Michael Cassio
Michael Cassio, or simply Cassio (/ˈkæsioʊ/), is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's Othello. The source of the character is the 1565 tale "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio; Cassio is unnamed in Cinthio but referred to as "the squadron leader". In the play, Cassio is a young and handsome lieutenant under Othello's command who becomes one of Iago's several victims in a plot to ruin Othello.
Michael Cassio
Bianca (lover)
Sources[edit]
Othello has its source in the 1565 tale "Un Capitano Moro" from Gli Hecatommithi by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio. His story may have been based on a historical incident which occurred in Venice around 1508. No English translation of Cinthio was available in Shakespeare's lifetime. Gabriel Chappuy had produced a French translation in 1584, but Shakespeare's version hews more closely to the original.[1] Cassio is based upon Cinthio's squadron leader.
Performance history[edit]
In productions of Othello, Cassio has been portrayed by actors such as Hayden Adams, Tom Hiddleston, Jonathan Bailey, and Derek Jacobi. The latter portrayed Cassio in Laurence Olivier's version of Othello, both on stage and screen. He has also been portrayed by Nathaniel Parker in the 1995 movie production of Othello. Omkara, which was a Bollywood adaptation of Othello, had a character named Kesu firangi, which was inspired by Cassio.