brabantio Flashcards
‘o thou foul thief! where hast thou stowed my daughter?’
pirate language
demonstrates the sense of possession and ownership that an elizabethan man had.
constant objectification of desdemona throughout othello highlights the social hierarchy present at the time.
accuses othello of an unlawful act - shakespeare conveys to the audience the elizabethan social belief that women were not able to make their own choices or have an opinion
only purpose was to provide a male heir
‘thou hast enchanted her, for i’ll refer me to all things of sense, if she in chains of magic were not bound’
semantic field of supernatural
implies othello is involved in sorcery
would have upset the contemporary audience who deeply feared the supernatural
the correlation between othello’s race and his supposed supernatural abilities highlights the society’s desire to hate those of a different racial background in order to maintain their own superiority
brabantio and othello’s professional relationship is seemingly untainted by racism, however, the elizabethan views regarding inter-race marriage and social hierarchy become apparent, as brabantio does not want a ‘Moor’ marrying his daughter.
the association that shakespeare makes between a ‘moor’ and witchcraft is significant as it evokes negative connotations between the two, forcing the audience to question their affiliation and created empathy with othello’s character.
‘for it such actions may have passage free, bondslaves and pagans shall our statesmen be’
can’t let othello marry desdemona
the future will be in danger
karen newman - desdemona’s love for othello is a threat to venice - miscegenation
‘my particular grief is of so flood-gate and o’erbearing nature’
over bearing nature
very dramatic - juxtaposes the troubles of war with his own domestic troubles
lots of grief - emotions are consuming him
reveals the extent of racism in society
senators:
‘dead’
brabantio:
‘ay, to me’
extremely racist
disowned desdemona to a certain extent
scandalous
shows both the possessive view of women as commodities, and the way in which interracial marriage was viewed
‘for nature so preposterously to err’
unnatural - black and white marriage
great chain of being
desdemona has been cursed
‘to fall in love with what she feared to look on?’
despite ethnicity, desdemona falls in love with othello - breaking racial stereotypes
did she fear to look on him because of his skin colour, his class or his upbringing?
not venetian
pseudo-rhetorical question, because brabantio honestly thinks that desdemona wouldn’t fall in love with othello.
‘look to her moor if thou hast eyes to see: she has deceived her father and may thee’
once a cheater always a cheater
foreshadowing the eventual (alleged) deception
reminds othello that he is a moor
reminding othello that in terms of his colour and his religion, he is unworthy of desdemona
a persistent idea that iago also later manipulates to convince othello that desdemona’s love for him is only a fleeting fancy.
