Revolutionary characters in Othello discouraging celebrity (4)
I believe the answer is:
idol
'celebrity' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'revolutionary characters in othello discouraging' is the wordplay.
'revolutionary' says the letters should be written backwards.
'characters in' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'lodi' is hidden in the letters of 'othello discouraging'.
'lodi' back-to-front is 'IDOL'.
(Other definitions for idol that I've seen before include "Object of worship (or love?)" , "Graven image (sometimes false?)" , "A graven image, or a hero" , "Graven image or worshipped person" , "Hero, star" .)