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 Chiang Desdemona Chiang Desdemona Chiang is a Chinese-American theatre director of Chinese descent, and co-artistic director of Azeotrope in Seattle, WA. Her directing credits include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Playmakers Repertory Company, and ACT Theatre. She directs in a variety of genres, including Shakespeare, new plays, and musicals. Chiang was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and immigrated to California in the United States when she was three years old. With the encouragement of her parents, she grew up thinking she would be a doctor. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, with an intention to study