Desdomona in Othello
The Role of Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello The character of Desdemona represents a woman of the 17th century who surpassed the norms of sexual morality set for Venetian women of that time. When Desdemona left the house of her father, Brabantio, to wed the Moor, Othello, it was the first step in redefining her role as a woman. Desdemona, instead of asking her father's permission, decided on her own to marry Othello. It seems as though Desdemona was breaking away from the strictness imposed by Brabantio. She denied her father any right in choosing or granting allowance to Othello to marry her. Instead she chose the man who she wanted to marry and felt it unnecessary that her father intervene in their relationship. This act of independence by Desdemona tore away the gender barriers of the Venetian patriarchal society and posed a threat to male authority. The other aspect of Desdemona's mutiny was the miscegenation in Desdemona and Othello's marriage. 1The choice of mate made !by Desdemona further deviated from the role in which Venetian society would cast her. The traditions of the Venetian society are discovered when Iago speaks to Brabantio and plants both the ideas of miscegeny and loss of power into Brabantio's mind. Iago c
he was strong enough and educated enough to break the societal confines of passivity for women (Walker 2). However, we must not assume that Desdemona did not love Othello or that she married him only to define herself as a liberated woman. Desdemona's concise statement about her love was revealed with balance and health when she said: I saw Othello's visage in his mind, And to his honours and his valiant parts Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate. (Oth. III. iii. 250-252) We can see that she loved Othello for his body and mind, for his reputation and actions, and she consecrated herself to him spiritually and practically and she continued to love him throughout all the events and accusations. Race was not an issue to Desdemona and this was a result of her intelligence and determination to become liberated. Othello, however, may have been frightened by Desdemona's aggressiveness as a woman. This, along with the misperceptions brought on by Iago, could have led to his changing ! I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree (531). Iago's foes were Cassio, Roderigo, Desdemona, and Othello. He used deceit to make his wrath against them all look as though he was just trying to help them. His actions were like the poison fruit on Blake's tree that looked so appealing. Iago lured everyone into his trap until they were all under his control. Desdemona, although an intelligent woman seeking liberation, fell into Iago's trap because she loved Othello and was upset that he had considered her a "whore." She was a very trusting person and did not think that Iago would her hurt. Although she was striving to be play an equal role of the men in Venice, at times her sensitivities overpowered her desire to break the gender barriers. In Taylor's book, he states that children who are father-identifiers still revert to their own type (314). Thus Desdemona was still influenced by matriarchal themes such as love and emotion, rather than power. This is why she had such a stro! autions Brabantio: Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul; Even now, now, very now, an old black ram Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise! (Oth I. i. 88-90) These lines highlight the fact that in Elizabethan society, Brabantio, like other fathers, considered Desdemona's body to be his possession while also tapping into the fear of miscegenation that existed in Venice at that time. 2In his book "Sex in History," Rattray Taylor describes patriarchal societies in which the power was placed in the hands of men, to be based on father-identifier schemes (77). Taylor explains that children who are father-identifiers, model themselves after their fathers because of their interest in authority and in an attempt to acquir! ge 174). However, Cassio was too loyal to Othello to have any relationship beyond friendship. His admiration came form his acknowledgement of Desdemona's fearlessness of public forum. Cassio also knew that Desdemona would plead on his behalf simply because she feared the repercussions of his demotion in Venice. Cassio recognized Desdemona's political concerns. He knew that she would help him get his position back out of love for Othello and his reputation, and through her recognition that Cassio was more qualified than Iago. Cassio knew that Desdemona was constantly striving for her voice to be he
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2222
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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