Roderigo is in love with Desdemona, who is married to the Moor. He hates life without her and is in too much love to think of anything else. "It’s silly to live when life is torture. The only cure is death," shows that Roderigo is easily affected by his own emotions and is easily blinded by love or the lack thereof.
Brabantio is the father of Desdemona, who married the Moor, a black man, behind his back. Brabantio does not like his new son in law and there is tension between the two of them. "She’s a good girl, quiet and obedient. She blushes at the slightest thing. And you want me to believe that despite her young age and proper upbringing she fell in love with a man she’d be afraid to look at? The very thought of it is ridiculous. You’d have to be stupid to think that someone so perfect could make such an unnatural mistake as that. The devil must be behind this. Therefore I say again that he must have used some powerful drug or magic potion on her," shows what Brabantio really thinks of the Moor, or perhaps he is speaking out of anger. Either way this quote shows that he puts his daughter on a pedestal and looks down on other, specifically black men. The events that happen after this quote shows how easily his thoughts and feelings are molded by anger and detest.
Cyprus is about to be attacked by the Turks and there is tension among the men about to head to war with them and their fleet. "So if the Turks steal Cyprus from us, it won’t be bad as long as we keep smiling. It’s easy to accept platitudes like that if you haven’t lost anything," another quote by Brabantio, shows that he is feigning like he hasn't lost his only daughter by his own hand and is encouraging the other men to act like things are fine even if they are slaughtered at war.
2. Create three discussion questions of your choice based on Act I.
- Does Brabantio really have something against the Moor or does he simply dislike him because he "stole" his daughter from him?
- Why does Roderigo let himself stay in love with a person who doesn't return that love?
- Why are the men so nonchalant about preparing to enter war with the Turks?
Othello is a noble man who holds his wife in high regards as she is noble as well. He believes his innocence will protect him, as he has done none of the things he has been accused of (i.e. kidnapping Desdemona and using black magic to enchant her and attract her to him). Othello speaks of Brabantio being kind to him and friendly, then his feelings change when his daughter is brought into the picture and he ultimately shuns both of them. He, however, still has no harsh feelings toward Brabantio (that he shows...) which means he is a man of integrity. He also speaks of how his military career will come before his wife, which shows he is a dedicated warrior.
Iago is a very interesting character from the very beginning. Upon his entrance into the play he is immediately arguing with his friend Roderigo. This shows that Iago might be headstrong since he is so easily frustrated by whatever has happened with his friend. He has an obvious dislike of his superior in the military but he chooses to stick to his job and serve under him either way. He has integrity, or so it seems, until he admits that he is only serving under him to gain enough skill to become his own master. He is a sneaky man from the beginning. At one point he says he is not who he appears to be then goes on about how he wants to destroy Brabantio's happiness. He is a spiteful man, jealous of the happiness of others. He then feigns that he was only trying to help Brabantio rather than ruin his happiness. He then goes back to make it look like he wasn't involved in the drama he created for the Moor. This all shows that Iago is a conniving, jealous, easily flustered man who yearns to be his own master.
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