Explore Shakespeare’s presentation of the character Desdemona in Othello

Introduction

• Shakespeare presents Desdemona as a character who defies the expectation of her patriarchal society, yet ultimately becomes a tragic victim to it

• Shakespeare uses the construct of Desdemona to explore the different archetypes and myths that surround feminity

• Through her relationship with Othello, idolisation, and defiance, Desdemona embodies both the strength and vulnerability of women in a restrictive, male dominated world

Deviates from the stereotypical Submissive Woman

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• ‘Desdemona acknowledges her past loyalty to Brabantio but asserts her new ‘divided duty’ and allegiance to Othello

• ‘our generals wife is now the general’ ‘o my fair warrior ’ = bitter remark implies that Desdemona wields power over Othello, suggesting a role reversal

• ‘If I do vow a friendship, I’ll perform it to the last article’

• ‘your daughter hath made a gross revolt’

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• In Jacobean society, women were expected to be silent, obedient, and chaste, confined to domestic spheres and subject to male authority.

• Desdemona’s assertiveness and moral clarity challenge these norms. Her character echoes other early modern tragic heroines like Juliet and Cordelia who question or resist patriarchal control.

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• Oates ‘Desdemona’s rebellion… is a declaration of independence, an assertion of her own will and agency’

A symbol of Idealised Virtue

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• ‘hail to thee, lady and the grace of heaven’ ‘Divine’ Desdemona has distinctive Catholic attributes

• is associated with the figure of Mary, the mother of God ‘full of blessed condition’ - words designed to recall the Rosary

• Iago’s metaphor of a ‘white ewe’ reduces her an object of purity, innocence and submissiveness - fitting the Renaissance ideal of feminine virtue

• ‘she’s framed as fruitful as the free elements’ = implies Desdemona is naturally fertile and prone to sexual desire - equating her with the untamed forces of nature

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• Desdemona is pushed into one of the four Jacobean archetypes of femininity (the maiden) by the men around her - they are narratives constructed to serve a men’s needs

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• ‘Desdemona is often seen as a victim of the male gaze in Othello, objectified by the male characters who project their desires and fears onto her’ - Sarah Brown

Victim of Male jealousy and manipulation

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• ‘look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio’ = Iago’s manipulative prompting feeds Othello’s insecurities, positioning Desdemona as an object of suspicion

• ‘they eat us hungrily and when they are full, the belch us’ = comments how men use and discard women - Desdemona’s tragedy illustrates this as Othello turns violently against her once his jealousy is stoked

• ‘nobody. I myself. Farewell’ = in an act of tragic loyalty, Desdemona protects Othello - this ultimate submission and forgiveness reveal the destructive effects of male jealousy

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• In Renaissance drama, female infidelity was a common tragic motif - Iago weaponises these fears to destroy Desdemona’s reputation

• In accordance with the Chain of Being, a failure of reason was the cause of the fall of man

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Shakespeare uses religious imagery to present the ‘blessed’ Desdemona as a symbol of idealised virtue. This use of religious imagery acknowledges Desdemona as the ‘grace of heaven’ which gives her distinctive attributes associated with the Virgin Mary, the mother of God. The Virgin Mary is also looked to for intercession by Catholics, which is similar to Cassio’s request for Desdemona to talk to Othello on is behalf. This characterisation places her on an ethereal level of purity and grace to emphasise her moral innocence and good-natured persona. The ‘hail to thee’ echoes words designed to recall the Rosary, suggesting that Desdemona’s ‘blessed condition’ is worthy of praise and exhalation. Desdemona is pushed into one of the four Jacobean archetypes of femininity - the maiden - by the men around her. Perhaps Shakespeare shows how the idolisation of women can be utilised by men to keep women within a domestic sphere. This is further evoked by Iago’s metaphor of a ‘white ewe’, which reduces he to an object of purity, innocence and submissiveness - fitting the Renaissance ideal of feminine virtue. Critics such as Brown have supported this by arguing that ‘Desdemona is a victim of the male gaze - objectified by the male characters who project their desires and fears onto her’. This displays how the male characters don’t see Desdemona as an autonomous person, but as a blank canvas onto which the projects their own ideals.