Interpreting Shakespeare Language

Act 1 Scene iii

1. What impending crisis do the Duke and his senators face at the beginning of the scene?

The crisis that the Duke and his senators are facing are with the fact that a Turkish fleet are attacking Cyprus (1.3 8-10). These attacks have the Duke sending out trying to find more troops to fight against this fleet, this is where Othello comes in to serve the Duke against them and defend Cyprus. They soon realize that Cyprus is important to the Turks, which adds to the impending threat.

1. Why is Brabantio’s suit against Othello Rejected?  

Brabantio’s suit is rejected by the Duke for a few reasons. The Duke makes haste to employ Othello against the Turkish fleet (1.3 54-55), this means that the Duke is willing to dismiss any accusations or anything holding Othello back from serving him. Having Brabantio threaten Othello only delays him from serving the Duke, which does not go with his plans. After a discussion between Othello, Brabantio, and the Duke, they decide to bring in Brabantio’s daughter Desdemona. Desdemona testifies that she is indeed in love with Othello along with the fact that the father did also invite Othello over to his home (1.3 142), this dismisses Brabantio’s accusations that Othello stolen her from her father. This furthers the Duke’s decision to dismiss Brabantio’s case.

1. How does Brabantio feel about Othello?

Brabantio feels almost betrayed by Othello. By inviting Othello to his home often, Brabantio assumed that Othello would not marry his daughter (or as he describes it as stealing his daughter). This surprises Brabantio and his outraged because he believes that Othello is not fit to marry his daughter (1.3 312-313).

1. How does he describe his daughter?

Brabantio describes his daughter somewhat like an object in this scene. He uses words that make Desdemona sound innocent and untouched (1.3 105-117). These words describe the daughter as a beautiful maiden who is everything. The subject is then changed to the fact that he believes that his daughter has been bewitched and that a spell has been cast upon her. This is because he cannot believe that his daughter would fall in love with Othello, to the point where it has to defy the very natures in order to happen. This can be seen as a very sexist statement that has been said by Brabantio, this is because he is speaking of his daughter in a manner that she is a prize to be won and earned.