Othello

A detailed Summary of Othello

William Shakespeare is famous for his tragic female characters. He had a way of making them stand out from the rest of the characters simply because they were women in a predominantly male cast. Throughout Othello, we come to learn about Desdemona's character, her strengths, and especially her faults and weaknesses.

When we first meet Desdemona in Act I, she has just eloped with Othello. We come to see that although she realizes the consequences of marrying the Moor, she is so overcome with love that she accepts the costs of her decision willingly. This shows that she may be rash in her decision making, and she does not necessarily take other people's feelings into consideration when making decisions. After their elopement, Brabantio is angered at the betrayal by his daughter, and calls upon Othello. In turn, Othello calls on Desdemona saying "send for the lady... let her speak of me before her father. (Act I Scene III)" Othello holds Desdemona in such high esteem that he is willing to place his life into her hands. Not only does Othello have great respect for Desdemona, but Cassio also refers to her as "our great captain's captain (Act II Scene I)" implying that Desdemona and Othello are equals. When Othello discharges Cassio af

ter the fight that transpired, Desdemona tries to plead Cassio's case to Othello. She tells Cassio that she'll "perform it to the last article: my lord shall never rest...(Act III Scene III)" Although her intentions are good, her over-zealous manner of going about getting Cassio reinstated as lieutenant play right into Iago's hands. Iago has told Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair, and by Desdemona pushing Cassio's case so fervently, this makes Othello even more apt to believe that Iago's lies are the truth. Luck or even fate is on Iago's side throughout the whole play. While trying to wrap Othello's head with her handkerchief, she carelessly drops it. Seizing the opportunity, Emilia grabs it and gives it to her husband. Because of Desdemona's carelessness, Iago is able to use the handkerchief against her by planting it in Cassio's lodging. Because of Iago's "good fortune", this gives him the evidence that he promised Othello to help prove that an affair was taking place. When he asks about it, she says that "it is not lost... (Act III Scene IV)" This whole situation would have simply been eliminated if Desdemona had only talked to Othello telling him the handkerchief was missing. Because of her pride, or maybe even her fear of the Moor, she keeps silent, which ultimately results in her murder by her husband's jealous hands.

Although Desdemona comes across as an innocent and pure young woman, we come to realize that she is not

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 983
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English