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Othello | What is Lodovico's function in the play?

Lodovico appears for the first time as an emissary to Cyprus from the Duke of Venice in Act IV, Scene 1. He inquires casually about the situation on the island, but immediately witnesses Othello strike Desdemona. Lodovico is shocked by Othello's behavior, asking the rhetorical question: "Is this the noble Moor whom our full Senate / Call all in all sufficient?" (IV.i.265-266). As a neutral observer, his comment highlights the dramatic devolution that Othello has suffered under Iago's spell. Lodovico cannot prevent the tangle of evil that occurs in the last two acts of the play. He does...

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