Who is roderigo in the play othello

However, there are grounds for believing that Roderigo is corrupted and not wholly bad, merely weak; lacking resolution or volition, he even has to be directed off stage on a number of occasions. He is suspicious of Iago, but allows himself to be talked round.

It is possible to see Roderigo as another outsider in Othello ; Iago keeps him on the fringes of the action in Venice and Cyprus, ensuring that he remains powerless.

Roderigo can also be played as a comic figure: his description of being cudgelled can be amusing. Contact Us Register Sign In. Through Roderigo, Shakespeare portrays those who live in their own assumed reality. Rodrigo is one of those modern days one-sided lovers. He feeds illusion to an extent that he refuses to see the love Desdemona has for Othello and desires for her unnecessarily.

Shakespeare, through his character, displays how damaging can foolishness be. He is self-conceited. It is his fancied and shallow idea of love that leads him to engage in fruitless attempts and let an opportunist and cunning man like Iago to easily exploit him for his own interest. Roderigo is coward and timid who is incapable of leading his own life. Cassio accompanied Othello as his friend when he was courting Desdemona.

He is popular, he speaks well, and he is lively and trusting. Iago eventually convinces Othello that Cassio is Desdemona's paramour. Cassio is appointed governor of Cyprus after Othello's death. Bianca A courtesan prostitute , in love with Cassio. She is skilled in needlework and agrees to copy the handkerchief that Cassio gives her; then she throws it back at him, believing it is the token of his new love.

Emilia Desdemona's lady-in-waiting and Iago's wife. She knows Iago better than anybody else and is suspicious of his actions and motives. She does not realize until too late that the wicked person who has poisoned Othello against Desdemona is Iago, her own husband. The Duke of Venice The leader of the governing body of the city state of Venice. The Duke appoints Othello to lead the forces defending Venice against the Turkish attack on Cyprus; he also urges Brabantio to accept his daughter's marriage.

Gratiano Brabantio's brother. He and Lodovico find Cassio wounded after Roderigo stabs him in the drunken brawl. Lodovico Desdemona's cousin. After the death of Desdemona, Lodovico questions Othello and Cassio together, thus revealing the truth. Montano Othello's predecessor as the governor of Cyprus.