Lilibeth Castillo April 5, 2013 Othello is a story about race inter-relations, hate, jealousy and deception. In Act I it begins with Iago the villain explaining the reason as to why he hates the Moor (Othello) who essentially is meant to be the hero. The Moor is depicted as a warrior with a strong and noble character however, his character goes through a dramatic change. It continues with the villain’s helper Roderigo who is also jealous and envious of the Moor. The reason as to why Roderigo hates the Moor is because the Moor is with Desdemona the woman that Roderigo liked.
Already in Act I you witness so much hate, anger and jealousy towards Othello who is successful, in power and in love with the woman he loves. Iago and Roderigo are just unhappy with their lives that it kills them to see their opponent being happy; instead they seek to ruin his success. Othello is constantly referred to as a barbaric un-human character due to his color and race. During this time, women were not to marry out of their race but Desdemona does not follow the rules and leaves to be with Othello. In the play, Brabantio (Desdemona’s Father) refuses to believe that is out of love Desdemona left with Othello. Instead Brabantio rather believe it was due to a spell. When Brabantio meets with Othello he says to him “O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter?/Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her! (Act I, Scene II line 64). However, Othello explains to him that Desdemona was enchanted by his adventures as a General in wars not enchanted with any magic. Deception is a constant theme since Act I we see that Desdemona the daughter of the Senator Brabantio has left with Othello without her father’s blessing. At this time, women were subjected to their father’s and husband’s. Therefore, Desdemona leaving without her father’s permission illustrates how deceitful she acted. Brabantio even says “Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters' minds/By what you see them act. Is there not charms” (Act I, Scene I, line 169). He’s advising the men around him not to trust their daughters because they are not as honest as they say they are.
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