Othello

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1. 
   jlcannad Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   Bianca is a fairly minor character.  Iago calls her a whore when he says she's a "housewife that by selling her desires / buys herself bread and clothes."  However, Bianca talks about her relationship with Cassio as though they were lovers, talking about "lovers' absent hours" being "tedious," so obviously she's with him out of love and affection, not money.  She definitely likes Cassio a lot more than he likes her, so I think she's a bit naive and sweet, and from her reaction when Cassio is stabbed, very caring.  

   It's not easy to compare her since we don't see her that often, but if I were going for a comparison, I might use any of the following:

   Cordelia from Lear--They're both loyal and caring and naive, although Cordelia is much more developed.

   Hermia from Midsummer Night's Dream -- They're both very loyal even when the object of their affection isn't (although in Hermia's case, Lysander's disrespect is caused by a potion)

   Hero from Much Ado About Nothing-- She's probably the closest to Bianca just because both are typical, submissive women who have very short roles.  However, while Hero makes a big deal out of being a maid, Bianca sure isn't.

   I hope that helps.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/kl/cordelia-character-analysis

   http://www.enotes.com/midsummer/hermia-character-analysis

   http://www.enotes.com/muchado/hero-character-analysis

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   Posted by jlcannad on Friday April 11, 2008 at 9:29 PM