Othello: Acts I-III

Othello, the Moor of Venice
William Shakespeare

In the beginning of Act III, Shakespeare provides the audience with comedic relief by introducing the clown. As one would suspect, this clown makes jokes that make the audience smile.

"Cassio: 'Dost thou hear, my honest friend? '
Clown: 'No, I hear not your honest friend, I hear you.'" (Shakespeare, Act III, i, 19-20)

One question that came to mind though was 'Why did Shakespeare include a clown in this story, and why is the clown important?'The clown draws attention to situations that are humorous or silly. Perhaps the clown holds relevance in this story to bring light to the ridiculous plot of the play. Iago seeks retribution on Othello because Othello promoted Cassio and Othello is rumored to be sleeping with Iago's wife. The rumor has no concrete evidence, but Iago seeks revenge anyway. Iago feels entitled to be the Lieutenant arguing that he is more qualified because he has more experience. His desire to be Lieutenant holds more reasonable weight than the rumor about his wife. Still, Iago's extreme desire for revenge seems humorous to the reader. By introducing the clown, Shakespeare helps the audience to recognize the humorous events of the play.