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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