Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Gratiano Character Analysis

Gratiano only appears as a character in the play very late in the novel.  He is one of the minor characters that partakes in the witness of the tragedy befalling Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello.  As one of the kinsmen to Brabantio he comes, as with many of the characters in the drama, from the city of Venice, capital of the Venetian Republic.  Playing only a minor role in the last scene of the play, he seems to be merely a place holder to help tie up the loose ends of the play.  Gratiano is the one to tell of Brabantio's death, and he remarks that it is good he didn't live to witness the tragedy; Brabantio had a hard enough time allowing Desdemona's marriage to Othello.  If he found out that Othello had killed his daughter, he would go mad with sorrow.  Grantiano also might act as a reference to show how the tragedy would effect the unbiased population in Brabantio's residence, and in the Venetian political and military branches.

No comments:

Post a Comment