William Shakespeare’s
Directed by Ellen McDougall
Visual Story
To help prepare you for your
visit to Shakespeare’s Globe
Relaxed Performance
Sunday 2 April, 1.30pm
Getting to the theatre
This is the Foyer. If you need
somewhere quiet at any time
you can come back out of the
Playhouse into the Foyer.
Your ticket will tell you which
gallery, bay and row you are in.
Once you have found your row
you will need to find the part of
the bench reserved for you
which will match the number on
your ticket.
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This is the stage. For different plays, designers add pieces of set to
make it look different.
These are stewards. You can
recognise the stewards by their
denim aprons. The stewards
are there to help you. If you feel
tired, or need to exit please ask
a steward. They can also show
you where the toilets are.
Stewards are good people to
go to if you feel worried about
anything in the show.
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Show Notes
These are notes of things that may happen during the show, or that
you may want to think about for the play.
•
The theatre goes entirely dark near the beginning of the show.
Actors will come back on to light the candles.
•
The characters are often violent to each other. This is play-fighting
and no one gets hurt.
•
There is a flash from a camera twice in the show, once at the very
beginning (during the black out) and once at the very end.
•
Roderigo wears a mask when he is in disguise.
•
Some of the actors will walk through the Pit to get to the stage.
The Pit is the lowest part of the auditorium.
•
You are welcome to come and go from the auditorium as you
please. The Stewards can direct you to places to sit if you need
them to.
•
If you need quiet, you may relax in the foyer.
•
The music can be loud at times throughout the play.
•
You may come and go as you please.
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The Play
On the streets of Venice, Iago and
Roderigo discuss their hatred of
Othello. Iago is jealous that
Othello has chosen Michelle
Cassio as his lieutenant over him.
Roderigo – who is in love with
Desdemona – is angry at news
that she and Othello have
secretly married. Roderigo tells
Brabantio, Desdemona’s father,
of her marriage. Brabantio is
furious.
Iago warns Othello that
Brabantio knows he has married
Desdemona. Brabantio arrives.
Iago pretends to be loyal to
Othello so threatens Roderigo
for telling Brabantio about
Othello and Desdemona’s
marriage.
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Brabantio says Othello used
witchcraft to make Desdemona
fall in love with him. Othello
tells his own side of the story.
Brabantio tells the Senate what
Othello has done. Othello tells
them he charmed Desdemona
with stories, not magic.
Desdemona agrees, and the
Senate approves their marriage.
The Duke decides to send
Othello to Cyprus, to lead the
fights against the Turks.
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Desdemona is allowed to go
too, but she will sail separately.
Alone, Iago declares his hatred
of Othello and swears to break
up the marriage using Roderigo.
Michelle Cassio, Desdemona,
Iago, Emilia and Roderigo
arrive in Cyprus after battling
a stormy sea. Iago watches
closely as Cassio greets
Desdemona and plots to use
their friendship against them.
Othello arrives and announces
the destruction of the Turkish
fleet. He and Desdemona are
joyfully reunited.
Iago tricks Roderigo into
believing that Desdemona is
having an affair with Cassio,
and the pair plot to get Cassio
fired. Alone, Iago reveals that
he believes Othello has had
an affair with his wife, Emilia.
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There is a celebration of Othello’s
victory over the Turks and of his
marriage to Desdemona.
Iago persuades Cassio to ask
Desdemona to get Othello to
give her the job back, knowing that
he can use this to make Othello
believe they are having an affair.
Roderigo begins to lose faith in
his and Iago’s plan, but Iago
reassures him that it is working.
With Othello kept out of the way
by Iago, Cassio pleads with
Emilia to let her speak with
Desdemona, which she allows.
Desdemona tries to persuade
Othello to re-appoint Cassio,
but Iago begins to make
Othello suspicious of an
affair between them.
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Emilia notices when
Desdemona’s handkerchief – her
first present from Othello – is
dropped by accident. She picks it
up and gives it to her husband
because Iago has often asked
her to steal it.
Iago convinces Othello that he
saw Cassio with her handkerchief,
and Othello demands that
Desdemona and Cassio die
for their adultery. Desdemona
searches for her handkerchief.
Othello, in an attempt to catch
her out, demands to see it.
Angry when she cannot produce
it, he storms off. Emilia and
Desdemona observe how
much he has changed.
Cassio asks Desdemona again
to help her regain Othello’s trust,
and Desdemona promises she
will do everything she can.
Cassio finds the handkerchief in
her room, where Iago has put it,
and asks her mistress Bianca to
embroider another like it.
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Iago angers Othello with visions
of Desdemona’s alleged infidelity.
Iago tells him to hide while he
invites Cassio to talk about his
love for Desdemona. In fact,
Iago encourages Cassio to tell
him about Bianca, his actual
mistress, but Othello assumes
that Cassio is bragging about his
affair with his wife. When Bianca
enters to angrily return the
handkerchief, Othello takes it as
further proof of his wife’s adultery.
Othello resolves once more to
kill Cassio and Desdemona.
Desdemona’s cousin, Lodovico,
arrives with news that Cassio
has been appointed Governor
of Cyprus. When Desdemona
expresses her happiness,
Othello strikes her. Othello calls
Desdemona a whore, and tries to
find more evidence of her infidelity.
While Iago comforts
Desdemona, Emilia begins
to suspect that someone has
deliberately made Othello
mad with jealousy.
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Ordered to go to bed by Othello,
Desdemona sings as she
undresses, and discusses with
Emilia the unfair ways women
are treated by men.
In a dark street, Roderigo attacks
Cassio but it backfires when
Roderigo is wounded. Iago steps
in and wounds Cassio before
running away. Thinking Cassio is
dead, Othello moves to murder
Desdemona.
Iago re-enters and falsely rushes
to Cassio’s aid. Under cover of
darkness, he kills Roderigo as he
lies wounded.
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Iago tries to blame everything
on Bianca, and sends Emilia to
deliver the devastating news to
Othello and Desdemona that
Roderigo is dead and Cassio
badly hurt. Othello suffocates
Desdemona, who still says she
is innocent. Emilia enters with the
news of the fight. Desdemona,
recovering briefly, cries out
before dying.
Emilia raises the alarm. Iago
arrives with other Venetian
gentlemen. Emilia explains the
truth about the handkerchief,
and realising her husband’s
involvement in the plot, declares
Iago a villain for his trickery.
Emilia assures Othello of
Desdemona’s virtue. Iago
kills Emilia and flees. Iago is
captured. Devastated by what he
has done, Othello stabs himself.
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