“I have not deserved this”
But respects Othello’s authority over her and does not put up a fight she obeys him by getting out of his sight. It must take a lot of strength to resist defying Othello just having been struck by him. Desdemona appears to only be strong in the play when it involves her love for Othello. Although this reaction can be interpreted in a different way in this scene as she doesn't want to stand up to Othello because she loves him so much.
Desdemona is a very religious woman. She believes in the Ten Commandments and in heaven and hell. “Then heaven have mercy on me”. This is proving that she believes in it. She has also prayed earlier.
Throughout the play Shakespeare used the idea of heaven and hell or good and evil the way characters have within themselves aspects of angel and devil. At the start of the play the imagery used by other characters seeks to link Othello’s actions with the devil. He also says that he is a bad speaker but in the court room he convinces Desdemona’s father that he has not used witchcraft and they both love each other with all their heart.
The marriage of black Othello and white Desdemona is at the centre of the play and we are repeatedly reminded of this through the imagery. The colours are also so important with purity and innocence being associated with white and the devil and evil with black. Othello and Desdemona could not love each other more. They love each other with all their heart. Desdemona went against her father to be and go with Othello.
“Excellent wretch!" Perdition catch my soul
But I do love thee; and when I love thee not,
Chaos is come again”
This is spoken by Othello (Act 3, scene 3) just before Iago poisons his mind. It shows the intensity of feelings he has towards Desdemona. They also illustrate dramatic irony because this is exactly what happens when Othello thinks Desdemona has been cheating on him, with Cassio. Also Shakespeare uses his characters to show the values of time. In the play Desdemona is looked as a loyal and pious wife by Shakespeare yet other characters try to blacken her name. This is mainly Iago when he tries to convince Othello that Desdemona is not a loving loyal wife but his wife what no longer loves him and loves Cassio.
In Act 2 scene 1 you can easily see the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona hold hand in hand, they treat each other as equals. But then you see the relationship with Iago and Emila. It is totally different; Iago treats her with no respect. She is only a toy to him, nothing more and nothing less.
“Sir, would she give you so much of her lips
As of her tongue she has bestow’d on me”
This is Iago’s opinion all women. As Cassio greets Emilia with a kiss, when his wife objects that this is untrue, Iago elaborates on what he think women are, criticising them for behaving which hide their real natures. Apart for the irony of these comments they may reveal something of the relationship between Iago and Emilia.
To an Elizabethan audience this would seem normal a wife’s were treated in this manner. But to an audience in today’s time would find it incredibly strange and unfair, this is because today women have more rights, they can also work and more. But in Elizabethan times women were treaded totally different, not like partners but like a toy.
Later Desdemona tries to help Cassio get back his position, after Iago makes a fool of him. This scene links to the court room scene (Act 1 scene 3). Desdemona has a divided duty in this play and is one of the reasons Othello edventully smothers her. She helps her friends, she will do all she can to help them but she would also do anything to help her husband. You see this on her death bed because see lies to keep him safe and look innocent. From this pure action from Desdemona it makes the audience want to see justice done.
It would be customary for a young woman of social position to have her maid sleep close to her mistress, usually in a nearby room or passage, but Othello orders her to be dismissed. Before they part for the night we see them discuss the events of the day in this short, sad scene.
Desdemona’s love for her husband is emphasised again, as it her innocent lack of understanding of the depth of Othello’s feelings. However, we should note the ominous reference she makes to wanting Emilia to use her bed linen as her death shroud. This foreshadows the way Desdemona’s bed will indeed shortly become her grave. Her song is a lament for a woman who finds sadness in love, and Desdemona’s itching eyes;
“Bode weeping”
For such a woman in ways she cannot know, but which the audience can anticipate.
In Act 5 scene 2 the symbol of light and darkness is concentrated with black (Othello), white (Desdemona) or devil and angel. As such the symbolism is not straight forward; notice for example, that although three of five acts occur in darkness or at night, with only acts 3 and 4 being in bright day light acts that the deception takes place. During broad day light, when Othello is certain that he is seeing him that Desdemona has been false to him, when in fact 5the two men are speaking about an altogether different woman, Cassio’s admirer, Bianca.
Also during the play there is a great deal of appearance and reality. With a large contrast with the way things are and the way they seem to be runs through out the many of Shakespeare’s plays. In Othello Iago with a black heart hides behind a white face and Othello with a white heart hides behind a black face. Among the major characters, only in Desdemona do we see outward appearance reflecting inner character, appearance and reality as one, although she is continually suspected of being false.
At the start of the play Othello addressed Desdemona as a sweet angel. He loved her, but he started to be poisoned by Iago’s words,
“I had rather be a toad,
And live upon the vapour of a dungeon,
Than keep a corner in the thing I love
For other uses”
These lines are spoken by Othello when his mind is beginning to be corrupted by Iago’s insinuations. The quotation can be used to illustrate how Othello language and imagery is becoming debased from the noble poetry of the earlier scenes. In the final scene with Othello and Desdemona Othello keeps referring to her as an angel and a symbol of light. He wants to kill her but wants her spirit to go to heaven. He kills her by smothering her clearly shows you that he did not want to destroy her beauty.
By Iago Making People think badly of Desdemona, mainly Othello it makes Desdemona seem stronger and a noble woman.
Desdemona shows her strength towards the end of the play especially within the last scene where Desdemona is a very strong character. This scene is the conclusion of the play, opens in the bed chambers of Othello and Desdemona as the deranged Moor battles between his love for his beautiful young wife and his desire to murder her. Desdemona lies asleep in bed and Othello enters certain that his reason for killing Desdemona is correct. Othello says that it isn't jealousy that drives him to kill her; it's that Desdemona can't have another opportunity to do wrong.
‘‘Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men''.
This shows Iago's lying and his plan to destroy Othello throughout the play has worked and he's inclined to believe Iago instead of his wife. When Desdemona awakens, Othello tells her to pray, as she doesn't know his reason for wanting to kill her, she stands up to him and asks why. She then does not even put up a fight when he kills her.
Othello reviews the evidence against Desdemona, including the visual proof of the mislaid handkerchief. She pleads that Cassio can explain what has occurred, but Othello tells her that Cassio has been slain (although Cassio has actually survived). She begs for mercy, but Othello smothers her with a pillow. Iago's wife, Emilia enters, and while she is there, Desdemona recovers enough to tell her lady-in-waiting that she is the innocent victim of her husband's jealousy. Desdemona dies and Othello tells Emilia that he has killed his wife because she committed adultery with Cassio. Emilia defends Desdemona and Othello reveals how Iago supplied him with evidence of her illicit love affair.
The role of Desdemona in Othello is to show how women can be persecuted and vindicated by men. I think Shakespeare uses Desdemona to represent how the strength of women in that society is increasing, giving inspiration and advice to the Shakespearean audience. In some cases I think Desdemona is deceived but is a strong character and her depth represents her nobility.
