They are married. It would be hard to have a story about marital jealousy if they weren't.
Desdemona's relationship with Othello is significant because it challenges societal norms of the time, as she falls in love with and marries a Moor, a black man. It also highlights themes of jealousy, racism, and manipulation, as Desdemona's loyalty and love for Othello are tested throughout the play. Ultimately, their relationship serves as a tragic example of how misunderstandings and external influences can lead to a breakdown in trust and communication.
othello
Othello
Desdemonas father and one of the senators of venice.
desdemonas pity of othellos life struggles
The significance of Desdemona's relationship with Othello is that she marries him dispite knowing her father would not approve. Othello was a black man and was looked down upon because of his race and color. Shakespeare was tackling the race issue way ahead of most people.
They had a good relationship - Othello trusted Cassio and Cassio respected Othello
Iago doesn't like other people to be happy because he is so unhappy himself, notwithstanding the fake "honest Iago" persona he has developed. Since Desdemona is happy in her marriage to Othello, Iago wants to destroy her in the process of destroying Othello.
Cassio and Othello were very close friends before the play.
Brabantio(a senator)
Casio thinks of Iago as a very dear friend to Othello, but to Iago Casio was a toy to make Othello jealous. what they both have in common is that they both serve under Othello and are dear friends in battle to him.
Brabantio disapproves of Othello and the relationship he has with Brabantio's daughter Desdemona. This is not because Othello is not worthy of Desdemona because he is a much respected officer, but because he is a Moor (in that time an African) and therefore considered beneath the Italian people.
There is no novel of Othello, actually. The famous Othello is a play by Shakespeare. Plays are not novels. If Othello was white, Othello wouldn't have been insecure, his relationship with Desdemona wouldn't be disapproved of and Iago might have hated Othello less. That is, of course assuming that Othello is white and so is everybody else. If Othello were white and everyone else was black, the story would be much the same because Othello's insecurity stems from his feeling of otherness, his feeling that he was different from everyone else. Othello has in fact been staged in this way, with a black cast and a white Othello. It has also been staged with actors playing Othello who are not black but are different from the rest in some other way.