"Othello," the last of the long and brilliant series of Verdi''s operas, was completed in 1886, and first produced at the La Scala Theatre in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 5,1887, with remarkable success.
The libretto was prepared by the accomplished Italian scholar and musician Arrigo Boito and closely follows the story told in Shakespeare''s tragedy.
"Othello" premiered with the following cast and characters:
The curtain rises upon a scene in Cyprus. A storm is raging, and a crowd, among them Iago, Cassio and Roderigo, watch the angry sea, speculating upon the fate of Othello''s vessel, which finally arrives safely in port amid much rejoicing.
Iago tells Roderigo that he knows Roderigo loves Desdemona, wife of Othello. Iago tells Roderigo he wants to help him, for he dislikes Othello because Othello has appointed Cassio to be the captain of the navy, a position that Iago desired.
In the tavern, Iago pressures Cassio to drink wine, resulting in Cassio''s intoxication. A fight ensues, in which Cassio wounds Mantano. As a result, Othello deprives Cassio of his office.
A love-scene ensues between Desdemona and the Moor (Othello).
In the second act, Iago suggests to Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair and the seeds of jealousy are sown in Othello''s breast. His suspicions are freshly aroused when Desdemona intercedes in Cassio''s behalf and are changed to conviction by Iago''s artful insinuation that Cassio mutters the name of Desdemona in his sleep.
Iago also tells Othello that Cassio possesses a handkerchief that was Othello''s first gift to Desdemona.
In the third act, Iago continues his diabolical purpose, at last so inflaming Othello''s mind that he denounces Desdemona for her betrayal. The act concludes with the audience to the Venetian embassy, during which Othello becomes enraged, strikes Desdemona and falls in convulsions.
The last act of "Othello" transpires in Desdemona''s chamber and follows Shakespeare''s "Othello" in all the details of the smothering of Desdemona. After killing his wife, Othello stabs himself after realizing his mistake.
Upton, George (1897). The Standard Operas: Their Plots, Their Music, and Their Composersa Handbook. Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company.