Good Brabantio,
Take up this mangled matter at the best:
Men do their broken weapons rather use
Than their bare hands.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. The Duke of Venice employs a military metaphor to describe Brabantio’s poor handling of the situation regarding Desdemona and Othello’s elopement. Having claimed that his daughter was seduced by Othello using witchcraft, Brabantio loses the wrr of words to Othello in the hearing before the Duke. The Duke advises Brabantio to make the best of a bad situation and use his hands instead of "broken weapons."