Blog 5: Barbantio vs. Leonato

Barbantio and Leonato are two fathers who completely adore, praise, and believe in their daughter's. They hold the highest opinions of their daughters and never forget to sing their praises. Due to their undying love and faith in their children, they are deeply distraught and torn apart when they feel their daughters have wronged them. Both believe their daughters are faithful to their wishes and would always obey what daddy says under any and all circumstances. I think it is key in understanding the astronomical faith these fathers have in their daughters in order to fully understand the plays. When these fathers realize that their daughters aren't "little miss perfect" they feel as though their entire world is caving in around them. Having a daughter that is defiant or has been ummm... deflowered before marriage was probably the worst thing possible for a father during Shakespearean times. Their daughters were then viewed as damaged goods and would probably never marry. Barbantio and Leonato both wanted to beat the crap out of whomever questioned their daughters. When the accusations were based in truth, the father's then turned their anger to their daughters. Both Desdemona and Hero were belittled, almost disowned, and put through a lot of mental anguish due to their fathers disappointment. Barbantio and Leonato initially had a lot of respect for the men in their daughter's life. They felt Othello and Claudio were men of honor and they were looked upon like adopted sons. Leonato reacted to Claudio appropriately. He shunned him and made him feel extremely guilty for wronging his daughter and his family's name. Massive apologies were called for and there were severe repercussions for Claudio's actions. Once the situation was amended Leonato forgave Claudio and fully accepted him as his own. Barbantio on the other hand never really fully accepted the part Othello played in wooing his daughter. Othello was never fully accepted again as an adopted son. He was always "the Moor" to Barbantio and was always viewed as the man who stole his only daughter.