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
The Maidservant The Maidservant The Maidservant (formerly Gentleman and Lady in a Bedroom) (ca.1667-1670) is an oil on panel painting by the Dutch painter Pieter de Hooch; it is an example of Dutch Golden Age painting and is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This painting by Hooch was documented by Hofstede de Groot in 1908, who wrote; "80. Gentleman and Lady in a Bedroom. To the right a lady in bed converses with her husband who is sitting in his night-gown on a chair, pulling on his stockings. A fur-trimmed cape and a hat lie near him on a table