Character Background

Knowledge of the background of the characters allows the reader to understand the motives. We learn in the first scene of the play that Iago is agree that he was not promoted to Lutentant. Furthermore, he has heard rumors of Othello sleeping with his wife and this makes him seek revenge. We also can see that he has a very self-seeking personality and is manipulative. Roderigo was denied the request to marry Desdemona. This had led him to be jealous of Othello and seek revenge over Brabatio. We also learn that Othello is a Moor and because of this he is judged. For example, Brabatio automatically thinks that he has tricked his daughter and that he is bad. Because we learn of each character's background we understand why they make the decisions they do and why they act in a certain way.