The summary of Othello: what is the tragedy of the work?

The summary of Othello should begin with the history of the origin of the work. As you know, the story was borrowed by Shakespeare from the book Chintio Giraldi "One Hundred Legends". In general, the borrowing of images and processing of the plot was typical for the writer. Ancient chronicles, novels, pikareski, stories of sailors - all this gave Shakespeare rich material, which he fully used to create his magic works. As for Othello itself, the summary should begin with the author calling the central character of the play the Moor. In the Middle Ages, this name in Europe denoted all descendants from Spain and Central Africa, that is, Arabs and Berbers. Moors were considered skillful sailors and warriors. Some researchers put forward the theory that the main prototype of the jealous was the Italian Maurizio Othello, who commanded the Venetian troops in Cyprus. Little information remained about him; It is only known that it was not literary Othello who lost his wife under extremely mysterious circumstances - there may have been a murder, which he, however, successfully concealed. If you are visiting Cyprus today, the locals will proudly show you the castle in Famagusta, in which Othello allegedly strangled his innocent wife. Perhaps you have already covered the short content of Othello, then you may have a question: why did Shakespeare bestow his hero with black skin? The clue is simple: an abbreviation on behalf of Maurizio is "Mauro", which in Italian means "Moor".

Plot

The summary of Othello can fit in a few lines: the famous military commander Othello meets Desdemona, a girl from a rich and noble family. Struck by his courage and enchanted by the wonderful stories, the girl gives her heart to the Moor, which, naturally, makes the furious and arrogant father angry. Soon a marriage takes place, and the commander with his young wife leaves for a remote garrison. There his assistant Yago and the noble Rodrigo, in love with Desdemona, are already plotting: Iago inspires the Moor, that Desdemona surrendered to Cassio. In order to give credibility to the slander, the two-faced Iago steals a handkerchief from the girl and tosses him to Cassio. For the jealous Othello, this evidence becomes irrefutable evidence: in a rage, he strangles the sufferer, and after it turns out the truth, it is killed himself.

System of characters

The summary of Othello includes the characterization of the central characters. The first place in the tragedy is occupied by Othello - a figure, undoubtedly, tragic. A warrior, a hero, a loving spouse, an extremely trusting person, but terrible in anger. Having committed murder, he ends up with himself, unable to bear the pain of conscience. His secretary, Iago - a strong character, unprincipled and immoral. His devastated soul is opposed to the character of Desdemona, a clean, naive, open, but spiritually strong girl.

Her image is accompanied by an atmosphere of doom: everything seems to hint at a tragic denouement. The death of Desdemona in this context becomes a genuine catharsis. Before us is a true drama, which, based on an old story, created Shakespeare - Othello. The summary, of course, can not convey the wealth of the writer's language, his mastery of metaphors, his wonderful play of words. Therefore, we advise all the same to get acquainted with the work in the original.