Talk:Bianca (Othello)
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[edit] Pointless Article?
I really can't see the need for an article on Bianca. She only has a handful of lines and is more important as a plot device than a character. This material would be better integrated in a separate article discussing the minor characters of the play.
I would say that only Othello, Iago and Desdemona require individual pages. Gunstar hero —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gunstar hero (talk • contribs) 13:46, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
- You'd be surprised what kind of material such a character would have. Take a look at Philostrate, Rosaline, and Sycorax (Shakespeare). Bianca could easily expand. There is just so much out there on the Bard's writing. Wrad 13:56, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
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- It's certainly the case that as a scholarship expands characters previously accorded scant attention move into the analytical light; but what makes this any more true of Bianca than it does Montano, Gratiano or Brabantio, for instance, who receive more lines than she does anyway? What about the Duke? He has extensive speeches, whereas Bianca - the sort of prostitute who appears in countless guises within Renaissance drama - simply fills a plot hole, and rather unconvincingly at that.
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- Given that there appears no immediate reason why Bianca is of greater significance than a host of other characters, I would say that until somebody on Wikipedia comes up with some more material with relevant citations, this page should simply be reintegrated into the minor characters article. Otherwise we could have independent pages for every single character on the basis that it could 'easily expand'.
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- What this article actually says is totally unverified. Why is Bianca's jealousy of Cassio any more rational than Othello's of Cassio/Desdemona? If one actually reads the text, it is evident that - insofar as Shakespeare intended any parallel plotting with Bianca - her jealousy is identical to Othello's because she similarly misconstrues the significance of the handkerchief in Cassio's hands. They are both technically 'irrational', in that they have no basis in truth. But I don't see how Othello's murder of Desdemona is irrational, if it stems from such jealousy. To simply suggest that Othello behaves irrationally, indeed, is to overlook Iago's entire scheme to tempt Othello into action through apparent evidence and moral justification.
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- In fact, as there is no more currently on the other characters than the cast listing in the main Othello article, I think that anything of worth that can be gleaned from this article should be moved to Cassio's article, as he is the character without whom Bianca has no significance. This article should be deleted, unless someone is prepared to integrate some critically sourced commentary on Bianca. Gunstar hero (talk) 20:19, 25 November 2007 (UTC)
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- Seeing as the article is here I decided to flesh it out somewhat. It isn't perfect but the article reads better now. Bianca's significance is explained reasonably and the article makes sense to any passing or otherwise uninformed visitors. Gunstar hero (talk) 21:26, 25 November 2007 (UTC)
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[edit] Courtesan?
Ahem? There's plenty of dispute on this issue, particularly because a number of recent additions print her as merely "A woman in love with Cassio". At the least, there's ambiguity on this issue: I think, in fact, that this page (Bianca's page, not the talk page) could use a discussion thereof. Angelica K (talk) 15:56, 5 April 2008 (UTC)
