![]() Themesĭeception: The attempt of the Turkish fleet symbolizes the widespread nature of deception in the world, and that it is not just confined to Iago. ![]() Roderigo then departs, and the act concludes with Iago revealing through soliloquy that he hates Othello due to his belief that his commander slept with his wife Emilia and that he plans to steal Roderigo’s fortune, convince Othello that Cassio has slept with his wife and use his commander’s honest nature to bring about his downfall. Iago however mocks his desire to drown himself, telling him ‘Put but money in thy purse’ and to go to Cyprus, as he will take care of affairs there. The meeting concludes and all depart except Iago and a downcast Roderigo, who now believes there is no hope for a relationship with Desdemona. While the duke is initially not agreeable, suggesting she stay with her father (which none of Desdemona, Othello or Brabanzio are agreeable to), he eventually concurs and declares she will stay with Iago until she can follow Othello to Cyprus. The duke decides it best for Othello to travel to Cyprus and defend it from the imminent Turkish invasion, which Othello agrees to if his wife can accompany him, for their marriage has only just begun. After she declares that she willingly embraces the ‘violence’ of their love (an obvious foreshadowing of the turmoil to follow in Cyprus) and will now become loyal to her husband primarily, like her mother before her, Brabanzio accepts this and allows the meeting to return to the original focus. The duke declares that his own daughter would fall in love with Othello if she had the same experience and Desdemona then enters, confirming that she is most obedient to Othello (the duke asks who she is most obedient to), much to her father’s surprise, ‘My noble father… You are the lord of my duty,/ I am hitherto your daughter. The duke initially sympathizes with him but appears disbelieving of the story when Othello’s supposed part in it is revealed Othello reveals he has married Desdemond but she grew infatuated with him of her own accord, when she heard of his life stories (such as the ‘Anthropophagi’) which Brabanzio asked him to tell him their family home, which caused her to fall in love when he retold them in full to her. The group comprising of Brabanzio, Othello, Iago, Cassio, Roderigo and their officers then enter, with Brabanzio demanding that his case be prioritized as his daughter was stolen from him by witchcraft, emphasizing his despair by declaring that his grief ‘engluts and swallows other sorrows, and is still itself’. A sailor interrupts the meeting to reveal that the Turkish fleet are directed towards Rhodes, also part of Venetian territory, however a senator declares this is a ruse as Cyprus is the more valuable island a second interrupting messenger confirms this to be the case, revealing that the Turks have aligned with another fleet and now move towards Cyprus. The action moves to the dukedom, where discussions are being held about Turkey’s intent to invade Cyprus.
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