called
him a Blackamoor. His life had been hard and exciting. He had been
vanquished in battle and sold into slavery; and he had been a great
traveler and seen men whose shoulders were higher than their heads.
Brave as a lion, he had one great fault--jealousy. His love was a
terrible selfishness. To love a woman meant with him to possess her as
absolutely as he possessed something that did not live and think. The
story of Othello is a story of jealousy.

One night Iago told Roderigo that Othello had carried off Desdemona
without the knowledge of her father, Brabantio. He persuaded Roderigo
to arouse Brabantio, and when that senator appeared Iago told him
of Desdemona's elopement in the most unpleasant way. Though he was
Othello's officer, he termed him a thief and a Barbary horse.

Brabantio accused Othello before the Duke of Venice of using sorcery to
fascinate his daughter, but Othello said that the only sorcery he used
was his voice, which told Desdemona his adventures and hair-breadth
escapes. Desdemona was led into the council-chamber, and she explained
how she could love Othello despite his almost black face by saying, "I
saw Othello's visage in his mind."

As Othello had married Desdemona, and she was glad to be his wife, there
was no more to be said against him, especially as the Duke wished him to
go to Cyprus to defend it against the Turks. Othello was quite ready to
go, and Desdemona, who pleaded to go with him, was permitted to join him
at Cyprus.

Othello's feelings on landing in this island were intensely joyful. "Oh,
my sweet," he said to Desdemona, who arrived with Iago, his wife, and
Roderigo before him, "I hardly know what I say to you. I am in love with
my own happiness."

News coming presently that the Turkish fleet was out of action, he
proclaimed a festival in Cyprus from five to eleven at night.

Cassio was on duty in the Castle where Othello ruled Cyprus, so Iago
decided to make the lieutenant drink too much. He had some difficulty,
as Cassio knew that wine soon went to his head, but servants brought
wine into the room where Cassio was, and Iago sang a drinking song, and
so Cassio lifted a glass too often to the health of the general.

When Cassio was inclined to be quarrelsome, Iago told Roderigo to say
something unpleasant to him. Cassio cudgeled Roderigo, who ran into the
presence of Montano, the ex-governor. Montano civilly interceded for
Roderigo, but received so rude an answer from