Compare And Contrast Desdemona And Emilia

Desdemona and Emilia are two of the main characters in William Shakespeare’s Othello. While one of them is the overly virtuous wife of the play’s protagonist and tragic hero, the other one is wife to one of the most clever and maquiavelic everlasting villains.

Throughout the play, the sweet and old-fashioned Desdemona shows to be a satisfying wife and a great friend, and she also denotes unquestionable ignorance to her surroundings. On the other hand, the open minded and slightly cynical Emilia supplies a huge contrast to her mistresses’ persona; a feminist way ahead of her time. Despite coming from different social backgrounds and having different personalities, both women find the same faith by dying at the hands of their own husbands. But still, even when they do share a handful of similarities, it is their perception of life that makes them react in different ways. However, Desdemona is the one that is least aware of what is happening due to her undoubtedly naiveness.

Even with Desdemona and Emilia both manifesting a certain level of ignorance of what is happening, having different perception is what makes distinguishable one

Being unfaithful to the one that she loves is something Desdemona cannot get into her head and would never understand. While singing the ‘Willow’ song that her mother’s maid sung before her death,a very concerned Desdemona wonders about infidelity by asking, “That there be women do abuse their husbands/ In such gross kind?” (IV, iii. 115). Desdemona grew up in a good family, never being exposed to certain realities which would explain why always sees the best in people and fails to acknowledge the real world, along. Irony makes presence when Desdemona is unaware that at that same moment her dear husband believes that she has been having an affair with Cassio for a while due to the fact of Iago’s lies getting through