From the discussion, the audience gets to know that Cyprus is an important asset to the Venetians. It acts as the access to the sea routes and thus, is critical in promoting the commercial activities of the region. In this regard, it is supremely important that they protect Cyprus from the impending attack. When the Duke gives the responsibility of protecting Cyprus to Othello, he is making it very clear that the city-state is counting on him to help protect the interests of the city-state. Meanwhile, Othello is least bothered by the impending discussion about his relationship with Desdemona. He is very confident that h will soon overcome these challenges. Besides, the senators need him, and that will give him support.

The senators are sitting for the discussion of a military crisis that they are currently facing. However, there is also the matter of providing justice to one of their own, Brabantio, whose daughter has been ‘captured' under very unclear circumstances. When Brabantio arrives, the grief in him is evident. The senators are alive to the reality that the issue is more personal than containing elements of public interest. If the allegations are proven, the Duke says that he will pass judgment to the culprit by the law, even if he were his son. He says that "the bloody book of law / You shall yourself read in the bitter letter / After your sense" (68-69). Witchcraft in this state is illegal, and the Duke is under obligation to uphold the law at all times. When Brabantio points at Othello as the culprit, the Duke is astounded. "Here is the man: this Moor" (71) the Duke is reasonably worried. The man whom he has appointed to protect the territory under attack is now under prosecution. It must have been a very difficult job being the Duke of Venice at this time. The Duke can only hope that Othello can defend his actions.

Othello's speech in defense of his action may be separated into two parts. The first part of the speech includes Othello's narration of his time in the military (76-93). Othello leaves no doubt that he has served the city faithfully and that all he has tremendous respect for the great men of the city. In the second part, (127-169), Othello describes his adventures and the manner in which the stories of his adventures won the heart of Desdemona.

The speech of Othello is full of respect to the members of the Senate. He introduces his speech by the words, "Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors, / My very noble and approved good masters" (76-77) as a show of honor serving the city-state and the respect that he has for his superiors. He leaves no doubt that he has taken Brabantio's daughter to be his wife. However, Othello appreciates the fact that he is not good at making speeches. He says that "Rude am I in my speech / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace" (81-82). That is a declaration that is likely to excite the crowd especially after listening to the elegant introduction that he has made before the Senate. Even in the face of the pressure in which he currently finds himself, Othello finds the strength to make his case against his accusers.

Othello provides a background of his service in the military. Since the age of seven, Othello has served diligently in the field until nine months ago. He says that "I will a round unvarnished tale deliver / Of my whole course of love" (90-91).  Concerning the accusation of the use of magic, Othello is determined to prove that he is innocent.

Brabantio is not the only parent who has had his children going against his wishes. Many children across the world make decisions that are outrightly against the desires of their parents. Even in marriage, parents usually have models of partners that they would prefer their children to have. Othello does not represent the image that Brabantio would want to see for his daughter. He comes up with a ridiculous statement of Desdemona that, blackface is "what she feared to look on." Perhaps Brabantio is not excited that a black man is marrying his daughter and his attempts re-aimed at scuttling the relationship. These are personal prejudices that have nothing at all to do with Desdemona. He has no evidence that Desdemona has issues with the color of Othello's skin. It in this respect, it is apparent that Brabantio does not understand his daughter even when they have stayed together for very many years. Desdemona has a clean heart, and her actions have never been motivated by racial prejudice.

After listening carefully to Othello's presentation, the Duke is relieved. Brabantio has failed to adduce an iota of evidence to link the actions of Othello to witchcraft. Of Brabantio's allegations, the Duke finds them to be "thin habits (insubstantial outward appearances) and poor likelihoods" (108). The primary attention in this issue whether Othello had used witchcraft in convincing Desdemona to love him or he used the usual "soul to soul" (113) approach of seduction.

"So justly to your grave ears I'll present / How I did thrive in this fair lady's love, / And she in mine." This is Othello's introduction to the Senate regarding the approach he used to win Desdemona's heart. Othello indicates that in many times when he made visits to the household of Brabantio, he would look and admire the beauty of the Venetian life which the family enjoyed and compare it with the rough lives of soldiers. While appreciating that he is not a talented speaker, Othello admits that it is his speech that won him favor from Brabantio and his daughter. He also describes his adventures while fighting on the seas and land as an aspect that drew Desdemona close to him.

In one of the most compelling speeches in the play, Othello has vividly described to the Senate the reasons that made Desdemona love him. There is no doubt that Desdemona fell in love with the manner in which Othello narrated his adventures in the wilderness as a soldier. Upon this realization, Desdemona explains that "she wish'd / That heaven had made her such a man" (162-163). In light of these statements, there is no way Othello may be accused of using Witchcraft against Desdemona. In the statement, "[I]f I had a friend that lov'd her, I should but teach him to tell my story, and that would woo her" (164-166). Desdemona silently confesses her love for Othello.

Here, Desdemona appears as a young woman who apparently understands what she wants, and she decides to go for it. Confidently, Othello introduces Desdemona to make her case. He says, "Here comes the lady, let her witness it" (170). Othello has left a mark on the Duke who comments that "I think this tale would win my daughter too" (171). When she appears, Desdemona makes an eloquent defense of her case. She is spirited and confident on what she wants in her life. However, she remains loyal to her father by saying that  "And so much duty as my mother showed / To you, preferring you before her father, / So much I challenge, that I may profess, / Due to the Moor my lord" (186-188).

After Desdemona's confession, Brabantio has no option but to drop his accusation. However, he does not concede that he was wrong but refuses to discuss the matter further. He simply gives up and says that "I have done" (189 and 198). The Duke, being the gentleman he is, attempts to reconcile the warring parties, but Brabantio wants nothing to do with it. Time has come for Othello to depart. Desdemona, having cleared the marriage hurdle, wishes, just as any loving wife would, to accompany her husband to Cyprus. She says that [I]f I am left behind, / A moth of peace, and he go to the war, / The rites for which I love him are bereft me, / And I a heavy interim shall support, / By his dear absence. Let me go with him" (255-259). The request to the Duke is very clear and expresses the desire of a woman who wishes to stay with her husband and accomplish the marital rites. The duke accepts the request and asks Othello to make appropriate arrangements.

In the Soliloquy that brings the scene to an end, Iago expresses another reason for his hatred towards Othello. He says that it is public knowledge that Moor "'twixt my sheets . . . [has] done my office" (393-394) and, for Iago, "mere suspicion . . . will do . . . for surety" (395-396). This is a surprising thought. There is no single evidence that Othello has had an interaction with Emilia, Iago's wife, yet he thinks that Othello is having an affair with his wife. It is a demonstration of a man whose mind is poisoned and driven by malice in his thought and actions.

Act 1 Scene III is one of the longest scenes in the play. Events are moving very fast, and that raises the excitement of the audience. The emotional developments in this scene help to draw the audience close to the characters and follow each ae every step that they make, their actions and the relationships between them and other characters.