Desdemona in Othello Essay

William Shakespeares play, Othello, the Moor of Venice, is a tragic drama about the debacle of a renowned general whom the play is named after. The drama revolves around Othellos decay from loving and trusting his wife to planning out her very death. His wife, Desdemona, is a vital character in the story, torn between her independence and her loyalty towards her husband. In the forefront of the play, Desdemona is portrayed as a strong and independent woman, but later, her personal statements as well as her reactions toward certain events reveal a person who values loyalty and knows her place in society as a husbands wife.

Desdemonas independence is evident even in the first act of the play. Her father, Brabantio, believed that Othello had enchanted her and practiced on her with foul charm (1271). On the other hand, though she feels bound to [Brabantio] for life and education, she prefers her husband over her father, just as her mother did over hers (1277). By forming a relationship with Othello under the table without Brabantios knowledge, she culminated the rest of her life independently without regard of his disapproval. Her independent strength is further exemplified in the first scene of Act 2, when Othello addresses her as his fair warrior (1288), showing that he, a soldier, sees his wife as an equal rather than a lesser human being. This gains significance because of the time period of the play, which set women as either goddesses of worship or menial daughters and wives. Othellos greeting welcomes her on a leveled playing field, neither placing her on a high pedestal nor treating her like the scum of the earth.

Although she finds strength in independence, Desdemona also shows that she extremely values loyalty, even when it seems Othello has lost all faith in her. In Act 1, Scene 3, the Duke of Venice announces that he will send Othello to defend Cyprus from the Turks, suggesting that Desdemona will stay behind with her father. In reply, Desdemona declares that she married Othello to live with him, [her] downright violence and storm of fortunes may trumpet to the world (1279). Her statement boldly reveals her will to stand by her husbands side and to never allow him to fight a foreign war on his own. Other statements she makes throughout the play also exemplify this undying loyalty. For example, when contemplating the reason why Othello began to turn against her, she explicitly states that she would never commit the act of sleeping with another man. Not even the worlds mass of [riches] could make her into a whore (1336). During a private conversation to Emilia, Desdemona questions whether any women [would cheat on] their husbands in such gross [manner]. She then professes that she would never do such a wrong for the whole world and that she [does] not think there is any such woman who would (1340). Her statements and intimate conversations with Emilia highlight the immense value which she attributes to loyalty towards her husband.

Along with that loyalty comes an understanding of her role as Othellos wife. Going back to the initial presence she has in the play, she puts her loyalty to her husband before her loyalty to her father. In Act1, Scene3, she would not reside with Brabantio while Othello was at Cyprus to prevent putting Brabantio in impatient thoughts by being in his eye (1279). Though before this statement her father explicitly states his disgust toward her by saying hed rather to adopt a child than get it (1278), she does not address this insult for she no longer feels the need to answer to her father, understanding her duty as her husbands wife. This submission to Othello would eventually lead to her demise. In the first scene of Act 4, after Othello strikes Desdemona, she respects him as her husband by not retaliating and by simply surrendering to his requests She would not stay to offend him (1330). Even in her deathbed she dares not to incriminate her husband. When Emilia questions Desdemonas murder, Desdemonas last line in the play reads: Nobody, I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. Oh, farewell! (1349). This rash declaration shows that even to her last breath, Desdemona knows that as a wife, she is not to betray Othello.

Because of her conflicting nature, Desdemona remains one of the more interesting characters of Shakespeares tragic play. Her dueling independence and loyalty provides a steady conflict as she diminishes from a rebellious woman to a remorsefully faithful wife. Without such a dynamic character as Desdemona, Othello, the Moore of Venice, would not be the play it is known to be.

Work Cited

Shakespeare, William. Othello, the Moor of Venice. Perrines Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Ed. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson. 9th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2006. 1263-1356.