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The Original Staging of OtelloGiuseppe Verdi took a keen interest in the staging of his operas, and his ideas on this dimension of these works are recorded in a series of staging books issued by his pub-lisher, Giulio Ricordi. The staging book for Otello was “compiled and edited” by Ricordi himself, but its content almost certainly stemmed from Verdi’s own stage conception for Otello, as it was worked out for the 1887 premiere at Milan’s La Scala opera house. The passage given in this excerpt describes the original staging of the murder scene, Act 4, Scene 3. It reveals an astonishingly precise coordination among music, words, and the movements and gestures of the actors on stage, and its realism only heightens the horror that Verdi has brought to his operatic interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic play. (The arrows in the drawings indicate movements of the actors within the set, or the direction in which they face.)

Just when Desdemona has fallen asleep and precisely as the fi rst note of the contrabass solo is struck, the secret door opens quickly and Otello appears at its threshold. He takes a small step forward, then stands still, quickly closing the door behind him. He holds a scimitar in his right hand. The actor must know the contrabass solo by heart since the entire action must be coordinated exactly with the conductor’s beat. It will be useful—especially in early pro-ductions—to have the same person who prompted the “Ave Maria” stand behind the closed secret door with score in hand, so that he can softly prompt the actor as to just what movements are to be made. We will later summarize these movements, although it is solely up to the actor at such a dramatic climax to make them effective on stage and not forget that Desdemona is asleep and must not be roused by accidental noises:

he advances Otello advances cautiously to see if he is alone:Otello advances cautiously to see if he is alone:

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puts down the scimitar He goes to the right table and puts down the scimitar that he had held in his right hand:

goes quickly to the table with the candle and stops, uncertain whether to blow it out or not

He moves toward the door, parts its drapes, and locks it:

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:Otello turns around and looks at Desdemona

Returning downstage, he stares at Desdemona:

goes to the table blows out the candle He then resolutely goes and blows out the candle:

Otello turns around and looks at Desdemona:

He then resolutely goes and blows out the candle:

Returning downstage, he stares at Desdemona:

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angry movement Otello is gripped by anger. He makes vehement motions,then, with sudden decisiveness, goes with agitated steps tothe bed and stops for a moment precisely at the chordshown:

stops

Otello bends down and gives Desdemona a light kiss, precisely onthe note indicated. He then contemplates her anew.

Again as above.

Otello is gripped by anger. He makes vehement motions, then, with sudden decisiveness, goes with agitated steps to the bed and stops for a moment precisely at the chord shown:

He goes up two steps and long contemplates the sleeping Desdemona:

He is seized by a sad tenderness, and, while staring continuously at Desdemona, parts the bed curtains:

Otello bends down and gives Desdemona a light kiss, precisely on the note indicated. He then contemplates her anew.

Again as above:

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The third kiss is more forceful, whereupon Desdemona awakens with a start. She rears up, leaning on her right arm while remaining on the bed. She looks into the room and asks, “Who’s there?” while Otello descends the steps and stands motionless, arms crossed, by the left wall:

Desdemona, turning right, sees him and exclaims, “Otello?” He answers impassively, with a deep and solemn voice that begins with a frightening calm. His words gradually become more agitated and terrifying, as do his gestures. Desdemona, who in her innocence thinks she has nothing to fear, replies with a naive calmness. She then goes from indignation to terror to pleading. In this way the feelings of the two characters undergo a dramatic crescendo that unfolds with lightning speed and force. This is the crux of this scene.

Otello, remaining motionless, asks Desdemona, “Have you said your prayers tonight?” to which she responds in the sweetest voice, “I have prayed.”

Otello’s tone gathers force. To his words, “. . . ask for it straightaway,” the startled Desde-mona questions “Why?” and at the same times she gets out of bed although still leaning against it with both hands. Otello passes on the left, turns toward Desdemona, and says, “Hurry up!”

“You talk of killing?” Desdemona says aghast as she comes down the steps of the bed:

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Then with an anguished cry, “O Lord have mercy on me,” she moves quickly downstage. Otello follows her, responding gravely, “Amen!”

Desdemona draws back a bit, looking at Otello, and says with a pleading voice, “Then you also have mercy.”

Otello takes another step forward and raises his right hand menacingly, crying out with a ter-rifying voice, “Think of your sins.”

With the words of the terrifi ed Desdemona, the ever more enraged Otello pursues Desdemona closely; she looks at him with terror and dread. Desdemona, replying impetuously, denies Otello’s accusations and, stepping back, at the words “I swear it” falls exhausted to her knees on the steps of the bed, with Otello in close pursuit.

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When Otello says, “Bear in mind that you are on your death bed,” Desdemona turns with a convulsive motion, her head opposite his, adding, “But not death.” With Otello’s reply, she runs across the stage, from left to right, crying “Help!”

Then, turning toward Otello, gasping with intermittent sobs, she cries out, “I don’t love Cassio. . . Bring him here and ask him.”

Otello comes forward a bit, and answers darkly, “He is silent forever.” Desdemona, with a ges-ture of desperation, says, “Heaven. . .,” then with a stifl ed voice, “Dead?” “Dead,” answers Otello with an icy coldness. Then Desdemona cries, “I am lost! He is betrayed!” With these words Otello has a ferocious outburst and throws himself upon Desdemona saying, “Does she dare to weep?”

Desdemona, stepping back in fright, tries to escape from Otello, crying, “Otello. . . Don’t kill me. . . ”

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But he grabs her violently by the arm, and says, “Nothing will save you.” Desdemona struggles in vain to free herself from his terrible grasp, continuing her desperate pleading. Otello drags her relentlessly toward the bed. Crying “Mercy!” Desdemona falls to her knees. At this point the two actors are roughly in the middle of the room:

Otello continues to drag Desdemona, who in vain tries to resist. At the words “while I say an ‘Ave’” they are near the steps to the bed. Then crying “too late!” Otello grabs Desdemona by the arms:

He slings her violently to the bed, then clutches her neck with both his hands. Desdemona, trying once more to free herself, lets out a heart-rending shriek, then falls still while Otello’s hands remain at her throat.

We think it quite unnecessary to point out the great diffi culty of this scene, a diffi culty multiplied a thousand times by its musical requirements and the need for strictness of tempo. This is a scene that must be rehearsed many, many times before the two actors will manage to bring forth all of its scenic and musical effect and not be preoccupied by the orchestra or by the conductor’s baton.

Otello continues to strangle Desdemona during the fff in the orchestra. In this passage, as indicated in the score, there are three knocks on the door to the left, knocks that Otello does not notice. At the morendo in the orchestra, Otello releases Desdemona, remaining motion-less and staring at her inert body. He then impassively says, “quiet as the tomb.”

Source: From Disposizione scenica per l’opera “Otello”. . . compilata e regolata secondo la messa in scena del Teatro alla Scala da Giulio Ricordi (Milan: Ricordi, n.d.), pp. 93–100. Translated © 2008 by Bryan R. Simms.