Desdemona In Shakespeare's Othello Essay

Desdemona, of Shakespeare’s Othello, is introduced to readers by her father, Brabantio: “A maiden never bold, / Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion / Blushed at herself” (1.3.112-114). Once readers meet Desdemona for themselves, they quickly learn her father’s statement is actually not a fair representation of the often confident and outspoken woman. Desdemona, blinded by love, becomes a vital pawn in Iago’s grand scheme, as he preyed on her feminine compassion for others. Desdemona’s being a woman, not a rebel, is her ultimate downfall, with her urge to help Cassio and be a good wife leading to her untimely death. While Desdemona appears, on the surface, to rebel against all of the gender roles of her time by being confident and believing

“In spite of nature, / Of years, of country, credit, everything” (1.3.114-115), Desdemona fell in love with Othello by sneakily listening to his “discourse” (1.3.174). Desdemona is drawn to Othello “for the dangers [he] had pass’d / And [Othello] loved her that she did pity them” (1.3.193-194), ultimately choosing to marry Othello out of love, without her father’s consent. At the time, Ranald states “Reason was expected to dictate the circumstances of marriage” (130), and the father would choose his daughter’s husband, so Brabantio views Desdemona’s marriage as “treason of the blood” (1.1.168). Brabantio seemingly does not believe in love, saying Othello “enchanted” (1.2.82) Desdemona with some sort of spell or potion. Othello certainly enchanted Desdemona but with impassioned love, not magic. Women of the time were robots. They had to keep the households, bear children, and never talk back to their husbands, but Desdemona breaks this streak by choosing marriage for love rather than a business deal between two families. Shakespeare further uses Desdemona’s unfettered love for Othello against her when Othello turns into a tyrannous husband who calls his wife the Devil, batters her, and, ultimately, murders her. While relentless, all-consuming love is romanticized in modern literature, it marks Desdemona as

First, Ranald says, “[Desdemona] takes an unexpected and perhaps unmaidenly interest in Othello’s accounts of his adventures and hardships” (133). This interest, deemed unmaidenly by Ranald, is simple respect. Had Desdemona not listened to Othello’s stories with intrigue and excitement, it could be construed that Desdemona was being rude to her male houseguest. Further, Shakespears makes a point of noting that Desdemona would complete her housework before listening to Othello’s stories: “still the house-affairs would draw her thence: / Which ever as she could with haste dispatch” (1.3.171-172). So, it is not like Othello’s stories were making her less womanly by impeding with her chores. Additionally, Ranald seems to think that the Desdemona was not a fit wife of the time, because she talked with “Cassio privately, and without her husband’s consent” (135), but trying to help Cassio is, in fact, a very womanly thing to do. Desdemona was sympathetic to Cassio’s situation and truly felt like she could help him. By blaming the demise of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage on this fact, Ranald is turning Desdemona’s most feminine characteristic—compassion—against her. Similar to how Desdemona enjoyed listening to Othello’s stories, Ranald, and many other readers, will not let Desdemona win, circumstances 21st century