Brabantio is Desdemona’s father and a Venetian nobleman. Providing him with even more status and authority is the fact he is a Senator. Brabantio seems to be a very public voice for the dominant issue of race that forms basis to many of the concerns of the characters. As a dramatic function, he is a disapproving father, which adds drama and tension for the audience. However, he seems to be on another level entirely with his disapproval, to the extent to which he claims that his daughter has been enchanted by dark magic to marry Othello. He reasons that Desdemona would never submit herself to “general mock” for marrying a man of another race, unless “foul charms” and “drugs” were used by Othello. In the final scene, we learn from his brother Gratiano that he died of heart ache due to his daughter’s betrayal. Slightly melodramatic? Maybe. But that’s Shakespeare!
