The Setting of Venice in OthelloOthello is a fundamentally different character from all the others in the opera [1]. He is a stranger to Venice and therefore a stranger to Venetian customs and society. In a way this is good for him. He is a renowned and strong general, much sought after by the Venetians. Rather than fight the war against the Turks for themselves, they hire Othello to do so, indicating that he is respected by the Venetians but not considered, as a civilized Venetian would be, above having to fight wars barbarically. This lack of cultural acceptance is indicated by the way Brabantio is willing to “love,” invite him into his home, and ask him to tell stories of battles. However, when there is the possibility of Desdemona marrying Othello, Brabantio vehemently opposes it, exclaiming, "Destruction upon my head."[2]Venice is a port of civilization, bordering the land of paganism and disputes. When Brabantio is told that he has been robbed, he responds incoherently, "What about a theft? This is Venice; my house is not a grange." its inhabitants (or at least Brabantio's generation) believe they are themselves. [LINK A 3] They live by a code of behavior and education that sees someone like Othello as barbaric, uncivilized, and almost funny in a superior cultural way. Every time a character calls Othello "the Moor" a sense of derision and superiority is conveyed along with all the other feelings of distance inherent in Venetians.[4]Iago says that Desdemona is a "super-thin Venetian"[5] as if the calculativeness of his thoughts and actions were not a characteristic of him, which they certainly are. The implication is that civilized people are conniving and scheming people, and in this sense are meant to each other, while this adds to the irony of the constant reference to Iago as "honest Iago". He also contrasts the Venetian way of dealing with society with Othello's open nature. Othello is intelligent, as demonstrated by his style and military skill, but to please Venice he is naive. He is too trusting and misunderstands the subtleties of Venetian society. It is the combination of his openness and decisiveness, pride and confidence that allows the super subtle Iago to destroy him, as powerful as Othello..