| Othello | a Moorish general in the Venetian army; highly respected; Marries Desdemona; General in Venetian army; at the end of the play he is irrational, jealous, and violent; Convinced by Iago that his wife is unfaithful |
| Desdemona | A Venetian lady; Brabantio’s daughter; refuses to marry wealthy men her father expects her to marry; falls in love with Othello because of the stories he tells; faithful to her husband; she blames herself for Othello’s abuse; |
| Brabantio | A Venetian senator, father of Desdemona; Likes Othello until he “steals” his daughter; Thinks Othello used “magic” on his daughter to get her to fall in love with him; Dies because of shock of his Desdemona’s marriage |
| Iago | Othello’s standard-bearer; Thinks women in general are low and whores; Convinces Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful; manipulative; angry at Othello because Iago thinks Othello slept with Iago’s wife; Ripping off Roderigo because Roderigo wants Iago to buy gifts for Desdemona, but Iago is just keeping the money; |
| Emilia | Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant — they are good friends; they bond over husband-trouble; Emilia takes the handkerchief from Desdemona; She is killed by her husband Iago after she exposes him for his lies; walks in while Othello is killing Desdemona; |
| Cassio | Othello’s second-in-command, or lieutenant; Get promoted to Lutinent in Venetian army, which angers Iago; highly educated but inexperienced in battle; loves Bianca; lightweight (drinking); Iago gets him drunk; ladies man; not guilty of sleeping with Desdemona, but still a jerk to women; sees his mistress (Bianca) as a laughable nuisance; |
| Roderigo | A Venetian gentleman; wealthy and foolish; Hopelessly in love with Desdemona; Thinks that if he buys her gifts, she will fall in love with him; Pays Iago to buy gifts for Desdemona and give them to her; Killed by Iago by being stabbed in the back |
| Lodovico | Venetian gentleman, kinsman to Brabantio; Desdemona’s cousin |
| Gratiano | Venetian gentleman, kinsman to Brabantio; Desdemona’s uncle |
| Montano | an offical in Cyprus; governor of Cyprus before Othello shows up and takes command; |
| Bianca | A woman in Cyprus in love with Cassio; Cassio makes fun of her; Portrayed (by Shakespeare) as sympathetic; prostitute (to show the opposite of Desdemona); |
| Clown | a comic servant to Othello and Desdemona |
Othello Characters
July 24, 2019