Sexuality, youth, and virgin Mary: in almost every novel, at least one character represents something that provides the story with a deeper meaning. For example, in the book, Narnia, the character Aslan, represents Jesus and the novel shows the story of Jesus’ resurrection. Another story that has a character that represents something like this is from the play Othello by William Shakespeare which has characters that represent different elements. One character that represents several things is Desdemona. She represents different elements through her movements and statements, thus providing readers with a character that has a deeper meaning. Throughout Othello, Desdemona represents many different things, however most importantly Desdemona represents …show more content…
For starters in this play, Desdemona runs off and gets married behind her father’s back. Now it is not a big deal that she elopes, but more that she marries a black man. As stated in “Shakespeare's Desdemona” written by Shirley Nelson Garner, who is the Chair of the English Department at University of Minnesota, “[t]he crucial fact of her marriage is not that she elopes but that she, a white woman, weds a black man” (239/240). Thus, she sees past all the negative comments and marries him, regardless of his race. Although many made racial comments about Othello including Roderigo, “[w]hat a full fortune does the thick-lips owe/ If he can carry’t thus!” (1.1.68-69). Desdemona was able to see through these racial comments. In addition, Desdemona is of a young age probably around twenty, while Othello is about ten years younger than her father. She manages to see past the age difference and adores him. Also, Desdemona is of high class, while Othello is of a lower class. Thus, this should have been a problem for Desdemona, but it was not because she did not define love as class. Instead, she left her high status to be with Othello. Desdemona represents an equality mindset by being able to look past the fact that her husband is black, older, and from a different …show more content…
One who is independent and brave gets away from an abusive spouse. This was not the case with Desdemona, Othello abuses her vocally, “…[o] thou weed, / Who are so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet” (4.2.69-70). Any sane women would leave him at this point; but Desdemona is so naive and believes everything happens for a reason, so she stays with him. She also trusts him even as she is being murdered by him. As stated in the chapter “Othello” from the book Drama for Students written by Anne Marie Hacht who wrote Poetry for Students Vol 21, “[a]lthough she pleads for her life as she is being murdered, she continues to treat Othello with love” (140). Thus, even as her husband is murdering her she trusts and loves him. Lastly as seen in act four, Desdemona questions the fact that she could have cheated on her husband. The fact that she believes she could have slept with another, when she never committed the sin is shocking. This mean she is so naive that she would question herself on her morals because someone simply told her she did it. Therefore, Desdemona is surrounded by those who live sinful lifestyles, but she represents naivety through staying with her abusive husband, trusting her betraying husband, and questioning
This shows the audience that Desdemona may be smothered as a woman and not allowed to make her own decisions, which would explain her leaving her house. When he checks her room and finds she is gone, the audience can see that this is quite a rebellious woman. As a first impression, this leaves the audience wanting to hear more about this feisty and supposedly brave woman. She sounds like a woman who does what she feels like, but also, since she left without her father’s knowledge, she could be highly deceiving. We then find out that she is married to Othello, which also adds to secret... ...
She is madly on love with Othello and would do anything to please him. Overall our understanging of Desdemona is increased and we picture her in a different light from Act 1, where she was just a young innocent lady.
Desdemona's naivety is the prime cause of the conflict in "Othello" because she doesn't know that Iago is depriving her in Othello's mind by using her actions against her. Desdemona loves Othello, but also is benevolent in helping anyone even if it might be practiced against her. Cassio asked Desdemona if she can help get Othello's trust back, only as Othello and Iago enters they see Cassio leave and gets a bit
In the era that Shakespeare lived, there was a universal hierarchy that men were superior to women. In his play, Othello, this social hierarchy that was in place at the time was challenged. Othello’s wife, Desdemona, does not follow this assumption that women are not independent. She is not a wimp; she is a soldier’s wife and fit to be so. In Othello, Iago is frustrated with his commanding officer, Othello, who promotes Cassio over him and plots to ruin Othello’s life. Iago appears honest and trustworthy, but through his actions causes Othello’s misery, suicide, and death of his wife, Desdemona. Despite the status of women at the time, Desdemona exhibits maturity and independence, expresses her own ideas, and stands up for herself to Othello.
Othello is a play that asks us to examine the position of women in society. This play explores issues such as clandestine marriage, accusations of adultery, and it includes three different social classes of women. First, we have Desdemona, this is a woman from a noble family in Venice and has the least amount of freedom. Her behavior was watched very carefully. The perception of Desdemona is created by the language that other characters use to describe her. In Act 2, Scene 1, Cassio refers to Desdemona as ‘a maid/That paragons description and wild fame’; that she
As the details of her recent marriage to Othello unfold, Desdemona appears to be a woman driven by emotions. She marries a man because he has shared his stories of grand adventure. In order to do so, she elopes from her loving father’s house in the middle of the night. These seem like actions of emotion stemming from her love – or possibly infatuation – for Othello. Contradictory to this, when asked to speak about her willingness to enter the marriage, she responds with a very clear and sensible reason for staying with Othello:
In Act 1. Desdemona admits that she fell in love with Othello's eloquence and harrowing adventures; 'I saw Othello's visage in his mind'. This outlines his sense of nobility in language,which empahsis how much of an experienced warrior ans revered noble man he is. Moreover Desdemona reveals Othello's nobility of love, 'She loved me for the dangers I had passed/ I loved her that she did pity them'. She succeeds in unveiling a side in Othello's nature which show him as a loving, respectful husband. He is clearly trustful of Desdemona and is not by any means jealous of him, as he allows her to travel to Cyprus with Iago,' To his conveyance I assign my wife'.
Othello is a man of romantic nature. He fell in love with the beautiful Desdemona. He was accused of stealing her away from her father. Othello was of a different race and did not fit in with her family. Othello makes a plea for Desdemona and tells his story which wooed her to begin with. Othello tells of the love that her father showed him since his boyish days. This was like a match made in heaven that overcame many obstacles which got in their way. Othello could not understand why he was good enough to work and fight alongside of her father, but was not good enough for his daughter.
In fact, Desdemona holds herself in such high regard that she almost seems incapable of believing that anyone else may not. Luckily for her, Othello similarly holds her in high regard, at least until Iago begins to manipulate him. Even before Othello, Desdemona’s own father, Brabantio, thought highly of her. When she elopes with Othello, he never believes that she ran away from home willingly. He believes that Othello had enchanted her until she herself says otherwise. Upon this realization, Brabantio, warns Othello against Desdemona, telling him:
In Greek, Desdemona means ‘the unfortunate’, perhaps reflecting an ideology that she is not meant to be liked, merely pitied for her misfortune as a tragic victim (commonly defined as someone who dies due to the faults of others). Throughout Othello, Desdemona is presented as pure and innocent – in regards to this, Auden’s comment is unusual as Desdemona is seldom criticised; indeed many critics are complementary, giving her titles such as ‘gentle Desdemona’.
Once Iago has poisoned Othello’s mind with lies about an affair between Cassio and Desdemona, Othello becomes suspicious and distrusting of Desdemona. He is convinced that his wife is a whore, but never speaks to her about his suspicions. Othello refuses to confront Desdemona because, just as their society mandates, to him women are untrustworthy and decietful. Othello (and society) truly believes that if he asks her about Cassio, she will deny sleeping with him. Because Desdemona is a woman, she is not given a chance to speak on her own behalf. It is this same societal issue that played a part in her death. Othello the man and thus obviously stronger and more logical, suffocates Desdemona without hearing her side of the story first. The society in which they live gave Othello permission to kill Desdemona without her even really knowing why.
In sixteenth century literature, women rarely were given substantial roles. Often women were depicted as having great folly or the source of the main character’s downfall. Even in the twenty-first century, many critics still believe that Shakespeare’s Desdemona in Othello has no other purpose than to be a puppet in Iago’s diabolical plan. However, to draw such a conclusion would be a mistake. Shakespeare used Desdemona to personify a Christ-like figure, a representation of good in the battle of good versus evil, and an independent warrior to prove that she is a round character in Othello.
Desdemona is portrayed as the highest class a female could accomplish. She is elegant, honest and loyal to her husband as any other good Elizabethan married woman would be. She is presented as the ideal woman. Desdemona symbolizes innocence and helplessness against men. Shakespeare presents Desdemona as a mature and knowledgeable woman for her age as she defends her love for Othello to her father, Brabantio. However this is seen differently in the eye's of the society. Brabantio declares her as "Against all rules of nature"(scene.. line...). This statement reveals what the society believes what is natural and what is unnatural. To the society, "natural" is when a women complies to their husbands and fathers wishes, but it's unnatural for a women to do anything else. Women are referred to as property, clearly stated when Desdemona's father angrily calls Othello a "theif" (scene...line..). Here, Brabantio addresses Desde...
The Relationship Between Othello and Desdemona We first learn of there being a relationship between Othello and Desdemona when Iago and Roderigo are telling Roderigo (Desdemona's). Father, that ''an old black ram is tupping your white ewe''. This is referring to Othello and Desdemona having sexual intercourse, and. Shortly after hearing this, we became informed that Desdemona is "Tying" her duty, Beauty, Wit, and Fortunes In an extravagant and wheeling. stranger''.
The society in which Othello takes place is a patriarchal one, where men had complete control over women. They were seen as possessions rather than being just as equally human and capable of duties performed by men. All women of the Elizabethan were to obey all men, fathers, brothers, husbands, etc. Which leads me to the most reliable and trustworthy character of Desdemona, whom goes through many trials just to satisfy her love. Shakespeare brings the thought of Desdemona into the play by Barbantio, her father, “It is too true an evil. Gone she is....Oh, she deceives me Past thought! …” (1.1.163)(1.1.168-169), whom has just found she has taken off with Othello and firstly suspects they have been hitched. Shakespeare gives reader the impression Desdemona is a devious imp full of disrespect towards her father. However, surpassing normal tradition of asking of her fathers’ permission to wed, Desdemona ran off and did marry the moor. This in a sense was her emancipation of her father’s possessiveness and oblivion of Othello’s dominance over her. Othello replies to Barbantio’s accusation, sedating or using black magic on his daughter, by saying, “My very noble and approved good masters, That I have ta’en away this old man’s daughter. It is most true.” (1.3.79-81), which brings me to the claim that Desdemona’s character in this tragedy, was only to become and to serve as Othello’s private possession rather than a typical beloved daughter or wife as in modern time. Shakespeare bases this tragedy on the foundation of Desdemona’s character by the symbol of the discrimination of women in the Shakespearean time era. Desdemona even for the first and only time within the play stands up and challenges her inferiority under her father’s aut...