The action of American Moor takes place while the Actor auditions for the title role in Shakespeare’s Othello. Since the play also engages deeply with Othello’s plot and performance history, a general understanding of these aspects enriches Keith Hamilton Cobb’s text.

Before the action begins in Othello, Desdemona, a Venetian noblewoman and daughter of Brabantio, a member of the Senate, secretly marries Othello, a “Moor” who serves as a general in the Venetian army. This news is told to Iago, a man with a grudge against Othello. Iago tells Brabantio of the marriage, and Brabantio brings Othello to testify before the Senate, claiming that he won Desdemona’s heart with witchcraft. (The monologue that the Actor performs for his audition in American Moor is Othello’s speech before the Senate.) Meanwhile, Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is actually in love with his lieutenant, Cassio. Othello becomes jealous, subjecting Desdemona to a series of abuses and tests of love that Iago rigs behind the scene. After Iago continues to enflame Othello’s jealousy, Othello eventually smothers Desdemona with a pillow, killing her. Only afterward does he learn of Iago’s plots, and Othello, filled with remorse, dies by suicide.