Women In Othello

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Shakespeare’s Othello: The Moor of Venice is a classic tale of damned lovers and unfounded jealousy. It follows the life of Othello, a renowned war general, as he grapples with the presumed infidelity of his wife Desdemona. As Othello’s trusted advisor, Iago, falsely creates fear of Desdemona’s betrayal, Othello grows mad with jealousy, and eventually murders her. Upon her death, Othello becomes aware that the deception lied not with Desdemona but with Iago and, realizing his mistake, promptly commits suicide. Throughout a closer reading of Othello, the play’s audience gains a much deeper understanding of both Desdemona’s character and Shakespeare’s own impression of women. Despite the prevailing sentiment of the time about women in literature, …show more content…
Desdemona is commanding respect and the men are listening to her. This is rare in a time period where “women's wit is constrained, their power over men is lost” (Neely). Further examples of Desdemona’s intellectual awareness and vocalization can be found in Othello and Desdemona’s courtship. “It is [her] rather than Othello who initiates their romance and courtship” (Scott). Through these lines from the play, we see Desdemona clearly establish herself as a strong-willed and independent woman. Unlike other women of the time, she does as she likes and is unrelenting in getting what she wants. She speaks her mind and commands the respect of those around …show more content…
Despite Venetian society’s judgement of her, Desdemona serves as a model for an ideal woman in the play. She is both, at the same time, the “cunning whore of venice” (4, 2 ,103) and “the divine Desdemona” (2, 1 , 74). It are these contradictions that make Desdemona seem real. She is not perfect by Elizabethan standards or any standards, she speaks freely and is ignorant to lots of things. Yet, despite all that she does wrong, the the other characters in the play almost unanimously see her as a “good” person. The audience perceives her as good too, which is why Othello as a tragedy is so impactful. Desdemona starts out in the play as fierce and outspoken, unaware of the expectations the world places on women. As the play progresses, she starts to learn what is expected of her and begins to grow up. The audience is pained to watch as Desdemona learns this, as she begins to holdback much of her personality. Her outspokenness gives way to quiet, and her feistiness dies out. However, she forgives the world for being that way in her death scene when she wishes Emilia give her love to her kind husband (4, 2, 153). Othello even confirms Desdemona’s forgiveness when he says “you heard her say it herself, it was not I” (5, 2
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