He is very friendly towards her and Iago uses this to convince Othello they are having an affair. Cassio is in a relationship with a woman called Bianca. She loves him but he does not seem as interested in her. Cassio is wounded by Roderigo at the end of the play but survives. Cassio is aware of his own weakness when it comes to drinking alcohol. A sense of honour and reputation is very important to Cassio.
He wants others to think well of him. Brabantio petitions the Duke of Venice. Brabantio is Desdemona's father and a senator in Venice. He welcomed the popular general, Othello , into his home but had no idea that his daughter was falling in love with him. He accuses Othello of using witchcraft against his daughter and assumes the Senate will support him when he complains to the Duke about their marriage. When the Senate disagree with him, he says goodbye to his daughter and we learn later that his grief about losing her to Othello causes his death.
Brabantio believes that his fellow Senators will take his side against Othello. Brabantio is respected by the Senate and by his daughter, even though she chooses to stay loyal to her new husband.
Brabantio was so upset that his daughter married Othello that Gratiano suggests he died of a broken heart. Iago and Othello overhear Cassio and Bianca. Bianca gives Cassio Desdemona's handkerchief. Bianca is first introduced when the soldiers arrive in Cyprus.
She is clearly very attached to Cassio. He spends time at her house and she wants him to spend more time with her. He gives her a handkerchief he finds in his room and she becomes jealous, thinking it must be a gift from another woman. Othello sees her with the handkerchief and believes this proves that Desdemona must have given it to Cassio.
Bianca defends Cassio when he is stabbed by Roderigo and goes to look after him. Bianca is upset when she thinks Cassio might be seeing another woman. Bianca is in a relationship with Cassio and he speaks affectionately to her. Other characters suggest Bianca is a prostitute who has fallen in love with her client, Cassio.
Bianca likes Cassio but he does not seem to feel the same, laughing about her behaviour with Iago. Iago tells Roderigo that Desdemona is in love with Cassio. Roderigo is a gullible nobleman who is in love with Desdemona. The play opens with Roderigo and Iago talking about how much they hate Othello and telling Brabantio that his daughter has secretly married. Iago convinces Roderigo that he should follow them to Cyprus because Desdemona will soon grow bored of Othello and then she might want him.
Roderigo does everything Iago tells him. This includes giving him money and jewels, provoking Cassio to fight and later trying to kill Cassio. Iago kills Roderigo to stop him revealing what he knows.
Roderigo does not want to kill Cassio but is convinced that the death of Cassio is not important compared to his own desires. Roderigo has asked to marry Desdemona but Brabantio does not think he is a good enough match. Roderigo is so obsessed by his love for Desdemona that it has taken over his life.
Desdemona and Othello have a strong relationship in Act 1. He won her affection by telling her stories about his past and she defies her father to marry him. Desdemona and Othello are happy together when they arrive safely in Cyprus after a difficult journey at sea. Desdemona and Othello grow further apart as Othello starts to suspect she is in love with Cassio.
Othello wants to see proof that she has been unfaithful. In Act 4 he hits her in front of everybody and in Act 5 kills her in their bedroom. In Act 2, Othello trusts that Iago is loyal both to him and to Cassio and has no idea Iago caused the fight Cassio gets into with Montano. Othello trusts Iago with his plans to kill Desdemona and also trusts Iago to kill Cassio for him.
As the play begins, we learn that Othello has recently promoted Cassio to be his lieutenant. We also later learn that Othello trusted Cassio to carry messages between him and Desdemona before they were married and Cassio was loyal to Othello when talking to Desdemona. Desdemona says:. Othello is so disappointed that Cassio has betrayed his trust, ending up in a drunken fight, that he fires him from the position of lieutenant:.
Othello begins to lose trust in Cassio and instead believe that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair when Iago tells him:. In spite of his elevated status, he is nevertheless easy prey to insecurities because of his age, his life as a soldier, and his race. Read an in-depth analysis of Othello. The daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio.
Desdemona and Othello are secretly married before the play begins. While in many ways stereotypically pure and meek, Desdemona is also determined and self-possessed. Read an in-depth analysis of Desdemona. Iago is twenty-eight years old. Read an in-depth analysis of Iago. Cassio is a young and inexperienced soldier, whose high position is much resented by Iago. Truly devoted to Othello, Cassio is extremely ashamed after being implicated in a drunken brawl on Cyprus and losing his place as lieutenant.
A cynical, worldly woman, she is deeply attached to her mistress and distrustful of her husband. Read an in-depth analysis of Emilia. A jealous suitor of Desdemona. Repeatedly 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. Ensigns were usually young men of noble stock — it was quite an honor to carry the standard — but sometimes men could attain the office by deeds of bravery.
It's the lowest form of commissioned officer. Sorry to add confusion. I think generally JM's answer is the accepted one. I was just pointing out the historical nature of the office — which indeed might lead one to think Iago's younger.
But there is a lot of history in the British army of Ensigns who aged in their post without promotion — in England, promotion came through either bravery or bribery. So a man could languish in his post for years, if he had neither the courage nor the cash to raise himself higher. And think how bitter a man in his thirties might be if everyone else of his rank was in their twenties, or even teens. A lot to think about. Remember Iago tells Roderigo in Act I,"I have looked upon the world for four times seven years", and so is meant to be younger than most of the actors cast in the part Ewan McGregor being a recent exception to that i.
Except when Ewan McGregor played Iago, they changed the line to "five times seven years". Although it can literally mean "ensign" or "standard-bearer", it can also mean most experienced, renowned, time-honored, time-worn, and thus, most experienced and therefore, the one who is a most trusted advisor. Iago claims to be as much, and Othello responds to him, to his own detriment, as though he is, and has been, regardless of his actual standing in the ranks proper. Now I'm more confused.
JM's post made sense that it means both if I imagined a standard-bearer as a lifetime solder, someone who'd been around forever and earned the trust and respect of his commanding officer.
But David's answer suggests that it is a rank for young men, who by definition would be unlikely to have much experience. A young guy with no life experience to be sure, but also a vital part of the organization, someone who was right in the middle of running things, someone you could easily see always being in the right place at the right time just by nature of his office.
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