The Responsibility Of Desdemona In Shakespeare's Othello

In the play Othello by William Shakespeare the role Desdemona plays has been greatly argued. Several critics say that Desdemona is a pawn, that she is submissive and may even be responsible for her own death. However; even if Desdemona appears to be fragile at the end of the play when Othello becomes aggressive and later when he kills her, Desdemona proves that she is much smarter, stronger, and even has a certain power over those who around her, than the women in the time period that Shakespeare wrote Othello. With further investigation of Desdemona’s character considering the role of women in the Renaissance age in England, Desdemona more than surpasses the expectation and the authority that women were allowed at that time. Women in the renaissance era did not have much power in society, their gender roles were very “clearly defined with men reigning superior over women” (“The Life and Roles of Elizabethan Era Women”). In the book Wooing, Wedding, and Power: Women in Shakespeare’s plays Irene Dash believes that Desdemona "is a woman slowly tamed in the crucible of marriage." Dash argues that more is expected

Desdemona constantly tries to rationalize Othello’s behavior and regularly adds her input into decisions usually made by a man. Desdemona repeatedly discusses with Othello as if there was mutual respect between them. Desdemona exhibits boldness in the way he argues with Othello about reinstating Michael Cassio into his previous position. “A man that all his time/ Hath founded his good fortune on your love,/ Shared dangers with you —”, Desdemona asserts (3,4, 2282). Sadly Othello is too overwhelmed with jealousy to admire her logical argument. Even his jealousy she takes well, she, unlike many women in the time period defends herself saying she has “not deserved this” and Othello is doing wrong by accusing her (4, 1,