Behind The Scene With Desdemona In Shakespeare's Othello

Behind the Scene with Desdemona

While people believe Desdemona can be portrayed in a variety of ways from a rash young woman to an independent, free-thinking woman who stands out for the time-period, I cannot wrap my head around her being anything less than a intensely independent, strong character. The film version of Othello inspired me to portray Desdemona as a strong woman with undying loyalty to her husband. Considering the film adaptation paired with the original storyline, I envision Desdemona as a fiercely strong female character. While I did not completely agree with the portrayal of Desdemona in the film, I felt it was a good foundation to start my own interpretation.

While performing our adaptation of Act 5, Scene 2 to a modern audience, I played the part of Desdemona and I did so with three main points in mind. She has incredible mental strength, she is deeply loyal to Othello and she is socially dependent on Othello. Although she is about to be murdered by her husband in Act 5, scene2, she handles herself with grace. While Desdemona puts

Irene Jacob gave strength to Desdemona that I felt was vital to her character. Irene Jacob has a beautiful voice that exudes strength. Desdemona, although not defiant, stood up for herself and pushed back against Othello while still remaining loyal to her husband. It is difficult to explain how powerful Irene’s portrayal was. She fought for her life while remaining the loving wife. She maintained her supportive roll as a wife, she never once turned on Othello and although she argued for her life she did it in a dignified way. Irene upholds a sense of strength as she refutes Othello’s accusations. She even attempts to put up a fight when he tries to suffocate her. I did not agree with this action, but it did further the idea that Irene wanted Desdemona to be seen as a strong character and not just a clueless young