Shakespeare creates a sense of fear and confusion throughout Act 5 scene 1. This scene occurs at the end of the play after Othello and Iago have decided that it is necessary to kill both Desdemona and Cassio. Iago has also manipulated Roderigo into thinking that he needs to kills Cassio. During this scene a fight between Cassio, Roderigo and Iago takes place.


This scene is set in Cyprus on a street at night. This immediately creates fear as it would be dark which makes the characters on stage seem more vulnerable as they aren't aware of everything that is taking place around them. This is why Iago is able to 'strikes Cassio's legs, and hurries off', without him knowing who it was that wounded him. Therefore it can be said that the dark night also creates confusion as the characters are unsure of what is going on, particularly when they are fighting. The setting is additionally confusing and creates fear because it is set in Cyprus, which is far less orderly then Venice. This makes it easier for a fight to take place.


Iago creates a sense of  fear as the audience can see how evil Iago is. In his aside he says 'whether he kill Cassio, or Cassio him...every way makes my gain'. He shows that he is only thinking about himself and that he has no feelings for the other characters. Creating fear for the audience as we understand that Iago has no remorse and suggests he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. It also creates fear as we are unsure who will win the fight and whether or not Cassio will be murdered. This scene contains more examples of Iagos duplicitous character. This is evident when he wounds Cassio and then hides. Once Lodovico and Gratiano arrives Iago acts like he is trying to help and like he doesn't know what's happened '[to Cassio] what are you here that cry so grievously'. This is dramatic irony as the audience know that it was Iago that injured Cassio. As the other characters don't realise this, Iago's helpfulness causes confusion as they do not suspect that he had anything to with it.


The other characters on the stage add to the fear and confusion as no one can understand what is going on. This can be implied as the characters speech lengths are very short. For example:
Cassio: O, help
Lodovico: Hark!
Roderigo: O wretched villian!
These short lines show the panic on stage as the characters try to work out what has happened. The short lines also create a fast pace which creates a tense atmosphere for the audience.