Roderigo
| Roderigo | |
| Creator | William Shakespeare |
| Play | Othello |
| Date | c.1601-1604 |
| Source | Shakespeare's invention |
| Role in play | Desdemona's degenerate admirer • Iago's dupe and murder victim |
| Quote | Tush, never tell me! |
| Film Interpreters | Ferdinand von Alten (1922) Robert Coote, (1952) Robert Lang (1965) Michael Maloney (1995) |
Roderigo is a character in Shakespeare's Othello (c.1601-1604). He is a dissolute Venetian lusting after Othello's wife Desdemona. Roderigo has opened his purse to the tragedy's villain Iago in the mistaken belief that Iago is using his money to pave the way to Desdemona's bed. When the assassination of Cassio runs amiss, Iago kills Roderigo.
Shakespeare's source for Othello was the tale, "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, and, while Shakespeare closely followed his source in composing Othello, Roderigo has no counterpart in Cinthio. The character is completely Shakespeare's invention.
Source
Othello has its source in the 1565 tale, "Un Capitano Moro" from Gli Hecatommithi by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio. While no English translation of Cinthio was available in print during Shakespeare's lifetime, it is possible the dramatist knew the Italian original, Gabriel Chappuy's 1584 French translation, or an English translation in manuscript. Cinthio's tale may have been based on an actual incident occurring in Venice about 1508.[1] Shakespeare followed Cinthio's tale closely in composing Othello; however, Roderigo has no counterpart in Cinthio. He is the invention of Shakespeare.
Role in Othello
Roderigo makes his first appearance in 1.1 when, as Iago's confederate, he rouses Brabantio with the news that Desdemona has eloped with Othello. In 1.2, he accompanies Brabantio to the Sagittary where the newlyweds are found. He is present in 1.3 when the couple defend their union before the Duke. In 2.1, Roderigo disembarks in Cyprus, and, in 2.3, provokes the brawl that results in Cassio's disgrace. Roderigo next appears in 4.2 where Iago lures him into a plot to murder Cassio. In 5.1, Roderigo fails to kill Cassio, and is himself wounded in the attempt. Iago discovers the luckless Roderigo and renders the coup de grâce. It should be noted that Roderigo is the first person to realise the kind of person Iago really is, branding him an "inhumane dog" after he is stabbed by him.
Unable to gain access to Desdemona's bed, Roderigo is marked by a sulking ill humor throughout the play, even suggesting suicide as a remedy for his frustrations (1.3.308). He considers surrendering his quest and returning to Venice (2.3.357-362), but Iago keeps his hopes afloat with assurances of future satisfaction (2.1.277-281), (2.3.364-371). Roderigo has opened his purse to Iago (1.1.1-3), believing the villain is using its contents to pave the way to Desdemona (4.2.194-198). Roderigo is sometimes a sounding board for Iago's schemes (2.1.267-277) and a cloak for his villainy (2.1.148-151), being left to do the 'dirty work' when Iago would rather not be seen in the vicinity.
Analysis
Roderigo is the substance of the minimal subplot of Othello. As the representative of the degenerate sexuality of Venice (which was taken for granted by Shakespeare's audience), Roderigo's over-mastering, self-destructive desire for Desdemona reflects Othello's own. Roderigo is the spur which motivates 'poisonous impusles' in Iago, whose gulling of the weak and degenerate Venetian prepares the ensign for the more challenging manipulation of Othello.[2]
Performances
Based on the fact that Othello was composed in near proximity chronologically to the composition of Twelfth Night, modern interpreters of Roderigo sometimes play the role as a foolish fop in the manner of Andrew Aguecheek with the rationale being both roles would have been played by an actor in Shakespeare's company specializing in foppish characters.[2]
Robert Coote played Roderigo in Orson Welles' 1952 film. The production was filmed over a three year period and was hampered by its Italian backer declaring bankruptcy early-on in the shoot. As a result, a lack of costumes forced Roderigo's murder to be staged in a Turkish bath with the performers garbed in large, ragged towels.
Other film interpreters of the role include Ferdinand von Alten in the 1922 silent version starring Emil Jannings, Robert Lang in the 1965 Laurence Olivier vehicle, and Michael Maloney in the film version with Laurence Fishburne in the titular role.
References
Additional reading
- MacLiammóir, Micheál. Put Money in Thy Purse: the Diary of the Film of Othello. Methuen & Co., Ltd., London (1952); Virgin Books (1994), ISBN 0863697291. MacLiammóir's 1952 memoir about the filming of Orson Welles' Othello.