William Shakespeare's Othello is a tragic play consisting of five acts. Although each act is not of equal importance, each serves a distinct role that affects the quality of the play in its entirety. Removing any act would therefore greatly diminish the final product of this play; consequently, reducing the play's appeal to the audience. Since Act I satisfies several essential purposes, removing it would be a mistake. Ultimately, we would no longer be seeing Othello the way Shakespeare had intended us to.First of all, Act I serves as an introduction. As a result of Act I, we get a feel for the setting, the characters, and prior events that are required to thoroughly appreciate this play. Without receiving this vast amount of information, unfortunately the rest of the play does not have the same impact. For example, it is in Act I that we learn of Othello's ethnic as well as military background. Although the Moor finds himself the target of racial comments, the impression we get of him, throughout Act I, is one of simplicity combined with dignity and honesty. In Scene I, we are also informed of Othello and Desdemona's recent marriage. The situation regarding Othello's choice of lieutenant is another important event described in the first scene of Act I. Iago had attempted to bribe his way into this position, but Othello chose Cassio, a Florentine, whose knowledge of war was great despite his lack of experience. All of these events occurred prior to the start of the play, but are involved in the development of the play; therefore, they are recalled for our purposes in Act I. Removing the first act of Othello would consequently prevent us from realizing that these events had indeed taken place, making it quite difficult to understand the meaning of the play. In addition, the removal of Act I from Othello would weaken the audience’s feelings of anguish for the characters. The deaths of Othello and Desdemona would be considered le...
