Desdemona the mouth of the lady) that European women are unwise to marry the temperamental males of other nations. While Shakespeare followed Cinthio's tale very closely in composing "Othello", he deviated significantly in some details. He invented Desdemona's father, Brabantio, and her dissolute Venetian admirer, Roderigo. He invented the entire first act in which Iago arouses Brabantio's prejudices against Othello, and Desdemona defends her choice of husband before the King. Shakespeare considerably expanded the role of Cinthio's ensign's wife. In Cinthio, she is simply Disdemona's companion but in Shakespeare she becomes Desdemona's attendant and confidante. In Cinthio, the ensign filches Disdemona's
Desdemona, Texas was perhaps the second largest in the oil belt, and stockholders of the Hog Creek Oil Company could sell their $100 shares for $10,250 each. Despite the newly acquired wealth, Desdemona was beset with sanitation problems when persistent rains flooded the streets and overflowed the petroleum pools. Influenza and typhoid fever reached epidemic proportions. While most of the men in Desdemona were working in the oil fields, prostitution flourished at the Lone Star Hotel on Main Street. In the heyday of the oil boom, there were also at least four gambling parlors in the community. To control lawlessness, Desdemona residents