Synopsis

Cyprus, at the end of the 15th century, is an outpost of the Venetian Empire, at war with the Turks. The Governor is the Moor Otello, who has just married Desdemona, the young daughter of a noble Venetian family.

Act 1. The quay, between the castle and the tavern. Night.

A storm rages as Otello leads the Venetian forces in a sea battle. A crowd watches from the port. In the confusion of waves and lightning Montano, who preceded Otello as Governor of Cyprus, recognises the Venetian emblem of the Winged Lion. Cassio sees that it is Otello's ship. The crowd prays to God to save the Venetians. The storm worsens when a hurricane blows up, throwing the people into panic as the universe seems to fall into chaos.

Otello himself proclaims their victory over the Turks as the storm abates, and so restores calm to Cyprus. The crowd hails him as their saviour.

Roderigo is a Venetian gentleman in love with Desdemona. Desperate with melancholia he thinks of suicide. But Otello's ensign Iago persuades him to wait, claiming that Desdemona will soon tire of the savage's attractions. Iago longs to revenge himself on the Moor, who promoted Cassio to the rank of captain and left Iago his ensign.

The crowd celebrates the victory with dancing around a fire. Iago ensures that the occasion turns into an orgy of drinking and that Cassio gets drunk. When Montano comes to fetch Cassio, who is due to go on duty, Iago lets him know that the captain is as drunk as this every night. On Iago's instructions Roderigo insults Cassio, so as to provoke him to a fight. Montano intervenes, but only succeeds in offending Cassio, who turns on him and wounds him. Iago makes sure that the whole town is thrown into panic.

Otello has been roused from his bed. He restores order and accepts Iago's halting explanation of what happened. When he learns that Montano has been wounded by Cassio he almost loses his temper. Desdemona has also been awakened by the noise. When she arrives Otello calms down. He deprives Cassio of his rank, ensures that Montano is attended to, orders Iago to calm the city and sends everyone home.

The two lovers are left alone together, remembering how they first fell in love. Otello told Desdemona the story of his life. She fell in love with him for his misfortunes and he loved her for her compassion. Otello is overcome by love and asks Desdemona for a kiss. The night is now far advanced; they go back inside the castle as Venus shines in splendour.

Act 2. The ground floor inside the castle, at the back is a garden. Next morning.

Iago promises to help Cassio regain his rank and advises him to approach Otello through Desdemona; let her intercede for him and Cassio will certainly be forgiven. Cassio waits for her to appear in the garden.

Alone, Iago proclaims his Credo, identifying himself with evil. He believes in a cruel god who created him vile and false in his own image, the victim of fate and meaningless death. He intends to use Cassio's encounter with Desdemona to ensnare Otello. Cassio approaches and starts talking to her. Iago pretends not to have seen the Moor approaching and comments, as though to himself, ‘That disturbs me.' Otello tries to prevent himself from feeling irrational jealousy; he demands that Iago produce evidence of her infidelity. Instead Iago warns him against the poisonous monster jealousy and suggests that he should scrutinise her actions and words.

Desdemona herself appears in the garden, surrounded by people from the island who pay her homage, and offer her flowers and gifts, as though they were adorning an image of the Madonna.

Desdemona then comes forward with her maid Emilia to intercede for Cassio. Otello refuses to listen to his wife and complains that his head is aching. He rejects the handkerchief which she offers him and tells her to leave him.

Desdemona assumes she has offended him unwittingly and so begs to be forgiven. But Otello is absorbed in his own reflections and does not hear her: his golden dream of love seems wholly destroyed – perhaps because he is not versed in love's wiles, or because he is so much older than her, or because his skin is dark. Meanwhile, Iago forces Emilia, who is his wife, to give him the handkerchief that was dropped.

Otello sends everyone away but Iago stays to observe his suffering. Otello faces the fact that his memory of love must be false. He prepares to bid farewell to all his martial glory. Nevertheless he threatens to punish Iago, unless he can furnish him with visible proof of Desdemona's infidelity. Instead, Iago reports that Cassio talked in his sleep in ecstasy about her. This convinces Otello that she is guilty. To complete his triumph, Iago claims to have seen the handkerchief, which Otello once gave her, in Cassio's hand. Consumed by fury, Otello swears by death itself to punish her. He is joined in his oath by Iago, who swears to devote himself wholly to Otello's revenge.

Act 3. A hall in the castle. Afternoon.

A herald announces that the Venetian ambassadors will soon arrive in Cyprus. Iago arranges for Otello to hide and observe his conversation with Cassio.

At this moment Desdemona enters. Otello answers her greeting in a bitterly ironic way that passes her by. He tries to force her to confess her guilt but she does not understand. Seeing how unhappy he is, she imagines it must be because of his quarrel with Cassio. She tries to intervene on Cassio's behalf once again. Otello demands that she produce the handkerchief which he once gave her as a love-token. He explains that it contains a powerful magic – to lose it is to incur terrible disaster. She refuses to be brow-beaten but cannot continue and must defend herself against the charge of infidelity. He calls her a whore – this makes her cry for the first time, but still she cannot convince him of her innocence. Otello also weeps but remains adamant – she is ‘that vile courtesan.'

Her forces her to leave him. When he is alone he reflects that he would have accepted all the misery God might have heaped on him if only he could have still believed in Desdemona. Now he is denied this consolation; his world has lost its sun; his soul is in torment. He therefore abandons all thoughts of compassion.

Iago returns and shows Otello where to hide, while he talks to Cassio. Iago leads the conversation so that Otello imagines that Cassio boasts about his conquest of Desdemona – in fact he is referring to another affair entirely. Iago also gets Cassio to produce the handkerchief, which he left for Cassio to find at his home. This provides the final visible proof for Otello.

He agrees to Iago's suggestion that he kill Desdemona not with poison but by strangling her in the bed. He appoints Iago captain. Iago promises to deal with Cassio.

Trumpets, cannons and the cries of the people announce the arrival of the ambassadors.

Lodovico hands a message from the Doge of Venice to Otello. While the Moor reads it he overhears Desdemona talking to Lodovico and Iago. Otello threatens her. Everyone is appalled. On his orders a herald brings Cassio. Otello announces that the Doge has summoned him to Venice, so he and his wife will leave tomorrow. The Doge also appoints Cassio as his successor. Lodovico asks Otello to comfort Desdemona. Instead he forces her to the ground where she weeps in despair.

Iago urges Otello to act quickly. He also persuades Roderigo to kill Cassio, using the argument that Otello will then have to remain in Cyprus and Desdemona with him. Suddenly Otello turns on everyone violently. He curses Desdemona and chases everyone away. Outside the crowd cheer Otello their hero, whom they come to acclaim, the glorious Lion of Venice. Inside, Otello has fallen unconscious to the ground. Iago exults in his triumph over the Lion.

Act 4. Desdemona's room. Evening.

Desdemona waits for Otello as she was told to. Filled with foreboding, she asks to be buried in one of her wedding veils. She sings a sad song that her mother's maid Barbara used to sing, when she was abandoned by her lover. It is the Song of the Willow she sang as she sat weeping in a strange land, that the sad willow would form her garland. She ends with the words ‘He was born for glory, I to love him.' She then prays to the Virgin Mary to intercede for her (‘now and in the hour of our death'), before going to sleep.

Otello enters. He makes sure that Desdemona has made her confession since he does not want to destroy her soul. She tries to defend herself and begs him to bring in Cassio. But Otello refuses to listen to her or delay any longer. He strangles her.

Emilia returns with the news that Cassio has killed Roderigo. Before she dies, Desdemona tries to take the blame for her own murder. Emilia cannot convince Otello that Desdemona was innocent. He threatens Emilia so she calls for help. Iago tries to silence her but when the truth emerges he refuses to justify himself. Otello accepts that his career, his glory and his life are over. He stabs himself and in a last effort to kiss Desdemona he dies.