Bianca ( Othello ) - wikipedia Bianca ( Othello ) Bianca Othello character Doris Dowling as Bianca in Orson Welles ' 1952 film, Othello Created by William Shakespeare Portrayed by Doris Dowling ( film, 1952 ) Betsy Blair ( TV, 1955 ) Sheila Reid, ( film, 1965 ) Wendy Morgan ( TV, 1981 ) Indra Ové ( film, 1995 ) Bipasha Basu ( Omkara, a 2006 Bollywood adaptation ) Date ( s ) c. 1601 -- 1604 Source `` Un Capitano Moro '' by Cinthio ( 1565 ) Information Role Cassio 's jealous inamorata Iago 's unwitting victim Quote `` This is some minx 's token, and I must take out the work ? There ; give it your hobbyhorse. '' Bianca is a fictional character in William Shakespeare 's Othello ( c. 1601 -- 1604 ). She is Cassio 's jealous lover. Despite her brief appearance on stage, Bianca plays a significant role in the progress of Iago 's scheme to incite Othello 's jealousy of Cassio. Bianca is traditionally regarded as a courtesan, although this occupation is not specifically designated in the drama. The character was occasionally cut from performances in the 19th century on moral grounds. Bianca is not to be confused with Bianca Minola in Shakespeare 's The Taming of the Shrew. Contents 1 Sources 2 Role in Othello 3 In film and television 4 References Sources Othello has its source in the 1565 tale `` Un Capitano Moro '' from Gli Hecatommithi by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio. While no English translation of Cinthio was available in Shakespeare 's lifetime, it is probable that Shakespeare knew both the Italian original and Gabriel Chappuy 's 1584 French translation. Cinthio 's tale may have been based on an actual incident occurring in Venice about 1508. Bianca is based upon a character in Cinthio 's tale who, apparently of her own volition, copies the work in the handkerchief after finding it in the Cassio counterpart 's house. While the woman sits with the handkerchief at a window, the ensign makes certain the Moor sees her with it. The Moor then believes he is confirmed in his suspicions of Desdemona 's adultery. It is unclear if Cinthio 's character is a courtesan, wife, or other. Role in Othello In 3.3, Iago reveals to the audience that, having surreptitiously obtained the handkerchief that Othello had originally given Desdemona as a lover 's token, he will lose it in Cassio 's lodging. Upon discovering the handkerchief in the following scene, Cassio admires its craftsmanship and asks Bianca to copy it for him. Bianca, already furious with Cassio for his apparent disregard of their relationship, suggests that the handkerchief is a gift from another woman, but eventually agrees to his request. Painting by William Holman Hunt Midway through 4.1., and prior to Bianca 's entrance, Othello has been secretly observing a bawdy discussion between Iago and Cassio about the latter 's sexual exploits with a young woman. Thanks to Iago 's impeccable planning ( and some bad luck ), neither speaker mentions the name of the woman in question ; it is in fact Bianca, but Othello tragically assumes it to be his wife, Desdemona. Bianca suddenly enters, and her suspicions of Cassio are even greater than before. She is convinced that the handkerchief belongs to another woman, and throws it contemptuously at Cassio 's feet. In Othello 's eyes, her apparent jealousy confirms his wife 's infidelity. This `` evidence '' completes Iago 's manufactured case against Desdemona, and thereafter Othello is determined to murder both her and Cassio. In 5.1, Bianca arrives just after Cassio has been stabbed by Iago. She reacts with horror and concern. Iago, pretending to have just entered the scene, accuses Bianca of having been part of the group that attacked Cassio. Iago claims her emotional reaction is due to her being caught rather than concern for Cassio and gets her to admit that Cassio ate at her home earlier that evening. Both Iago and Emilia call her a prostitute, but Bianca replies `` I am no strumpet ; but of life as honest / as you that doth abuse me '' ( 5.1. 122 - 3 ). She is led off at the end of the scene to be questioned about the attack and is not mentioned again in the play. In film and television In film, Doris Dowling played the character in Orson Welles 's troubled but critically acclaimed 1952 adaptation. In 1965, Sheila Reid portrayed Bianca in Laurence Olivier 's 1965 version, and Indra Ové played the character in the 1995 feature film starring Laurence Fishburne. Bianca was renamed `` Brandy '' and played by Rachel Shumate in O, a retelling of the story set in a contemporary high school. In the 2006 Hindi film adaptation Omkara, the character was renamed `` Billo Chamanbahar '' and played by Bipasha Basu. In this variation, the Bianca character is not given a handkerchief, but a jewelled belt called a kamarbandh. On television, Betsy Blair played the character in a 1955 BBC adaptation with Gordon Heath as Othello and Rosemary Harris as Desdemona. Wendy Morgan played Bianca in 1981 in the critically acclaimed BBC complete Shakespeare series. The character was renamed `` Lulu '' and played by Rachael Stirling in an award winning modern English telemovie first broadcast on ITV on 23 December 2001. References ^ Jump up to : Shakespeare, William. Four Tragedies : Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth. Bantam Books, 1988. William Shakespeare 's Othello Characters Othello Desdemona Iago Cassio Emilia Bianca Roderigo Brabantio Other characters Source `` Un Capitano Moro '' from Gli Hecatommithi ( 1565 ) by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Description of Africa Sampiero Corso Opera and ballet adaptations Otello ( 1816 ; opera ) Otello ( 1887 ; opera ) Othello ( 1892 ; overture ) The Moor 's Pavane ( 1949 ; ballet ) Othello ( 1998 ; ballet score ) Bandanna ( 1999 ; opera ) Films 1922 1951 1955 1965 1995 TV 1965 1981 Stage adaptations Masquerade ( 1835 ) Othello ( 1951 ) Catch My Soul ( US ; 1969 ) Catch My Soul ( UK ; 1970 ) Film adaptations Jubal ( 1956 ) All Night Long ( 1962 ) Catch My Soul ( 1974 ) Kaliyattam ( 1997 ) O ( 2001 ) Eloise ( 2002 ) Souli ( 2004 ) Omkara ( 2006 ) Jarum Halus ( 2008 ) From Verdi Otello ( 1906 ; film ) Othello Ballet Suite / Electronic Organ Sonata No. 1 ( 1967 ; ballet suite ) Otello ( 1986 ; film ) The Othello Syndrome ( 2008 ; album ) Art Othello Phrases `` Beast with two backs '' Related Othello error Filming Othello Red Velvet The Duke of Milan Love 's Sacrifice Desdemona Goodnight Desdemona Story within a story Carnival ( 1921 film ) Carnival ( 1931 film ) The Deceiver ( 1931 ) Men Are Not Gods ( 1936 ) A Double Life ( 1947 ) Saptapadi ( 1961 ) The Dresser ( 1980 play ) The Dresser ( 1983 film ) An Imaginary Tale ( 1990 ) The Dresser ( 2015 film ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bianca_(Othello)&oldid=799573408 '' Categories : Fictional characters introduced in 1603 Female Shakespearean characters Fictional courtesans Fictional Italian people in literature Othello Hidden categories : EngvarB from September 2017 Use dmy dates from September 2017 Pages using deprecated image syntax Articles using Infobox character with multiple unlabeled fields Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 8 September 2017, at 15 : 01. 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Question: who is bianca and what role does she play in iago's scheme
Answer: a fictional character in William Shakespeare's Othello