The Role of Desdemona in Shakespeares Othello
The Role of Desdemona in Shakespeare's OthelloThe 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
This can be applied to Desdemona's rebelliousness. In this way Iago avoided the revealing of his manipulation. Desdemona's actions were not necessarily based on the desire to be a man, but more so a desire to have the equal powers of men. Ironically and tragically, Desdemona's desire for her voice to be heard fed into Iago's web of deception (Walker 2). Unfortunately, after Iago's manipulation, Othello's love turned to despair, pain, and anger. And it grew both day and night,Till it bore an apple bright. " She was a very trusting person and did not think that Iago would her hurt. By marrying Othello, Desdemona was showing that she was strong enough and educated enough to break the societal confines of passivity for women (Walker 2). I'd do any damn thing for you" (499), her desire to be acknowledged as a good wife derived from her matriarchal tendencies of sensitivity. " The lines of Blake's poem indicate the wrath that one man had for his enemy and how he used his wrath to manipulate his enemy.
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