Otello

Title: Otello
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Premiere: 1887, Italian
Setting: Late 15th-century Cyprus
Main Characters:

• Otello (a Moorish general in the Venetian army)

• Desdemona (his wife)

• Iago (his ensign)

• Cassio (Otello’s lieutenant)

Plot Summary:
Otello returns victorious from battle and is greeted by his loving wife, Desdemona. However, his ensign Iago, driven by jealousy and ambition, plots Otello’s downfall. Iago manipulates Otello into believing Desdemona has been unfaithful with Cassio. Consumed by jealousy and rage, Otello murders Desdemona—only to learn the truth too late. Stricken with guilt, he takes his own life.

Key Themes & Significance:
Verdi’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello is a masterwork of psychological drama and musical intensity. Themes of jealousy, manipulation, and the tragic consequences of misplaced trust unfold in sweeping orchestration and powerful vocal writing. Otello is celebrated for its seamless blend of drama and music, and for pushing opera into a darker, more modern emotional territory.