Othello is a respected man as a general of the army. Brabantio even considered him a friend. Thanks to Iago planting a seed in Brabantio's ear regarding his daughter, Desdemona, Brabantio accuses Othello of taking his daughter away from him through drugs or poison. Othello has fought on the battlefield and now finds himself on a very different battlefield. He finds himself in the position of being forced to defend his honor, his friendship and his love. Accusations have been made against Othello, so in a room full of lords, masters, the Duke and Brabantio, Othello has a strategy of embattlement in his own way. He tells the Duke to send for Desdemona: "Send for the lady from Sagittarius, and let her speak of me before her father" (1.3-115-116). Othello speaks to the Duke when he says: "His father loved me, he often invited me, he still questioned me from year to year about the story of my life, about the battles, about the sieges, about the fortunes I have experienced" (1.3-128-130 ) Here Othello talks to the Duke, but he also talks to Brabantio reminding him of their friendship The Duke seems to be the interim mediator between Othello and Brabantio is also using a good tactical maneuver by not losing his temper and remaining as calm and sincere as possible. This is one of the things that makes Othello a good general. He is trying to calm the situation and discuss the accusations as men should ability to think about things before reacting. Othello continues to tell his story to the Duke, reminding Brabantio that he already knows the story. Othello tells the Duke, “I have been going over it from my youth to the time he commanded me to tell it... a half of the paper... One day he meets a girl, who happens to be his friend's daughter and falls in love with her. She falls in love with his stories and he falls in love with her passion. A troublemaker tries to stir up trouble by accusing Othello of kidnapping his friend's daughter using drugs and witchcraft. All of this happens after Othello and Desdemona get married. Othello is put in the position of defending his honor, and Brabantio is put in the position of defending his daughter's honor. Iago is the villain who started the bad rumor. Brabantio is also a man who does not believe in mixed marriages and Othello was a black man. This is a story that doesn't end very well. Shakespeare deals with the themes of race, lies, friendship and jealousy. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Othello. Dir. Grenblatt, Cohen, Howard and Eisaman Maus. (second ed.) New York. 2008.