Desdemona, daughter of Senator Brabantio, secretly marries Othello, a Moorish soldier. Scholars debate her character, some seeing her as a traditional wife, others as a feminist ahead of her time. Iago convinces Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity, leading to her death. Desdemona’s character is debated, with some seeing her as a traditional wife and others as a woman ahead of her time.
Desdemona is a heroine in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello. She is the daughter of Senator Brabantio of Venice and she defies her father by secretly marrying Othello, a soldier of Moorish origins. Scholars are divided on the merits and true personality of the character. Some experts believe she is the ultimate personification of a traditional woman, ruled by her heart and loyal to her husband even when he kills her. A contradictory interpretation is that the character is a woman far ahead of her time whom she believes to be Othello’s total equal, and her death is the result of society being unprepared for a feminist point of view.
In the play, Desdemona shocks her father and Venetian society by secretly marrying Othello. Despite Othello’s skills as a soldier and the almost universal admiration he enjoys, she is racially prejudiced and not considered a suitable husband for a senator’s daughter. Othello and his wife convince the Venetian senate to accept their marriage and move to the island of Cyprus, where Othello leads a war against the invading Turkish army.
Once in Cyprus, Iago, a disgruntled soldier and skilled schemer, convinces Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Othello’s closest friend, Cassio. Otello suffocates her with a pillow, but explaining the situation, he is informed by Emilia, Iago’s wife, that her wife was faithful and Iago’s fault is hers. Iago kills Emilia for betraying him and is captured as he tries to flee. Othello stabs himself and dies.
The controversy surrounding Desdemona’s character concerns her inability to believe that Othello would ever harm her. The traditional interpretation suggests that this was the role of a real wife, and in Shakespeare’s time adultery in a wife was punishable by death. In this perspective, the character conforms to the socially acceptable image of a woman of the time, and her death is seen as the tragic death of an innocent caused by Iago’s thirst for power and revenge.
Other scholars are not convinced of this thesis, highlighting several flaws. First, a decent woman would never marry without her father’s permission, as Desdemona clearly does. Secondly, Othello describes their courtship as growing from her passion to hearing her heroic and bloody battle stories, topics hardly appropriate for a noble woman. She is also eager to go to Cyprus, the center of a war, rather than stay safe in Venice and wait for her husband to return.
This interpretation suggests that the character, as a woman hungry for passion, battle and war, is aware of her position as a misfit in mainstream society. The theory implies that Desdemona and Othello’s attraction is a result of their similar status as true outsiders, she as a liberated woman, and he as a refined and powerful Moor in a racist country. Hers Her faith in their marriage and equality is something she stakes her life on, and she unfortunately misjudges her husband.
Desdemona’s most famous scene consists of a discussion about marriage with Emilia. In this conversation, Emilia insists that infidelity is acceptable if you are being abused by your husband. Desdemona, however, argues that being treated badly is no excuse for acting badly, and furthermore she inspires worse outcomes.
This scene is used in support of both arguments regarding her character, either as an example of her inherent purity or as a statement of purpose for her wise and stubborn principles. Regardless of her interpretation, Desdemona presents a central argument of the play asking whether it is better to admit mistakes and learn to do better, or to ignore them and seek vengeance to protect the ego.
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