Daughters were expected to honour and obey their fathers in Shakespeare’s day. They had to ask for permission to get married. If they did not then they were disobeying their fathers and therefore being deceitful. This was seen as a bad thing because Venetians were very proud of their ‘clean’ bloodlines. Marriages had to be carefully planned. Marriages were also usually between people of about 5-6 years difference.
Desdemona married a black man, this would have ruined the bloodlines that the Venetians were so proud of. Also the age difference between Othello and Desdemona was about 20 years. Marrying without permission was seen to be deceitful. Women were not able to express their own opinions and if they did then they could not show them. I therefore think Desdemona is a very interesting character because she says how she feels. This is shown when she is telling her father why she married Othello. Women were not supposed to disobey their father’s wishes. In Desdemona’s case this is that she was not to continue her marriage, as it was a disgrace against Venetians.
Women were very unequal in marriage. They had to honour and obey their husbands, when their husband was not obliged to honour and obey his wife This is shown when Othello demands the handkerchief from Desdemona, when Desdemona does not obey him, by giving him they handkerchief she could be seen by the people of Shakespeare’s day as being deceitful.
When Desdemona is confronted by her father about her marriage to Othello she is very confident. She married Othello through her own choice; she had her own opinion and used it. ‘My noble father/ I do perceive here a divided duty; /To you I am bound for life and educated; /My life and education both do learn me/ how to respect you. You are the lord of all my duty.’ (I iii 78-182) She respects people too.
She asked and said what other women would not dare think. This is shown when she asked the officials of the Venetian Army, if she may go to the war in Cyprus to be with Othello. In Shakespeare’s day wives were not allowed to go to war as it was felt it was unsafe. As Othello was the leader of the army it would therefore be up to him to set an example to his troops and discourage others from trying to bring their wives. By taking Desdemona to war, Othello would not be setting a good example. However Desdemona did ask the officials if she could go to war and they agreed. This is showing her courage as a women.
When Cassio asks to see Desdemona alone she consents even though she has not had the permission of her husband. This could all be seen as Desdemona being a bad, deceitful, wife but it could also be seen as her true character- a woman who had her own mind. From seeing Cassio she hopes to arrange a meeting between Cassio and her husband, Othello, in order to get Cassio’s job back with Othello. This should be seen as a good thing to do but in Shakespeare’s day it was not. Her moral reasons however were of great concern for her of her husband and Cassio’s future together.
Desdemona has another side to her, which is not quite so independent. Desdemona was ‘love-struck’ she almost worshipped Othello. When he accuses her of adultery he slaps her (IV i 230) and calls her a ‘whore’ (IV ii 71). She feels misunderstood and knows that she has not been unfaithful but still believes it to be all her fault. ”I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel: / If e’er my will did trespass ‘gainst his love/ Either in discourse of thought or actual deed” (IV ii 150-153). Also when Desdemona is dying having been attacked by Othello, she replies to her friend and her maid Emlia that she killed herself, thus protecting Othello to the last. When asked who had attacked her she replies “Nobody; I myself. Farewell” (V ii 125)
This again shows how she is not independent when it comes to her love for Othello. She could have said that her husband killed her but she loved him too much even after she knew that he was the reason she was lying on the bed dying.
Desdemona thought that the vows of marriage were extremely important. She respected her marriage to Othello. She expresses this much in the “willow scene” (Act IV Scene iii), with Emila. She talks of her great love for Othello. She asks if there are women who do commit adultery. She continues asking if Emilia would have an affair for the whole world. Emilia replies that she would not do it by the “heavenly light”, but she would do it in the dark. Emilia explains how that is little to do for such a big world and if you had the world then you could change the rules to make it right. However Desdemona says she would not commit adultery even for the whole world. This shows how Desdemona is so very faithful that it is almost saint like the way she feels.
Desdemona and Emilia’s thoughts about marriage are very different. Unlike Desdemona, Emilia does not have such a passionate marriage with Iago as Desdemona does with Othello. This would of course have something to do with the women’s opinions, but I feel it is more because the two women have such different characters. To Desdemona marriage is a very special bond, not to be fiddled with by committing adultery. Keeping her marriage vows, the Ten Commandments are far more important than the world. Even if she could change the rules after.
Considering all of this, my impression of Desdemona is one of great admiration. Desdemona always took into consideration the feelings of others, but she also respected her own mind. Her character would be an extremely good role model. Despite how women should have behaved in Shakespeare’s days, Desdemona should be highly regarded.
