Role and Significance of Lodovico in Othello

This paper discusses the role and dramatic significance of Lodovico in William Shakespeare's play Othello. It explores Lodovico's character, his witnessing of the tragic events, and his impact on the unfolding of the play.

Running head: ENGLISH ESSAY
English Essay
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ENGLISH ESSAY
Introduction
In the following paper the topic of discussion will be on the role and dramatic
significance of Lodovico in the William Shakespeare’s play Othello. Othello is considered as one
of the great four tragedies. The character of Lodovico serves several purposes in shaping the play
properly (Pechter: 23). Those purposes of the character of Lodovico will be discussed in this
paper.
Significance and dramatic purpose of Lodovico
Lodovico is considered as one of the minor characters in the Othello whose arrival occurs
at the end of the play. He is a nobleman in the court and he is somewhat related to Brabantio.
This is why Lodovico is generally a cousin to Desdemona (Jay: 56). On a whole, Lodovico does
not have a huge role to play in the entire shaping of the play but he is considered as a witness to
the final tragic event of the play that takes place (Pechter: 23). His appearance occurs after the
Act 4 but he witnesses all the events that happen to the central characters of the play due to the
heightened emotion. He has the fortune of watching all the things with his own eyes centering
the characters.
Lodovico is the witness of the moment in the play when the Desdemona told that she had
‘love for Cassio’. Through this situation, Othello understood that Desdemona had built up a
romantic involvement with Cassio though this was not at all the case. Desdemona just had some
concern regarding the well-being of Cassio (Orlin: 35). At that very moment, Othello hit
Desdemona and this raised the question in the mind of Lodovico about the sanity of Othello.
Lodovico is the member of the diplomatic service in Venice. Lodovico has not shown any kind
of personality in his character but he is only a witness indeed (Erickson: 277). Lodovico sees the

2ENGLISH ESSAY
bloodshed of the characters of the play and he watches the characters succumb to death. He
serves as the only witness to the unfolding of the issues of betrayal and jealousy.
Lodovico in Othello has been one character who has ended showing up in the worst
places of the play (Erickson: 277). He also gets into the scene after Roderigo and Othello had
their fight. Othello discovers the letter from Cassio through Lodovico as he says ‘Sir, you shall
understand what hath befall’n,/ Which, as I think, you know not, Here is a letter’ in Act V, Scene
II. This letter works as a very important evidence to prove that Cassio was not guilty. In the Act
V Scene II again, Lodovico says ‘You must forsake this room, and go with us:/ Your power and
your command is taken off’. This shows clearly that Lodovico’s presence in the play has opned
up the curtain from the guilt committed by Othello (Orlin: 35).
Conclusion
In the concluding section it can be said that Othello has been one of the most influential
witnesses in the play who has been able to show Othello that he was guilty. His presence in the
play has given a new dimension in the play.

3ENGLISH ESSAY
References
Erickson, Peter. "Concluding Othello: Contrasting Endings by Shakespeare and Fred
Wilson." Shakespeare Bulletin 34.2 (2016): 277-293.
Jay, Corey M. "The Unraveling of Shakespeare's Othello." (2012).
Orlin, Lena Cowen, ed. Othello: the state of play. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014.
Pechter, Edward. Othello and interpretive traditions. University of Iowa Press, 2012.