ShmoopTube
Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.
Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos
Playlist The Ultimate Shakespeare 19 videos
Imagine yourself going to see a show. The cushy red seats. The talented orchestra. The body odor and animal abuse. Not what you pictured? Be thankf...
Aren't midsummer night dreams the worst? You wake up all sweaty and gross, and for a minute there, you can't even remember where you are. And also,...
We're not sure if good ol' Shakespeare would endorse The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, but that's not going to stop us from hosting themed viewing...
Othello Summary 69610 Views
Share It!
Description:
A word to the wise: secret marriages don't work out well in Shakespeare plays. Just ask Othello and Desdemona.
Transcript
- 00:00
Othello a la shmoop the names Iago yes like Jafar's parrot
- 00:10
except with a vastly superior speaking voice. some people say I'm Shakespeare's [parrot with man's head]
- 00:15
meanest villain, because well of all the bad things I did to precious Othello ,and
- 00:20
well perhaps they're right but who cares? we all have fun in different ways right?
- 00:25
Oh fellow was this hotshot Moorish guy who convinced everybody in Venice that
Full Transcript
- 00:30
he should be a big bad general in our army. maybe it was all those victories he
- 00:34
won for us blah blah blah blah blah .I could have done the same I mean I didn't
- 00:38
but I could have .you know a fellow landed on my naughty list when he
- 00:42
promoted this loser named Cassio to be his lieutenant ,and clearly I would have [Cassio cheers and Othello grins]
- 00:48
been the better choice but hey at least it gave me an excuse for my favorite
- 00:52
pastime, knitting. oh and overly complicated plots
- 00:56
dealing with horrifically bloody revenge. I first enlisted this guy Roderigo, to my
- 01:00
cause. after all every villain needs a minion. alright well our first stop was
- 01:05
the powerful senator Brabantio whom we had the pleasure of telling that Othello
- 01:10
had recently eloped with his beautiful daughter Desdemona.
- 01:14
well Brabantio took it about as well as most dads would which is to say not well [tabloid with Desdemona pictured on it]
- 01:18
at all. and we may have fibbed a little saying that othello used witchcraft to
- 01:23
seduce Desdemona. even if I didn't hate SLO the whole plan would have been worth
- 01:27
it just to watch the veins pop out of Brabantio's head.
- 01:31
Brabantio was dead set on poking Othello full of holes but unfortunately for our
- 01:36
evil plan the Duke took Othello's side. fella went on and on about how he truly [dad growls, Othello explains]
- 01:42
loved Desdemona, and then Desdemona showed up and got all gooshy about him.
- 01:47
long story short the Duke believed their disgustingly sweet love story and
- 01:52
Brabantio heads off but still not before delivering this warning- look to her Moor
- 01:57
if thou hast eyes to see she has deceived her father and may thee not.
- 02:04
exactly the wedding blessing Desdemona was hoping for.
- 02:07
anyway if you ask me the Duke only spared othello because he wanted a
- 02:10
fellow to command the army in the upcoming battle against the Turks in [Iago grins]
- 02:14
Cyprus. did I not mention the upcoming battle
- 02:17
against the Turks in Cyprus? ha my mistake.
- 02:20
there was an upcoming battle against the Turks in Cyprus, that is until a fellow
- 02:24
yours truly and every other important character in this tragedy got to Cyprus
- 02:29
and found out that the Turkish Navy had been lost in a storm. kind of a fishy
- 02:34
plot there isn't it ?hmm maybe Shakespeare's producer slapped him with
- 02:37
some budget cuts. in Cyprus I got back on the revenge train. my new scheme was
- 02:43
great .I would convince Othello that Desdemona was cheating on him with [Iago smiles]
- 02:47
Cassio. that way all of my enemies would destroy each other while I sat back and
- 02:53
laughed and appropriately evil laugh. well of course my plan was needlessly
- 02:58
complicated but that's just my thing. alright first I got Cassio drunk then I
- 03:01
got Roderigo to get into a fight with Cassio then a fellow took Cassio's new
- 03:05
job away which sure that's what I was mad about in the first place oh I could
- 03:09
have stopped there but where's the fun in that ?well next i got Cassio to ask
- 03:13
Desdemona to ask othello to give Cassio his job back confused yet hmm? well
- 03:18
meanwhile I planted seeds in a fellow's head that Desdemona was doing the dirty [Iago sets up Desdemona to look like she's cheating]
- 03:21
with Cassio behind his back. I was like hey bud watch out for anything
- 03:25
suspicious, like oh I don't know Desdemona trying to convince you to give
- 03:30
Cassio his job back. yes move right? now all I had to do was get my wife Emilia
- 03:36
to steal a special handkerchief that a fellow had given to Desdemona as gift.
- 03:41
all I had to do was plant the handkerchief in Cassio's room and lead a
- 03:44
fellow there to find it, and voila that Plus Desdemona is inevitable pleading
- 03:49
for Cassio and some ingenious manipulations on my part convinced
- 03:53
othello his wife was cheating on him. Othello decided the only thing to do was
- 03:57
kill Desdemona, totally normal reaction not over-the-top at all . I suggested he
- 04:02
strangle her. what can I say I like to be helpful? meanwhile I convinced
- 04:06
Roderigo to go kill Cassio but he ended up bundling the whole thing, so I had to [Roderigo with a sword]
- 04:10
kill him and blame it on his girlfriend it's hard to keep a good help you know.
- 04:14
at least Othello came through in smothered Desdemona to death, I didn't
- 04:18
have long to enjoy that though because my dumb wife Emilia sold me out and told
- 04:22
everybody what I'd done. well I stabbed her for foiling my
- 04:25
perfect plot but it didn't do me much good. finally realizing what had gone
- 04:30
down othello stabbed me and then killed himself.
- 04:33
blood was everywhere of course .it wouldn't be a Shakespearean tragedy if
- 04:38
it didn't end with somebody having to buy a new rug. and that's the end of this
- 04:41
tragic tale -what's the take away here? easy never get married. [blood in a fancy hall]
Related Videos
This video defines utopias and dystopias, and investigates how a utopia might become a dystopia. Can a seemingly perfect world actually be a dystop...
They say that honesty is the best policy, but Jack lies about his identity and still gets the girl. Does that mean we should all lie to get what we...
Ever wish you could remember everything that you ever studied? How about everything that everyone has ever studied? Yeah, pretty sure our brains ju...
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is an American classic. Hope you're not expecting any exciting shower scenes though. It's not that kind of book.
Do not go gentle into that good night. In fact, if it's past your curfew, don't go at all into that good night. You just stay in your good bed and...