Characters

In order of appearance:

Roderigo: A foolish young man who finds himself tricked by Iago throughout the play. Roderigo is madly in love with Desdemona, however; this devotion leads him to all of his trouble. As a piece in Iago's play he finds himself provoking fights with lieutenants, upsetting senators, and plotting murders. In the end Roderigo meets his end by the hand that plays him throughout the play, Iago.

Iago: The antagonist of the story and the most cunning of all characters. Iago is revengeful and ambitious and cons almost every character during the story. He is wise enough to trick all the characters and evil enough to execute his plans. However, his pattern of manipulation catches him in the end. After all of his master plans are outed Lodovico promises Othello that "if we can think of any torture that will hurt him a lot but keep him alive a long time, he'll have it." (v.ii).

Brabantio: The father of Desdemona and a respected senator in Venice.

Othello: The protagonist of the story and the most tragic of all the characters. Othello is a skilled general and commands respect because of his military prowess. However, Othello is a black Moor and he always feels like an outsider. His marriage to Desdemona, a beautiful Venetian, eventually drives him to jealousy. He is tricked throughout the whole play by Iago and in the end of the story he kills himself because he has mistakenly killed Desdemona.

Cassio: One of Othello's officers. In the start of the story Cassio is demoted because of a fight he has with Roderigo. Throughout the play Cassio works to regain Othello's trust. He is accused of having an affair with Desdemona, while he is really only sleeping with Bianca. In the end of the play he becomes the Governor of Cyprus.

Duke: the Duke of Venice. Only is scene in Act One.  First Senator, Second Senator, Sailor, Messenger, Officer: All take part in the discussion of the Turkish military action.

Desdemona: A rich daughter of a Venetian senator. She marries the Moor and falls in love with his bravery and hardships. She is always sweet and works to help others. However, her willingness to help others eventually makes Othello jealous. Desdemona is murdered in her own bed, completely innocent.  Montano: The governor of Cyprus at the beginning of the play.

First Gentleman, Second Gentleman, Third Gentleman: All advise Montano as to the Turkish fleet position.

Emilia: Iago's wife and Desdemona's lady in waiting. She is helpful and cares about Desdemona. Her husband calls her names and thinks poorly of her and in the end Iago kills her after she outs him.

Herald: Announces that there will be a party to celebrate the defeat of the Turks.  Clown: He serves as Othello's servant. His jokes and plays on words show just how distorted the character's views have become.

Musician: Hired by Cassio to play for Othello.

Bianca: The whore of Cyprus. She is in love with Cassio. <span style="color: #e40c9a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Lodovico: Desdemona's cousin and a messenger from Venice. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Graziano: Accompanies Lodovico.