Father Barbantio In Othello

An Exploration of Othello: Delving into the Mind Frame of Desdemona and Iago
Immanuel Kant’s view on ethics and morality is that in order to determine if we are acting in a fashion that can be deemed moral, we have not only a duty to ourselves but others. It is duty that determines our actions. Kant establishes certain limitations and restrictions upon the notion of duty, narrowing down a definition which would allow us to therefore be able to readily distinguish “whether the action which agrees with duty is done from duty, or from a selfish view” (Kant 2). In order to figure out whether our actions correspond to this concept of duty, Kant has established what is known as the categorical imperative which states that you should reflect upon your actions and be comfortable with them becoming a universal law. Insofar as duty is concerned, if we follow this principle it allows for a broader understanding of what is meant by moral and ethical behaviour. This term demonstrates that it “should remain …show more content…
She is depicted as a female character who is witty, has erotic interest and is intelligent, nothing at all like how her father Barbantio describes her. If we are to examine her characterization from a Kantian point of view, she does not fit the framework of duty based ethics for she is going against the duty of her father, and if we were to apply the categorical imperative to her behavior it would suggest that every child should lie and keep secrets from their parents. This is not a universal law that would be moral or ethical and therefore Desdemona is not respecting her duties and is not acting in a way that is moral. However, she gives a speech to defend herself and her words show the true nature of her intentions that she was not acting out of selfishness but married out of love and that as a result her duty is no longer to her father but to her