233TLN 233: Enter Cassio

The early printed texts disagree on the precise timing of Cassio's entrance, though all three allow enough time for Othello and Iago to discuss the arrival before the newcomers are within earshot. This edition follows F1's positioning of the stage direction, which calls for Othello to spot the light from the torches carried by Cassio's group before the men walk on stage. Both Q texts place the entrance a line earlier, after worth. The implications of this change are not momentous, but it is worth noting that on the Q reading it would be possible for the audience to become aware of the new arrivals before Othello notices them. On the other hand, delaying the entrance until after Iago's I think no, as in the Ridley and Mowat-Werstine editions, denies the audience an opportunity to identify the group before their identities have been confirmed by Iago.