Othello Duke of Venice Quotes

Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you
Against the general enemy Ottoman.

– William Shakespeare

Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. The Duke of Venice greets Othello warmly here, commenting on his bravery and his value to Venice and its people. The Duke’s appointment of Othello to lead the army in Cyprus to fight the invading Turks indicates the great respect in which the Moor is held. This is in contrast to other characters like Iago and Brabantio who use racist and offensive language to describe Othello.

Whoe’er he be that in this foul proceeding
Hath thus beguiled your daughter of herself
And you of her, the bloody book of law
You shall yourself read in the bitter letter,
After your own sense.

– William Shakespeare

Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. The Duke of Venice promises Brabantio justice, declaring that whoever has beguiled his daughter with witchcraft will pay the price. Brabantio can choose the penalty, he says, even if the Duke’s own son is the perpetrator. This is a good example of dramatic irony, the Duke and Senators being unaware that the person they are talking about is the "valiant Othello", appointed by the Duke to lead the army against the Turks.

To vouch this, is no proof,
Without more wider and more overt test
Than these thin habits and poor likelihoods
Of modern seeming do prefer against him.

– William Shakespeare

Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. A skeptical Duke of Venice, the official authority in the city, is not prepared to accept Brabantio’s allegation of witchcraft against his favorite general Othello just on face value. Evidence is needed, simply making an accusation and relying on current prejudices is no proof, he tells Brabantio.

Good Brabantio,
Take up this mangled matter at the best:
Men do their broken weapons rather use
Than their bare hands.

– William Shakespeare

Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. The Duke of Venice employs a military metaphor to describe Brabantio’s poor handling of the situation regarding Desdemona and Othello’s elopement. Having claimed that his daughter was seduced by Othello using witchcraft, Brabantio loses the wrr of words to Othello in the hearing before the Duke. The Duke advises Brabantio to make the best of a bad situation and use his hands instead of "broken weapons."

To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
Is the next way to draw new mischief on.

– William Shakespeare

Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. In the dispute between Brabandio and son-in-law Othello over Othello’s elopement with Desdemona, the Duke of Venice offers this wise counsel. As the authority figure in Venice, he urges Brabantio not to hold onto a grudge. He cautions him that if you dwell on a wrong from the past you are just inviting more new wrongs to come along. Initially appearing to take Brabantio’s side, the Duke listens to both parties and is persuaded by Othello’s tale of how true and genuine love grew between him and Desdemona.

If virtue no delighted beauty lack,
Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.

– William Shakespeare

Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. In this rhyming couplet the Duke of Venice imparts these words of wisdom to Brabantio, using color imagery and a double pun. The word black has a double meaning here, it refers to Othello’s skin color and also means ugly. The Duke is telling Brabantio that if virtue can be beautiful, then Othello is "fair" or beautiful. This of course is a backhanded compliment loaded with racial prejudice. It implies that others of Othello’s race are not virtuous like him and he is the exception.
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