Brabantio is an old man and a Senator of Venice.
He is a genteel racist: he has been very friendly to Othello and often invited him to his house to honor him and for the sake of hearing the tales of his life, but when his daughter runs away with the Moor, however, he is appalled, and convinced that witchcraft is the only explanation. He sues to the Duke for justice, but when Desdemona admits that she was fully complicit in her escape from her father’s house, he admits his defeat and tries to change the subject back to political affairs. He does not disguise his mortification or sorrow, but gives his daughter to Othello all the same, though in terms that essentially disown her. He is incapable of resisting a parting shot at Othello warning him of her faithlessness. His sorrow over his daughter brings about an early death.
