Examples Of Sacrifice In Othello

Othello: Sacrifice and Surrender

Here is a question: What is the ultimate sacrifice a person would make for their peace of mind? Would it be money? Would it be time? What about another’s life? The point is, no one likes negative or annoying thoughts in their head. But what lengths would one go to in order to keep such thoughts away? In famous playwright William Shakespeare’s Othello, one of the main characters is named Desdemona. Desdemona has sacrificed and surrendered the most out of all the characters in the play. Not only does she make sacrifices for her sanity, but mostly for other’s peace of mind as well. Desdemona was disowned by her father, used by Iago and Cassio to gain a position for them, and even killed by her own husband, all

Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, is a Venetian Senator, and strongly dislikes the Moor Othello, who his daughter has secretly married. When Brabantio hears of this from a nobleman named Rodrigo, who is in love with Desdemona, He confronts both her and Othello and threatens to cut off her inheritance. Desdemona refuses to budge, as she knows herself to love the Moor, and Brabantio keeps his word and disowns his only Child. “ I here do give thee that with all my heart which, but thou hast already, with all my heart I would keep from thee. For your sake, jewel, I am glad I have no other child, for thy escape would teach me tyranny, to hang clogs on them. I have done, my lord.”(pg. 57). This is how Brabantio proclaims he is angry to see her daughter so bewitched by the Moor, and shall disown her for this “betrayal”. And so, Desdemona had first sacrificed the love and good opinion of her family for her and her new husband's

And helps Iago with the downfall of her husband without her knowledge. Iago convinces Cassio to have a couple drinks with him, despite much protest from the lieutenant, and Rodrigo and Cassio get into a fight in which Rodrigo is wounded and Othello demotes Cassio. Iago tells Cassio that he should ask for Desdemona’s help to convince her husband to reinstate Cassio as lieutenant, thus beginning his plan of vengeance on Othello and Cassio. “ I think it freely; and betimes in the morning I will beseech the virtuous Desdemona to undertake for me. I am desperate of my fortunes if they check me.”(pg. 88). This quote directly tells the audience (and Iago) that Cassio trusts Desdemona a great deal to ask her to help him, making the two look suspicious to Othello once he hears of their friendship. And thus, Desdemona has lost her own husband's trust, and must cope with the