Othello 1.3 L.1-342

In the previous scene, Brabantio and Othello decide to take up the issue of Desdemona's marriage with the Duke and that is covered in these lines. But first off, the Duke and the Senate are currently debating about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. They receive news that the Turkish turned around and are headed to Rhodes, but the First Senator predicts that it is a trick because Cyprus has more importance than Rhodes to the Turks. He is correct in predicting this and at this moment Barbantio barges in stops the meeting. He starts to describe that his daughter had been charmed, abused, and stolen from him. The Duke is supportive of him until he hears that the perpetrator is Othello. He calls for Othello to defend himself and he begins to describe how he wooed Desdemona with the stories of his battles and life. Desdemona makes an entrance for the first time and she supports Othello's story. Brabantio is devasted that his daughter fell in love with a moor and the Duke declares the issue over. They resume telling Othello to move to Cyprus immediately and defend against the Turks. Othello readily agrees but he has an issue with where Desdemona would live. Neither Othello, Desdemona or Brabantio agree for Desdemona to live in her father's house so Desdemona says she wants to go with Othello to Cyprus. Othello assigns Desdemona to Iago for an escort and they leave to secure their marriage.

I find Desdemona's character intriguing. She seems to love adventures as she is fascinated by Othello's stories and even voluntarily agrees to follow Othello to the battlefield. As for first impressions of Desdemona, she seems to be someone who can fall in love easily. She fell in love with Othello due to his stories, which seems a bit superficial. If she can fall in love with Othello so easily, she might fall in love with someone else too. There was some foreshadowing of that when Barbantio told Othello to watch her carefully as she tricked her father, she can trick him too.

What's going to happen when Iago is escorting Desdemona?
I think that Iago is going to somehow trick Desdemona or use Desdemona against Othello. Iago could also try to have Desdemona fall for Roderigo as Roderigo is in alliance with Iago. Roderigo himself loves Desdemona and wants to take her as his wife. This is shown by his attempts of favoritism with Brabantio when he announces that Desdemona eloped with Othello. 

Lines with Eyes motif:

• 24
• 76
• 116
• 276
• 287
• 333

Shakespeare is trying to create a negative connotation with eyes. Every mention of eyes in these lines have some sort of negative meaning: from lying and deceit, to fear, to being blind. Shakespeare wants us to draw the conclusion that we need to watch for negative things when eyes are involved. Eyes can also represent visions. Shakespeare could also be telling us that eyes will represent some sort of foreshadowing. Barbantio warning Othello is a good example of this. 

https://www.bard.org/study-guides/the-moral-geography-of-othelloThis article explains the differences in setting of Venice and Cyprus during the time of Shakespeare. It emphasizes how Cyprus is a perfect location for Desdemona to fall victim to Iago's tricks and manipulations. It talks about the massive change in lifestyle that is experienced when moving from an urban city like Venice to a military camp such as Cyprus. The writer is trying to explain how Shakespeare deliberately chose Cyprus as a setting for the plot of Othello.