The quotation, “I saw Othello’s visage on his mind.” (Act 1, scene 3, line 252) comes from one of the most pivotal scenes in William Shakespeare’s play Othello. The quote is spoken by Desdemona while she is surrounded by The Duke of Venice, her father Brabanzio, and her husband Othello. She is trying to get permission to travel with Othello to Cyrus to fight against the Turks. This quote speaks volumes in two separate ways. One way it can be interpreted is Desdemona speaking about how much love she has for her husband and why she feels this deep attraction. The other way that this line is interpreted is as the shift in Desdemona’s life where her loyalty fully transitions from her father to her husband. When looking at this quote in the context of love the …show more content…
It is a known fact that in this play Barbanzio does not like Othello nor respects the marriage between Othello and his daughter. In this scene he is trying to persuade Desdemona to stay and not leave with Othello. Prior to her quote, “I saw Othello’s visage on his mind.” (Act 1, scene 3, line 252) Desdemona explains to her father when she decided to marry Othello that she was also deciding she would live with him and any battle he fought she now was apart of. When she says this to her father she is fully moving on from him to Othello. She hints at this transition earlier in this scene when she says, “My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty. To you I am bound for life and education. My life and education both do learn me How to respect you. You are the lord of duty. I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband.” (Act 1, scene 3, lines 180-186) This is quote also follows into this transition for Desdemona and emphasizes the meaning of this transition in “I saw Othello’s visage on his mind.” (Act 1, scene 3, line