger, 1916. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-englishsummary_com-medrectangle-3-0-asloaded{max-width:728px!important;max-height:90px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'englishsummary_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_4',654,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-englishsummary_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Shakespeare shows how the immensity of ones deep connection can be turned upside down to an equal amount. Homosexuality is a theme both hinted at and explicitly referenced within the story. [34] In the world of the play, whorishness is understood as the true and essential nature of women - yet this is constantly shown to be a projection of male imaginations, completely unrelated to the women's perceptions of themselves or to their behavior. Othello, known for his bravery and integrity, retells their bond in front of everyone. This . Moody, Jane "Romantic Shakespeare" in Welles, Stanley and Stanton, Sarah (eds.) When Desdemona drops a handkerchief (the first gift given to her by Othello), Emilia finds it and gives it to Iago at his request, unaware of what he plans to do with it. line Act 1, scene 3 Scene 3 Synopsis: The duke and the senators discuss the movements of the Turkish fleet and conclude that its target is, indeed, Cyprus. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Black, Crofton (2002). [88][89] Moorish characters were conventionally played in turbans, with long white gowns and red trousers, with the actor's face darkened with lampblack or coal. / For making him egregiously an ass" (2.1.308-309). Roderigo thought Iago was on his side in his pursuit of Desdemona, so Iago has to explain that he really hates Othello, even though he's still serving under his command. McKernan, Luke and Terris, Olwen (eds.) Put money in thy purse Shakespeare Quotes - eNotes.com 1013 love have then a nobility in their natures more than 1014 is native to themlist . 2645, at p.41. Lanier, Douglas "Oxford Shakespeare Topics: Shakespeare and Modern Popular Culture", Oxford University Press, 2002, p.38. [Nicholas Okes] for Thomas Walkley, and are to be sold at his shop, at the Eagle and Child, in Brittans Bursse, 1622. The Theme of Brotherly Love in Shakespeare's Othello An annotated list of relevant passages. What is the queer reading of Othello and how does it effect/portray the "Leo Africanus's Descrittione dell'Africa and its sixteenth-century translations". Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassio's lodgings, then tells Othello to watch Cassio's reactions while Iago questions him. "[63], Ultimately Iago provides no answer - refusing, at the end of the play, to reveal his motive: "Demand me nothing. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, What's in a name? After Cassio has gotten drunk and left for guard duty, Iago tells Montano the lie that Cassio is a habitual drunk. [166], Laurence Olivier said that the role of Othello demanded "enormously big"[167] acting, and he incorporated what The Spectator described as his "outsize, elaborate, overwhelming"[168] performance into the film of his National Theatre production. Roderigo is upset because he loves Desdemona and had asked her father, Brabantio, for her hand in marriage, which Brabantio denied him. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. [112] Konstantin Stanislavski admired, and was greatly influenced by, Salvini's Othello, which he saw in 1882. [118], The most significant theatre production in wartime America featured Paul Robeson as Othello. As it hath beene diuerse times acted at the Globe, and at the Black-Friers, by his Maiesties Seruants. Characters Othello: Iago Quotes | SparkNotes [61], Some critics have suggested other motives: psychologist Ernest Jones's suggestion that Iago may be motivated by a repressed homosexual desire for Othello has been influential in subsequent performances of the role. 2745 sample college application essays, [192], Part of the explosion of the Romantic movement in France was a fashion for re-writing English plays as melodrama, including Alfred de Vigny's 1829 Othello adaptation Le More de Venise. Joseph Knight's 1875 "Theatrical Notes" cited in Welles, 2000, p.113. It cannot be too much insisted upon that up to this time they had, been the warmest and closest friends, and that lago had been in fact the confidential officer of Othello. 83 likes, 1 comments - Freddie Quell (@quellverse) on Instagram: ""Even so my bloody thoughts with violent pace Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble lo." Othello Navigator: Themes: Brotherly Love [179] The overall effect was to create, in Douglas Brode's words "the tragedy of Iago" - a performance in which Iago's dominance is such that Othello is a foil to him, not the other way around. Lanier, Douglas "Shakespeare on the Record" in Hodgdon, Barbara and Worthen, W. B. The love between Desdemona and Othello begins as ideally as it can. "The mind that undoes him [Othello] is not Iago's but his own." Karen Newman J.L. Jealousy and the destructive nature of love in Shakespeares Othello, Arthur Millers The Crucible, and Ian McEwens Atonement. Emilia calls for help. "The temptation scene" is a term often used in the critical literature to mean. "A Feminist Companion to Shakespeare" Blackwell Publishers Limited, 2001, pp.226-247 at p.226. Emilia sacrifices her life for her love. "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film" Cambridge University Press, 2000 pp.183-198 at pp.189-193. Later, Bianca accuses Cassio of giving her a second-hand gift which he had received from another lover. [165] The director saw his film as an opposite of Welles': where Welles began his film with a sequence from the end of the story, highlighting fate, Yutkevitch began with his Othello's back-story, thereby highlighting his characters' free will. Othello gives Iago the duty of conveying Desdemona to Cyprus. William Shakespeare's Othello tells the tragic story of Othello the Moor and his relationships with fellow soldier Iago and with the lady Desdemona. Gay, Penny "Women and Shakespearean Performance" in Wells, Stanley and Stanton, Sarah (eds.) Freddie Quell on Instagram: ""Even so my bloody thoughts with violent [37][38], The over-reliance of the plot of Othello upon a trivial prop, the handkerchief, was noted in the play's earliest criticism. Iago: I have profess'd me thy friend, and I confess me knit to thy . Iago lies to Othello about Desdemona. I'm so tired of pleasing White folks. as upon this change all the development of the play depends. Othello Essay | Iago's Love Language: Controlling - GradeSaver [220], In addition to his theatrical performances noted above, the play was also central to Konstantin Stanislavski's writings, and to the development of his "system". Honigmann and Thompson, 2016, pp. DESDEMONA What you know, you know. Buhler, Stephen M., "Musical Shakespeares: Attending to Ophelia, Juliet, and Desdemona" in Shaughnessy, Robert (ed.) But this is sufficiently answered for the present if we have succeeded in discovering a change of attitude on the part of Othello, due to his infatuation with Desdemona, and to the fact that he found Cassio very [helpful in that regard]. "An Oxford Guide: Shakespeare". 'Tis the curse of service. Upon the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, two patent companies (the King's Company and the Duke's Company) were established, and the existing theatrical repertoire divided between them: Othello being allocated to the King's Company's repertoire. [157], The filming of Orson Welles' Othello was plagued by chaos. "An Oxford Guide: Shakespeare", Oxford University Press, 2003, pp. [152][153] This plot is also shared by the very first Othello-influenced film: the 18-minute Danish 1911 Desdemona. But Sher later wrote "I was always clear about it myself in my head this question always rang out:", "You saw what was happening - why didn't you stop it?"[134]. I say put money inthy purse. [197][198] In Murray Carlin's 1969 Not Now Sweet Desdemona the protagonist says of Shakespeare's play that it was "the first play of the Age of Imperialism Othello is about colour and nothing but colour. In My Life in Art, Stanislavski recalls Salvini's scene before the Senate, saying that the actor "grasped all of us in his palm, and held us there as if we were ants or flies". Iago has to play a . Iago as a closeted homosexual in love with Othello, and jealous not of Michael Cassio but Desdemona. [178] Iago was Kenneth Branagh in his first outing as a screen villain. David Suchet played Iago in just that way, as a latent homosexual smitten by Othello. Iago uses Cassio's youth, good looks, and friendship with Desdemona to play on Othello . "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film" Cambridge University Press, 2000 pp.261-273 at p.269, in turn quoting Olivier's "On Acting". Orgel, Stephen "Introduction" in Sutherland, John and Watts, Cedric "Henry V, War Criminal and Other Shakespeare Puzzles", Oxford World's Classics series, Oxford University Press, 2000, p.xi. Iago begins to plot to himself how he may use Othello's marriage to get back at Othello and . Iago is very popular among the characters in the play. Ultimately, Iago transforms love from an emotion defined by passion into an idea governed by language. [190], Voltaire's 1732 French play Zare was a "neoclassical refurbishment" of Shakespeare's "barbarous" work. Iago (/ i o /) is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello (c. 1601-1604). 2746 sample college application essays, . Implicit in this statement is a distinction between romantic love, which is consecrated to just one person, and brotherly love, which God wants us to feel for all worthy persons. In front of the Duke and others, she openly proclaims her love for Othello. IS IAGO GAY? He is a senior officer in the Venetian army under the command of its general, Othello. (eds.) Before the Senate, defending his marriage to Desdemona, Othello starts the explanation of how they met by saying, "Her father loved me; oft invited me; / Still question'd me the story of my life" (1.3.128-129). Only the fortune that favors fools could save him from disaster. The stage production is discussed in the section "20th Century" above. other his most trusted officer. malignity at this time, and have attempted to explain it from their own imaginations rather than from the words of the play. 3132, 7172. and shortly thereafter Emilia facilitates a meeting between Desdemona and Cassio . [Scene Summary]. We must explain it either from the incidents of the play or from the words of the play, or from Eventually, Othello's jealousy makes him angry at Iago. This wholly unwarranted Iago, still in the room, takes note of Brabantio's remark. Here, then, is an outstanding fact that too few critics have even observed, and none have adequately explained. The story of a Moorish general (Othello) and the soldier (Iago) who plots to usurp him, the play features a small cast of characters who are manipulated and pitted against each other as part of Iago's deceitful plan. [210] The other, "King Stephen Was a Worthy Peer", is the seventh of the eight stanzas of the existing ballad "Take Thy Old Cloak About Thee". [92] These patents stated that "all the women's parts to be acted in either of the said two companies for the time to come my be performed by women". She denies being unfaithful, but he smothers her. From Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear by Alexander W. Crawford. In Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih's retelling of the Othello story, Season of Migration to the North, the central character Mustafa Sa'eed, on trial for the murder of his white mistress, refuses to be judged by the standards of the play, declaring: Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "A Companion to Shakespeare and Performance", Blackwell Publishing Limited, 2008, pp. Neill, 2006, pp.122-123 citing Virginia Mason Vaughan's "Othello: A Contextual History". Albanese, Denise "Black and White and Dread All Over: The Shakespeare Theatre's "Photonegative" Othello and the Body of Desdemona" in Callaghan, Dympna (ed.) "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Stage", Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. Ever since Coleridge it has been the common thing, though by no means universal, to attribute the whole trouble to the sudden and unmotived malignity of lago, or to forget the fact that it has been sudden and unlike anything heard of before on the part of lago, and to assume only the malignity. Othello's Relationship with Iago - Shakespeare Online Austern, Linda Phyllis "The Music in the Play" in Neil, Michael (ed.) Iago contradicts him, asserting that people can choose at will what they want to be.