Kinda like Facebook recently, the events of Othello seem to happen, for the most part, in real time. For example, we don't have to wait until later to see Othello's rage in response to the laughter of Iago and Cassio -- "Look how he laughs already!" IV.i.107-- because good ol' Billy Shakes just couldn't wait five minutes to let Othello vent at Iago, so then the reader has to sift through the monstrosity of they're-all-in-the-same-room-but-they-nobody-really-knows-what's-happening. Anyway, the suspense isn't built in the typical way, through building up anticipation and making the audience wonder. There's some of that, of course, like with, y'know, wondering who was going to die and all. Most of the time, though, suspense is built into the moment as a result of Iago's scheming.
Consequently, the audience knows most of what the characters know. Actually, we know considerably more than some of them because of the intriguing twist that the character with the most stage time is the villain, so we're in on his schemes, thanks to all his helpful asides. So... we know what's supposed to happen next, but that doesn't mean some plans don't go awry here an there-- the shenanigans in the brothel, for instance, could have gone more smoothly.
