Questions & Answers Why does Iago hate Othello? Indeed, the Venetian council acknowledges his masterful approach to the battlefield as they call him to take command of their fleets against the Turks: though we have a substitute of most allowed sufficiency, yet opinion, a more sovereign mistress of effect, throws a more safer voice on you (I, iii, 222-224). Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse [Online], 2. Once the wars are done, he is named Governor of Cyprus by the Venetian Senate. Character Roles (Protagonist, Antagonist). Charlie Pilzer andAirshow MasteringRecording (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Cassio on the flip side is a slave of passion. Desdemona, still actively seeking to have Cassio reinstated, is worried about the loss of her handkerchief. Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse 2 (02), http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=163, WALKER, V. 2010. Walker, V. (2010). Katharine PittProduction Assistant As Spencer says, Othello appears to all the world as a man who is not passions slave (128). She agrees. 2nd ed. Our doors are reopening in Fall 2023! His character also balances the morality and tone of the play in a negative aspect: while Othello shows a genuine respect for his wife, Desdemona, Cassio - though for the most part, a gentleman - displays a lack of true respect and commitment to women as a whole, especially his mistress Bianca, revealing the one major flaw in his character. Cassio certainly acknowledges her beauty, but his comments remain respectful and he notes that Desdemona is a virtuous and loyal woman who always behaves appropriately. Cassios moral line serves as an expansion, a continuation of Othellos when the general has been confronted with a breakdown in his own understanding of justice. Where will you that I go / To answer this charge? (I, i, 83-85). Dive deep into the worlds largest Shakespeare collection and access primary sources from the early modern period. Cassio leaves hastily in order to avoid speaking with Othello. (Othello, overhearing, thinks they're discussing Desdemona.) Deepen your understanding of his works and their cultural influence. Both men, too, have wounded reputations, but the different ways they choose to handle their situation shows the foil technique playing beautifully. Cassio has physical beauty and grace; Othello has calculating finesse and wisdom. "Michael Cassio as a Foil to Shakespeare's Othello." RodrigoLouis Butelli While some would argue that his murder of Desdemona is anything but self-controlled, the attack on his wife is an extremely calculated and planned one, as Othello seeks to rationalize his decision, slanting the proposition in the form of an execution of a strumpet, instead of the murder of an innocent. With these opposite characteristics presented, Cassio might, at this point, seem more of a second antagonist to the hero. Academically trained, he has had little if any real wartime experience. Harold Bloom goes so far as to say that Othello has a touch of Shakespeares Julius Caesar in himthere is an authentic nobility in the language of his soul (Bloom 445). Other parts were played by members of the cast. Michael Cassio Timeline and Summary. He is naive, incapable of holding his liquor, and has a hair-trigger temper when drunk. Cassio. BiancaZehra Fazel. 209). As they exit, the handkerchief drops unnoticed by either of them. As masterly as he: mere prattle, without practice. 1.2 Cassio shows up with a message to Othello from the Duke: get over here. Convinced by Iagos arguments, he takes his hopes of reinstatement to the lieutenancy to Desdemona. Home | Current Issue | Blog | Archives | Trouble is a-brewing. Cassios heritage and background, by contrast, remain a mystery; all one knows of him is gained from Iagos description of him as a Florentine who knows little of his trade and who holds a mistress (I, 1, 20). Anthony CochraneComposer He has a long-standing agreement with Bianca, though he finds it impossible to take seriously her hopes of marrying him and rather neglects her. Desdemona pleads to Othello on Cassio's behalf. Summary Act V: Scenes i & ii Summary: Act V, scene i Iago and Roderigo wait outside the brothel where Cassio visits Bianca. A gallant, courteous gentleman, perhaps too gallant with the ladies at time, he has been friendly with Othello for some time, and acted as a go-between for him and Desdemona. Support us to bring Shakespeare and his world to life for everyone. EmiliaKaren Peakes 1.1 Iago announces that Othello has recently chosen Cassio for his second-in-command. 4.1 Cassio comes in and sees Othello in the middle of a fit. Cassio's innocence and trust that other people will see his virtue makes him a parallel character to Desdemona. Beth EmelsonProducer Available: http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=163. By the end of the play, he has realized that Iago is responsible for Desdemona's death, and he helps Othello understand Iago's treachery. Janet Alexander GriffinArtistic Producer DesdemonaJanie Brookshire Bring Shakespeares work to life in the classroom. Iago assures him it's a normal thing and asks to talk to him later. Discover Shakespeares stories and the world that shaped them. In the play, Cassio is a young and handsome lieutenant under Othello 's command who becomes one of Iago 's several victims in a plot to ruin Othello. One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost damned in a fair wife, That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the division of a battle knows. Emilia picks it up and gives it to Iago, who has often asked for it. Detailed answer: Cassio is a leading character in William Shakespeare's play Othello. Desdemona pleads to Othello on Cassios behalf. BrabantioJeff Allin As he waits, Bianca, his lover, appears. All rights reserved. Othello is a king, no argument. James KonicekNarrator, Michael WitmoreDirector, Folger Shakespeare Library Othello is one of the most dignified and sumptuous characters in Shakespeares writings, rivaling such men as Henry V or King Lear in his superiority and aloof grandeur in both mind and body. 1.2 Cassio shows up with a message to Othello from the Duke: get over here. Cassio serves as a foil to Othello in this manner because though each man has an injured ego and position in the Venetian world, Othello remains focused on the injury itself, no matter how valid it is, dwelling only on the hurt that Desdemonas faithlessness caused him; Cassio, comparatively, is quick to forgive the injury of Othells dismissal and instead pleads his case only as a loyal servant of his general. It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice. 2010. Brabantio and his armed band come to seize Othello, who persuades Brabantio to accompany him to the duke, where Othello has been summoned and where Brabantio can present his case against . Cassio, ever the complement to Othellos characteristics and personality, has the final victory in the twisted lie of Iagos making, resulting in a victory of good over evil. As he waits, Bianca, his lover, appears. Cassio beats him off, but Iago secretly wounds him from behind. 3.1 Iago goes to Emilia and asks to be taken to Desdemona. Cassio then acts as an expansion of this similarity to Othello in the final scene; Othellos sense of justice has been manipulated and disintegrates into a desperate sacrifice of the one he loves to a perverted justice that has been twisted by the evil Iago. The main reason Iago gives for plotting to destroy Othello is a suspicion that Othello may have had an affair with Emilia. As Cassio is allowed to reveal the truth, one sees Othellos admirable traits being transferred to the young lieutenant who is now granted full supremacy over the region in Othellos place. Shakespeare derived Othello 's plot from a short narrative in Giraldi Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi (1565), but set his play within the context of Venice's struggle during the 1570s with the Ottoman Empire for control of Cyprus, the eastern Mediterranean island that overlooked the shipping lanes between Europe and trading centres in the East. His first entrance on the stage presents him as a wise man, a leader whose experiences have made him all the more observant and patient with the world around him. Cassio has found Desdemonas handkerchief in his room (placed there by Iago) and he asks Bianca to copy the embroidery work for him. Spencer, Theodore. Then Bianca comes in and throws the handkerchief back in Cassio's face; she's sure it's from some other woman, and who does he think he is!? Cassio, on the other hand, is a young pup by comparison. LodovicoJoe Guzman 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. Like Othello, Cassio offers himself as a loyal countryman, never anything but your servant (III, iii, 9). 2.1 Cassio is there to greet Desdemona, Othello, and Iago when they arrive at Cyprus. How does Iago use Bianca to trick Othello? GratianoTodd Scofield Iago then kills the wounded Roderigo. As he waits, Bianca, his lover, appears. Is all his soldiership. The Folger Shakespeare Othello audiobook is available on a wide variety of audiobook platforms. Read a character analysis of Cassio and examine his significant quotes in the play. Cassio comes back and jokes with Iago about Bianca and how needy and ridiculous she is. His presence and bearing, as previously noted, denote a majesty and nobility that is unfound in the common man, as noted by his subjects and subordinates. Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse 2.02 (2010). 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. The appointment, undeserved in Iago's eyes, justifies the villain's cruel revenge against him: "One Michael Cassio, a Florentine. Othello comes out, furious at the disorder, and fires Cassio. As they exit, the handkerchief drops unnoticed by either of them. 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A gallant, courteous gentleman, perhaps too gallant with the ladies at time, he has been friendly with Othello for some time, and acted as a go-between for him and Desdemona. Cassio is as mysterious as Othello is reserved. When she exits, Iago says that Cassios avoidance of Othello is suspicious and that Cassio may not be honorable, all the while insinuating that he, Iago, knows more than he is willing to say. Even when his reputation is at stake, Othello remains calm and calculating, even to the detriment of his wife; when accused of betraying Branbantios trust and stealing away Desdemona, Othello reacts calmly and without question to the interrogation of the Venetian council: Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it / Without a prompter. When sober, however, he is friendly with everyone, though he compares people to what he has known in Florence. Othello questions what evil his sense of duty and justice will lead him to, whereas Cassio remains determined to keep a good and wholesome reputation amongst the Venetian court, and especially in the eyes of his dear general (V, ii. 2.3 After Iago gets him drunk, Cassio fights with Roderigo, and then with Montano, who's just trying to calm him down. From award-winning theater and music, to poetry and exhibitions, experience the power of the arts with us. Cassio approaches her, but she must now, because of Othellos anger, postpone her efforts on his behalf. 1.1 Iago announces that Othello has recently chosen Cassio for his second-in-command. Cassio is a young Florentine officer in Venices army. Othello reenters and, now tormented by jealousy, threatens Iago with death unless he provides proof of Desdemonas infidelity. Cassio, in the end, seems to represent the better man, the higher sophisticate in Othellos mind than his own self. In Act I Scene 1 we are offered a belittling portrait of him by the envious ensign; he is an inexperienced soldier, a mere arithmetician (I.1.18) who has been promoted beyond his deserving.
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