Other
Shakespeare - Father, Daughter relatiosnhips
- Course
- Institution
Discussing father, daughter relationships in Shakespeare
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
isabelmorgan
Content preview
Although Brabantio loves his daughter like any father would, he does notgive her proper the respect she deserves. He believes only he knows what
is best for Desdemona, and that Desdemona herself does not know what
is good for her.
It is one thing to appreciate a person's qualities from afar (or maybe not
so afar, since Brabantio had received Othello as an honored guest in his
home), but quite another matter to accept that person as a member of
one's family. By displaying this contradictory trait in Brabantio,
Shakespeare is skillfully holding the mirror up to all of us, not just citizens
of 16th century England. We, in our modern society, still struggle with
this sort of "two-faced" prejudice today.
That said, Brabantio not only decries the marriage (since it was
completely improper for a daughter to elope without securing her father's
blessing and permission), but goes further and accuses Othello of
bewitching his daughter in order to get her to marry him:
She is abus'd, stol'n from me and corrupted
By spells and medicines, bought of mountebanks,
For nature so preposterously to err...
Sans witchcraft could not.
...I therefore vouch again,
That some mixture powerful o'er the blood,
Or with some dram conjur'd to this effect,
He wrought upon her.
Certainly, Brabantio is making reference to the impossibility of his
daughter falling in love with a black man. But it is the witchcraft that he is
objecting to before the Duke.
It is up to Othello and Desdemona to convince the Duke that they are
married for love, not by the benefits of witchcraft and potions. And
Othello's speech to the Duke, explaining the real situation of love between
himself and Desdemona, is one of the most powerful and beautiful in all of
Shakespeare (Act I, Scene iii, lines 128 - 170).
As far as King Lear is concerned, his relationships with his daughters are
based on his power and authority, both as a king and as a father.
When his two elder daughters grow up and marry other men, he
loses the authority of a father, and when he gives away his kingdom, he
loses the power of a king.
Capulet's feud with Lord Montague is at the heart of the sorrow Juliet feels
in not being able to be with Romeo. Her father's stubbornness is not
being able to end the feud is what leads to their deaths. Only in the
deaths of the two children can the fathers agree to stop the fighting.
Throughout the play, Capulet's relationship with Juliet demonstrates this
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller isabelmorgan. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.73. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
77254 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now