Othello tale in composing "Othello", he departed from it in some details. Brabantio, Roderigo, and several minor characters are not found in Cinthio, for example, and Shakespeare's Emilia takes part in the handkerchief mischief while her counterpart in Cinthio does not. Unlike in "Othello", in Cinthio, the "Ensign" (the play's Iago) lusts after Desdemona and is spurred to revenge when she rejects him. Shakespeare's opening scenes are unique to his tragedy, as is the tender scene between Emilia and Desdemona as the lady prepares for bed. Shakespeare's most striking departure from Cinthio is the manner of his heroine's death. In Shakespeare,
Emilia (Othello) mention in the source of the ensign's wife being Desdemona's attendant. In Cinthio, the ensign's wife accompanies her husband to Cyprus. She is described as "a beautiful and virtuous young woman" who, "being of Italian birth...was much loved by the Moor's wife, who spent the greater part of the day with her." The ensign, "not heeding at all the vows he had made his wife", lusts after Desdemona who, very much in love with the Moor, is oblivious to the ensign's passion. In Cinthio, the ensign filches Desdemona's handkerchief when she visits his house and hugs his three-year-old daughter. It