| Roderigo | |
|---|---|
| Othello character | |
 Wood engraving of Roderigo (right) speaking with Iago (left) in Act 1, Scene 3, byHenry Courtney Selous | |
| Created by | William Shakespeare |
| Portrayed by | Ferdinand von Alten (1922) Robert Coote, (1952) Robert Lang (1965) Michael Maloney (1995) Deepak Dobriyal (2006) |
Roderigo is a fictional character inShakespeare's 1604 playOthello. Roderigo, a wealthyVenetian, is manipulated into funding theantagonistIago's plot againstOthello in the hopeless belief that Iago will aid him in courting Othello's wifeDesdemona. In the later acts, Iago recruits Roderigo to assassinate Othello's former lieutenantMichael Cassio, though he is killed by Iago when he fails in his attempt to do so.
Despite Shakespeare heavily basingOthello onCinthio's Italian language taleUn Capitano Moro, Roderigo has no counterpart in the original text, unlike other characters, suggesting that Shakespeare created the character himself.[1]
While Shakespeare basedOthello on a number of sources, the play was primarily based on the 1565 taleThe Story of a Moorish Captain in Italian byCinthio.[2]
Roderigo is introduced in the play's opening in Act One, Scene One, where, alongsideIago, he alertsDesdemona's fatherBrabantio that his daughter is eloping withOthello, a fact that Iago knows will cause him great annoyance. After breaking off from Iago, who hid in the earlier scene from Brabantio's sight, he joins Brabantio and his men in their journey to Sagittary in Act One, Scene Two, in hopes of finding Othello and Desdemona.
In Act Two, Roderigo joins Iago in his journey toCyprus, where the Venetians are expecting a Turk invasion, in hopes of being able to woo Desdemona. When the Turks drown in the ocean, Iago convinces Roderigo to invoke a brawl with Cassio, whom Iago has convinced to get drunk, leading to Cassio wounding the Cypriot governor Montano. Othello demotes Cassio as punishment, but Desdemona remains in love with Othello, which sends Roderigo into a suicidal despair. Iago manages to convince him to stick with their plan by promising that, if Roderigo "puts money in his purse", they will be able to destroy Othello, giving him the perfect chance to win Desdemona over. A heartened Roderigo promises to sell all of his lands.
He does not appear again until Act Four, Scene Two where he is enrolled in Iago's plot to murder Cassio, a desire he has had since the start of the play. In Act Five, Scene One, Roderigo is wounded in his botched assassination attempt of Cassio: he becomes the first to realise Iago's true plans. He is then fatally stabbed by Iago, cursing him before his departure.[2]
Modern renditions of the play generally portray Roderigo as a naive fool lusting for love, who falls victims to Iago's cunning eloquence[3]
Robert Coote played Roderigo inOrson Welles's1952 film. Other actors playing his role includeFerdinand von Alten in the 1922 silent version starringEmil Jannings,Robert Lang in the1965 version starringLaurence Olivier, andMichael Maloney in thefilm version withLaurence Fishburne.
In 2006,Omkara, theBollywood version ofOthello, Roderigo née Rajan ’Rajju’ Tiwari was played byDeepak Dobriyal.
He's not even mentioned in Cinthio, Shakespeare's source. And while Shakespeare clearly felt a need to create this character, neither critics nor directors have much shared that urgency.