Act Two in Understanding Desdemona in Othello by William Shakespeare
The play “Othello” written by William Shakespeare is a tragedy in
which appearance and reality are juxtaposed with jealously, hate,
honesty and innocence. The character of Desdemona is one of the most
admirable, and yet most pitiful, in all of Shakespeare. She is
completely innocent, unable to comprehend how her husband can be
jealous when “I never gave him cause!”. The other women in the play
are cynical Emila and Cassio’s mistress, Bianca: contrasted with these
two, Desdemona stands as an icon of female purity. Desdemona is
altogether more simply drawn, She embodies the principle of ‘good’ in
the play.
Act two gives the audience a more indepth understanding of Desdemona
by her actions and responses and they way she is described by other
characters.
She is perceived as a Venetian woman, with its contemporary
connotations of sexual lasciviousness, which Iago exploits, and as a
whore. More positively, but equally stereotypically, she is perceived
as 'divine' by Cassio. There is this ironic gap between how Desdemona
speaks and behaves and how she is perceived.
Act two is a complete change of scene from Venice to Cyprus; far from
the safety and stability of Venice, Iago plans to carry out his
devilish plan of revenge.
Before Desdemona has entered the room we have a clear image and
descripition of what she is like as a person and her relationship
between her and Othello.
Desdemona is first mentioned when Montano asks to confirm the rumours
of Othello’s marriage; Cassio answers lovingly of Desdeomona and his
guiune kindness is empowered when he descr...
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... if my gentle love be not raised up! I’ll make thee an example” Only
because Desdemona has been awaken he will do harm.
Desdemona is shown in many different ways in this scene; Iago’s many
faces has different opinions of Desdemona; one of sexual desire, one
of hate, one of friendlyness. Othello is deeply in love with her and
sees nothing but joy and innocence. Cassio only sees goodness and
compliments her in every possible way. Desdemona herself is a young
woman but brave, strong and witty; her presence in Cyprus and leaving
her father and marrying in secret all show her brave and less innocent
side. She is madly on love with Othello and would do anything to
please him. Overall our understanging of Desdemona is increased and we
picture her in a different light from Act 1, where she was just a
young innocent lady.
Othello is a play that asks us to examine the position of women in society. This play explores issues such as clandestine marriage, accusations of adultery, and it includes three different social classes of women. First, we have Desdemona, this is a woman from a noble family in Venice and has the least amount of freedom. Her behavior was watched very carefully. The perception of Desdemona is created by the language that other characters use to describe her. In Act 2, Scene 1, Cassio refers to Desdemona as ‘a maid/That paragons description and wild fame’; that she
The Significance of Act 3 Scene 3 of William Shakespeare's Othello Othello was written by Shakespeare around 1602 and was set 35 years previously to that time (around 1571) during the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare got the idea for the play from the Italian Novella 'Gli. Hecatommithi and only changed minor details slightly. He kept the same plot but some of the characters and themes in the play were very different.
Actions and events that are happening around a character often contribute to the decisions that they make. Desdemona tries to talk to Othello about giving Cassio his lieutenant position back but she keeps asking " But shall ’t be shortly?" (Shakespeare 3.3.56) and badgering Othello. This causes Othello to become exasperated with her and need some time alone. Desdemona is increasing Othello's suspicion that she is cheating on him by talking to Cassio and only talking about Cassio. Othello is most certainly not going to give Cassio his position back because he think Cassio is untrustworthy and a cheater. In The Other Wes Moore, Tony's actions contributed to many of the other Wes Moore's actions and decisions. One of the first actions Tony had
weapons. He has to use race as an excuse as he knows that Othello is
As Iago subtly plants these suspicions of Desdemona, Othello jumps to conclusions. He immediately questions himself, “Why did I marry?” (III.iii.66) This instant doubtfulness towards Desdemona is a huge mistake made my Othello. If he were able to think rationally and consider Desdemona’s innocence before jumping to conclusions, then all of this could have been avoided. However his inability to trust his own wife increases his anger towards her tremendously and the desire to kill begins to build up inside him. Later on, when Lodovico arrives at Cyprus in Act 4, Desdemona and him discuss Cassio and Othello’s situation. Othello is irritated by Desdemona’s friendly comments about Cassio and lashes out, striking her and calling her a devil. Afterwards, Lodovico is shocked, questioning, “Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate call all in all sufficient?” (IV.i.93) Referring to him as a once “noble Moor” explains how worthy Othello’s reputation was before coming to Cyprus. However, Lodovico can no longer imagine this is the same Othello he once knew, proving that Othello has changed quite a bit since his arrival at Cyprus. Before Cyprus, Othello would have never struck his wife in public, but Iago’s manipulation has caused his anger to finally break out. Othello does not have the confidence within himself to believe in Desdemona. Therefore,
The society in which Othello takes place is a patriarchal one, where men had complete control over women. They were seen as possessions rather than being just as equally human and capable of duties performed by men. All women of the Elizabethan were to obey all men, fathers, brothers, husbands, etc. Which leads me to the most reliable and trustworthy character of Desdemona, whom goes through many trials just to satisfy her love. Shakespeare brings the thought of Desdemona into the play by Barbantio, her father, “It is too true an evil. Gone she is....Oh, she deceives me Past thought! …” (1.1.163)(1.1.168-169), whom has just found she has taken off with Othello and firstly suspects they have been hitched. Shakespeare gives reader the impression Desdemona is a devious imp full of disrespect towards her father. However, surpassing normal tradition of asking of her fathers’ permission to wed, Desdemona ran off and did marry the moor. This in a sense was her emancipation of her father’s possessiveness and oblivion of Othello’s dominance over her. Othello replies to Barbantio’s accusation, sedating or using black magic on his daughter, by saying, “My very noble and approved good masters, That I have ta’en away this old man’s daughter. It is most true.” (1.3.79-81), which brings me to the claim that Desdemona’s character in this tragedy, was only to become and to serve as Othello’s private possession rather than a typical beloved daughter or wife as in modern time. Shakespeare bases this tragedy on the foundation of Desdemona’s character by the symbol of the discrimination of women in the Shakespearean time era. Desdemona even for the first and only time within the play stands up and challenges her inferiority under her father’s aut...
Desdemona’s innocence we see so clearly at the end of the play. certainly contradicts her early assertiveness. The young woman who is not afraid to speak her mind and disobey her father is drastically turned into a passive victim at the end of the play. To a certain extent it could be argued that ‘Desdemona is a sensual, mature,. rebellious woman who knows her own mind’ but only at the beginning of the play.
The tone of the story is tragic and serious. Meanwhile, there isn't any point of view because this is a play and a play doesn't normally have a narrator. Shakespeare lets the reader make up his/her own imagination with the characters' words and behavior. Since Othello is the protagonist, he is explained in more detail. Although Othello is a brave warrior, he is a jealous person; his jealousy also prevails over his good sense. The whole play depicts the fact that jealousy causes corruption. There are many conflicts found in Othello, and person vs. person is one of them. An example is when Iago seeks revenge against Othello and Cassio because of his anger and jealousy. Person vs. society appears when Desdemona's father Brabantio, disapproves her marriage to Othello because he is several years older than Desdemona, from a different class, and a different race. An internal conflict of person vs. himself is found when Othello is in a dilemma about whether or not should he believe that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him. Othello loves and trusts Desdemona until his jealousy is aroused by the cruel manipulations of Iago. Iago's intention was to persuade Othello to believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. As Iago succeeds in convincing Othello that Desdemona is guilty of adultery, it leads to the climax of the play. And so Othello must face emotions he can't deal with. His jealousy drives him insane, and his judgment is replaced with anger and hate. At this time, the reader notices that the death of Desdemona is inevitable. Othello smothers her, and he eventually kills himself when he knows that Iago falsely accused Desdemona. This also represents the tragedy of the play.
In Greek, Desdemona means ‘the unfortunate’, perhaps reflecting an ideology that she is not meant to be liked, merely pitied for her misfortune as a tragic victim (commonly defined as someone who dies due to the faults of others). Throughout Othello, Desdemona is presented as pure and innocent – in regards to this, Auden’s comment is unusual as Desdemona is seldom criticised; indeed many critics are complementary, giving her titles such as ‘gentle Desdemona’.
Desdemona is one of the protagonists of the play contributes to the play and also fleshes out certain aspects of characterisation mainly where Othello and Iago are concerned. Thus her relevance is highlighted consistently throughout Othello, since without her ppresence, Iago would not have succeeded in manipulating Othello, and Othello's drastic transformation would not have been made evident.
These lines are the first hint given that Desdemona may not have always been completely captivated by her husband. These words, not denied by Othello, sit in contrast to his own. Upon hearing her words, Othello seems a changed man, depressed and submissive, his new attitude brought on by “Desdemona’s own honest account of her original feelings for Othello and the role Cassio played in Othello’s winning of her” (Macaulay 269). With just a little concern for Othello’s own pride, Desdemona have chosen to withhold some words or soften their blow. Instead, her own pride continues to lead her headlong onto a destructive
...or example when she asked him to tell her how much he loved her, “If it be love indeed, tell me how much”. Her maids add a little to Cleopatra’s characteristics. Also she had a messenger go to Antony saying she was dead, which she was not.Cleopatra’s character is so exotic and proud to be able to manipulate men but Desdemona is a complete opposite. Betrayal is the other ultimate theme of both of these tragedies. In Othello, he betrays Desdemona by believing the evil Iago and not communicating with his wife. He instead assumes Iago’s statements are of truth. We see Iago’s slyness and cleverness grow and a vapid rate, Desdemona’s innoncence becomes more apparent and Othello’s character galls from a noble warrior into a jealous fool. Iago is the source of the problems in Othello. He has motivation to ruin dear Othello because of the promotion Cassio gets instead of Iago.
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
She loves him with all her heart, she betrays her father to marry him (I.iii.209-218). , and even accepts death's cold hand because of Othello's rage (IV.iii.11-117). Although we are all probably screaming in our heads about, because this is the 21st century, that Desdemona giving into death's grip so easily, “If I do die before thee prithee, shroud me in one of those same sheets” (IV.iii.25-26). , it is understandable. She gave everything up to be with him, she loved him with all her heart.
While they have arduous intentions, none of them ever defend themselves. Desdemona is a passive victim who lets Othello abuse her, Emilia allows herself to be abused by Iago, and Bianca lets Cassio take advantage of her. Desdemona demonstrates weakness in her love for Othello and by taking his abuse. At the beginning of the play, Desdemona feels she must accompany Othello to Cyprus in war.