heir interest in authority and in an attempt to acquire power as their fathers have (314). This can be applied to Desdemona's rebelliousness. Because Brabantio had such immense power over her, Desdemona may have wanted to gain this kind of power herself. Thus she decided to take her relationship into her own hands and ignored the tradition of receiving her father's approval. Desdemona was striving to play an equal role with the men in the Venetian society.
             The aspect of playing the same role as the men in the Venetian society also explains Desdemona's marriage to Othello. Instead of Brabantio taking the initiative in the marriage, Desdemona took the initiative in the courtship because she envied the power that her father had over her and the power of Othello's bravery and masculinity. 3She wished to be a man as brave and as noble as Othello (Holland 253). 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. 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). However, we must not assume that Desdemona did not love Othello or that she married him only to define herself as a liberated woman.
             Desdemona's concise statement about her love was revealed with balance and health when she said:
             I saw Othello's visage in his mind,
             And to his honours and his valiant parts
             Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.
             We can see that she loved Othello for his body and mind, for his reputation and actions, and she consecrated herself to him spiritually and practically and she continued to love him throughout all the events and accusations. Race was not an issue to Desdemona and this was a result of her intelligence and determination to become liberated.
             Othello, however, may have been frightened by Desdemona's aggress...