Fateful Mistakes In Macdonald's Romeo And Juliet

In Anne-Marie MacDonald’s “Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)” she uses the device of fateful mistakes to develop comic drama, while Shakespeare uses the same fateful mistakes in both “Othello” and “Romeo and Juliet” for tragic events. MacDonald portrays a feminist approach in her comic drama. Also, the character’s in MacDonald’s play learn from their mistakes through the intervention of aa wise fool and learn to accept their fault which prevents their fateful mistakes from turning into another Shakespearean tragedy.

In Shakespeare’s “Othello” the main cause of turmoil is the handkerchief which Iago uses to convince Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity, while in MacDonald’s play the same handkerchief is used, but instead to trick Desdemona against Othello which leads to the escalation in dramatic events. In Shakespeare’s “Othello” the handkerchief mistake leads to a tragedy, because there is no interjection by a character to put matters straight, while in MacDonald’s drama Constance’s presence as the wise fool prevents the play from turning into a tragedy.

Desdemona is blood thirsty for Constance, since she believes Othello is in a romantic relationship with Constance, but Constance interjects as the wise fool and explains to Desdemona that she’s “just like Othello-gullible and violent” and mustn’t believe violence is the solution to everything (III.IX.87). Desdemona agrees that it’s correct “to live by questions, not by their solution”(III.IX.87). Thus the play is prevented from turning into a tragedy, since Desdemona accepts she is at fault and doesn’t commit any wrongdoing