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Cassio Roderigo Brabantio and there functions From Shakespeare's play Othello, this paper will be discussing the roles of Cassio, Roderigo and Brabantio, and their functions. First, Cassio. Cassio is an honourable lieutenant and a soldier, who is very loyal and caring towards his commanding officer, Othello, as shown in one of many places, act two scene one line 45 - 48 when he is concerned about Othello's well being because he has been lost at sea and says: Thanks, you the valiant of this warlike isle, That so approve the Moor! O, let the heavens Give him the defense against the elements, For I have lost him on a dangerous sea In the beginning of the play Cassio is appointed to the position of lieutenant by Othello, so Cassio at first has his highest respect, until later in the play where Othello believes he is having an affair with Desdemona. Cassio's role in the play is not one of the extremely important ones. His main function is to be a figure whos actions are partially responsible for Othello believing that his wife is cheating on him.
For example, Cassio asking for Desdemona's help leads to the two of them being seen together, which is in act three scene three line 35. In the end of the play, Cassio becomes the governor in Cyprus after the former Governor, Othello, commits suicide, in act five scene two from line 366 - 378, which shows another of his functions, to act as one of the means which ties up the loose ends at the end of the play. Now, Roderigo. Roderigo is a foolish, cheated, gulled, dimwit.
Basically, his function in the play is to act as a lackey towards Iago. His obedience towards Iago can be compared to that of Lennie Small towards George Milton in the book Of Mice and Men, By John Steinbeck. He does whatever Iago tells him to do, consistently in the hope of obtaining Desdemona's love. He never realizes that his chances for ever getting anywhere with her are just about non-existent. He frequently gives valuables to Iago to give to Desdemona, which Roderigo tells of for the first time in the second line of the play, but Iago keeps everything for himself.
Near the end of the play Roderigo is killed by Iago after he tries to ambush Cassio on Iago's instructions. This occurs in act five scene one, in line 62. He only functions as a means for Iago to carry out his hateful plans. Finally, Brabantio. Brabantio's role is that he is the father of Desdemona. He is one of the lesser developed characters in the play, all as being the main figure in the initial conflict in the play, in which he is opposed to Othello and Desdemona's marriage, as initially shown in act one scene one line 144 when he reacts angrily after being told of the elopement by Iago and Roderigo.
He says: Strike on the tinder, ho! Give me a taper! Call up all my people! This accident is not unlike my dream.
Belief of it oppresses me already. Light, I say, light! This sparks the audiences interest at the beginning of the play, and sets the stage for Iago to start fully carrying out his plans and the real difficulties for Othello and Desdemona to begin. The three characters we have talked about all are not the most major characters in the play, but they provide a great deal of variety to the storyline with their various character twists. Roderigo, for instance, is somewhat of a foil, that is, a contrast to the character of Cassio. While Roderigo is easily fooled and manipulated by Iago, Cassio takes a lot more manoeuvring.
For an illustration of this, refer to act two scene three up to line 113 where Iago has to continuously persist in trying to get Cassio to continue drinking. Also, Cassio is more of a romancer with women, as shown in act two scene one line 63 - 67 where Cassio pours his language on a little thick in an attempt to impress those of the female gender nearby. Meanwhile, Roderigo is a coward and is afraid to approach the woman he loves, instead he attempts to get Iago to do it for him. As well, the characters are appealing to different types of audiences with their various characteristics. The character of Brabantio could quite possibly have been put in the play by Shakespeare so the older generation people in the time period in which the play was written, Elizabethan times, could sympathize with him, as Brabantio does not approve of the fact that Desdemona and Othello eloped, just as many older people of that timed not. As for Cassio, he might be there to appeal to the women of that time with his fictional charm and courteousness for women, as demonstrated in a previous line reference.
In conclusion, we can say that these three personae are not the most primary in the story, but their roles provide important factors in keeping the audiences interest as well as making the play more interesting on the whole for the current and the Elizabethan time periods people, with Cassio's, Roderigo's, and Brabantio's myriad of captivating characteristics.
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