Act II. A hall on the ground floor of the castle. _Iago_, planning to
make _Othello_ jealous of _Desdemona_, counsels _Cassio_ to induce the Moor's wife to plead for his reinstatement. _Cassio_ goes into a large garden at the back. _Iago_ sings his famous "Credo in un Dio crudel che m'ha creato" [Transcriber's Note: should be 'un Dio crudel,' but 'crudel' was possibly omitted deliberately, as 'cruel' is also missing from the translation] (I believe in a God, who has created me in his image). This is justly regarded as a masterpiece of invective. It does not appear in Shakespeare, so that the lines are as original with Boïto as the music is with Verdi. Trumpets, employed in what may be termed a declamatory manner, are conspicuous in the accompaniment.
_Iago_, seeing _Othello_ approach, leans against a column and looks fixedly in the direction of _Desdemona_ and _Cassio_, exclaiming, as _Othello_ enters, "I like not that!" As in the corresponding scene in the play, this leads up to the questioning of him by _Othello_ and to _Iago's_ crafty answers, which not only apply the match to, but also fan the flame of _Othello's_ jealousy, as he watches his wife with _Cassio_.
Children, women, and Cypriot and Albanian sailors now are seen with _Desdemona_. They bring her flowers and other gifts. Accompanying themselves on the cornemuse, and small harps, they sing a mandolinata, "Dove guardi splendono" (Wheresoe'er thy glances fall). This is followed by a graceful chorus for the sailors, who bring shells and corals.
The scene and _Desdemona's_ beauty deeply move the _Moor_. He cannot believe her other than innocent. But, unwittingly, she plays into _Iago's_ hand. For her first words on joining _Othello_ are a plea for _Cassio_. All the _Moor's_ jealousy is re-aroused. When she would apply her handkerchief to his heated brow, he tears it from her hand, and throws it to the ground. _Emilia_ picks it up, but _Iago_ takes it from her. The scene is brought to a close by a quartet for _Desdemona_, _Othello_, _Iago_, and _Emilia_.
_Othello_ and _Iago_ are left together again. _Othello_ voices the grief that shakes his whole being, in what Mr. Upton happily describes as "a pathetic but stirring melody." In it he bids farewell, not only to love and trust, but to the glories of war and battle. The trumpet is effectively employed in the accompaniment to this outburst of grief, which begins, "Addio sante memorie" (Farewell, O sacred memories).
[Music: Addio sante memorie, addio sublimi incanti del pensier]
To such a fury is the _Moor_ aroused that he seizes _Iago_, hurls him to the ground, and threatens to kill him should his accusations against _Desdemona_ prove false. There is a dramatic duet in which _Iago_ pledges his aid to _Othello_ in proving beyond doubt the falseness of _Desdemona_.