The play opens to a Venetian crisis. Her speech to the Council shows strength and determination, common sense, and commitment. Othello is depicted by the author as the hero of love as he is ready to safeguard the love of his life. “But even Othello’s love affair with Desdemona, judging by his own report, seems to have developed smoothly, without painful moral searchings of any kind. Iago also has the complete trust of Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona are deeply in love with each other, even though they are very different. Cassio. Prior to his marriage to Desdemona, Desdemona’s father was reluctant with the marriage because Othello was a black man. The login page will open in a new tab. Othello then swears to have Cassio dead, and to be revenged upon Desdemona for the non-existent affair. According to Emilia, she might cheat on Iago. Desdemona’s actions are once again put into questioning, for if she was a realistic character would she have married Othello, even though he himself states that he is damned? 236]). The possession of a woman is the key element of a man’s power in Othello. In the end, Othello … Emilia – lady-in-waiting for Desdemona and Iago’s wife. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. The daughter of a Venetian senator, Desdemona is greatly loved by Othello, an honoured and heroic Moorish general in the service of Venice. When his ship arrives, he and Desdemona joyfully greet each other. They decided to elope and get married without her father knowing. Even during that horrific event, she continues to declare her love for him. 179–180]) and her terse fury after Othello strikes her (“I have not deserved this” [IV.i. Othello is the main character of the play who falls in love with Desdemona. ). Iago warns Othello about Brabantio’s anger, but Othello is confident in his own strength and in his love for Desdemona…. Othello's status in Venice is pretty complicated—he's both an insider and an outsider. true: 23. Besides the beauty and charm for which she is revered, she possesses a marked degree of mental idealism and emotional purity. Desdemona is an exceptional woman. She is far too trusting and thus herself partly responsible for her fate. Othello was loved and respected by some. Roderigo – in love with Desdemona, pays Iago to court her on his behalf. Yet, when a crisis comes, they both share the same basic values of honesty and loyalty. Considering the love in friendship, one can analyse the friendship between Emilia and Desdemona. Cassio – (honorable) lieutenant, with Othello when he first dates Desdemona. She is, of course, a woman in the position of almost all Elizabethan women – the possession of her father until ownership is passed to another man in marriage. She refuses to marry any of the rich, handsome Venetian men that everyone expects her to marry. Othello becomes obsessed with the idea that his wife is sleeping with Cassio. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Desdemona-fictional-character. Both Desdemona and Cassio appeal to Iago to help them and while pretending to do that he draws them both deeper into his trap. Othello explains all that to the Duke. Arguments that see Desdemona as stereotypically weak and submissive ignore the conviction and authority of her first speech (“My noble father, / I do perceive here a divided duty” [I.iii. Othello demotes Cassio while at the same time becoming very unpleasant to Desdemona. Othello is incensed to hear that Desdemona would give away something so valuable, and is persuaded by Iago's insinuations and claims to believe that Desdemona is guilty. She is inevitably a victim of her times – times in which regardless of her courage and independent spirit, she is destroyed by the men around her. The eponymous character, Othello, is a Moor. Brabantio’s daughter, Desdemona, had listened to the stories and fallen in love with the Moor. Duke of Venice – leader of govt. Othello. Who does Iago convince Othello that his wife has been sleeping with? Regarded as honest and trustworthy by Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, and the other officers, he is, in fact, hypocritical and vicious, plotting and scheming behind everyone’s back. When Iago tells Othello that Brabantio will try to annul Desdemona's marriage, Othello says, "But that I love the gentle Desdemona, / I would not my unhoused free condition / Put into circumscription and confine / For the sea's worth" (1.2.25-28). She is a beautiful, intelligent and educated young woman with multiple suitors, but well-guarded by her father. Instead, she elopes (gasp!) Emilia is down to earth to Desdemona's nobility, and practical to Desdemona's romanticism. Gratiano. Iago, putting his plot into action, persuades Roderigo that Desdemona is in love with Cassio and that Roderigo should help get Cassio dismissed from the lieutenancy. Bianca – prostitute in love with Cassio. The love between Othello and Desdemona is very clear and obvious to all, and in private, too, Othello is tender and loving towards his wife. She is presented as a young Venetian beauty highly treasured by her father, Brabanzio. Othello has some trusted officers around him. O, farewell! By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Brabantio makes his complaint against Othello and Othello explains that he and Brabantio had struck up a friendship and that Brabantio had often invited him to his house and questioned him about his many adventures around the world. On the other hand, bein… He comes to believe that she is having an affair with Cassio when Iago manipulates him. Updates? Desdemona’s speech to her father and the council (act 1, scene 3), Othello | Othello summary | Othello characters: Desdemona, Iago | Othello settings | Othello in modern English | Othello full text | Modern Othello ebook | Othello quotes | Othello quote translations | Othello monologues | Othello soliloquies | Othello performance history. Othello sensed her feelings about him and was emboldened to speak out about his love for her. Desdemona and Emilia are newly in each other's company, but quickly develop a friendly style of conversation that contrasts their different approaches to life. They are in love, but Othello can't get past his self-doubt as to why such a lovely woman would love him. Iago hints to Othello that she deceived her father so she could deceive him. Othello is about many things and one of the most glaring of those things is race. He convinces Othello with engineered ‘evidence’ that Desdemona is having a sexual affair with Cassio. The Turks are heading towards Venice and unless they can be stopped they will invade the city. One of his most famous plays is Othello. . Her love of Othello appears as a mental decision rather than a vital infatuation. The first person to doubt Iago’s honesty, besides Roderigo is: Emilia: 21. Please log in again. Doing that demonstrates enormous courage. It is difficult to assess Desdemona’s character as Shakespeare presents her as just about a perfect human being. Each Shakespeare’s play name links to a range of resources about each play: Character summaries, plot outlines, example essays and famous quotes, soliloquies and monologues: All’s Well That Ends Well Antony and Cleopatra As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Coriolanus Cymbeline Hamlet Henry IV Part 1 Henry IV Part 2 Henry VIII Henry VI Part 1 Henry VI Part 2 Henry VI Part 3 Henry V Julius Caesar King John King Lear Loves Labour’s Lost Macbeth Measure for Measure The Merchant of Venice The Merry Wives of Windsor A Midsummer Night’s Dream Much Ado About Nothing Othello Pericles Richard II Richard III Romeo & Juliet The Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus Troilus & Cressida Twelfth Night The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Winter’s Tale. Corrections? Desdemona obviously did not share this view, as she was a devoted Christian, and so would not have falling in love with something unholy. Othello is eventually driven mad by his jealousy and one night after Desdemona has retired to bed he approaches her and strangles her to death. He takes his own life once he finds out. Desdemona (/ ˌ d ɛ z d ə ˈ m oʊ n ə /) is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello (c. 1601–1604). Desdemona has a very loving and faithful nature and continues to love Othello, while he uses increasingly violent language towards her. Othello is a General in the Venetian military. Desdemona is a more plausible, well-rounded figure than much criticism has given her credit for. The love between Othello and Desdemona is very clear and obvious to all, and in private, too, Othello is tender and loving towards his wife. Roderigo doesn’t like Othello because: Desdemona is married to him: 20. Othello is the man who is in love with Desdemona. As it advances the other characters are drawn in. They marry in secret and although that is frowned upon by the city authorities Othello is a military hero and Venice is in deep trouble. The Duke sends for Desdemona who tells them that she’s a full-grown woman with her own mind and that she loves the Moor more than anything in the world. Farewell. .. Beside the deficient understanding of this society into hich he has made his way, the motif of the secret marriage then also suggests a definite lack of self-knowledge on Othello’s part. Iago also knows that Desdemona is the love of Othello's life and the person he adores the most. The Duke agrees that she should go to Cyprus with her husband. Desdemona is a model wife, if perhaps too trusting of Iago. Othello was truly in love with Desdemona, but so were many others. This list of Shakespeare plays brings together all 38 plays in alphabetical order. Omissions? On the one hand, he is a Christian (probably) and experienced military leader, commanding respect and admiration from the Duke, the Senate, and many Venetian citizens. She is one of the most pitiable victims in all of Shakespeare’s plays. Desdemona anxiously waits for Othello. Roderigo is in love with Desdemona but she rejected him Barbantio's reaction to othello and desdemona's marriage Othello mentions the handkerchief so often because it is the one thing that has “proved” that Desdemona had an affair with Cassio and is the key to all of his rage and suffering as he is about to kill his wife. Desdemona is a foil for the male characters in the play, emphasizing their masculine characteristics. Iago also wants to attack Cassio and devises a plan to kill two birds with one stone. Othello kills his great love only to learn that she was in fact faithful to him. A black man from North Africa, Othello has traveled the world, been sold into slavery, escaped, and ended up as the military commander of the Venetian military, guard to a powerful Italian city-state. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Iago engineers an incident in a pub by making Cassio drunk and framing him for a small act of violence. There is no more but this, away at once with love or jealousy!” (3.3.31). Desdemona is a character in Shakespeare’s Othello. Enraged, Brabantio takes Othello to the Duke, who is meeting with the Council, where they have just decided that they will send a battalion of soldiers to Cyprus, under the command of their top general, Othello, to confront the Turks. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In the meantime Brabantio, a prominent Venetian citizen, has just heard that his daughter, Desdemona, has run off with the Moor and married him. Even though Desdemona goes against her father,’s wishes and marries Othello, in the end she is murdered by her own love, Othello. He has married Desdemona in secret as they are greatly in love. Brabantio. In spite of that, she is basically innocent and unaware of the dangers of life. The play Othello portrays various stages of love and how it is bound to the nature of the individuals who experience it. with Othello—an older black man, an outsider to Venetian society (gasp! Love And Betrayal In Othello 2500 Words | 10 Pages. . In the play, one gets to see the love of Desdemona and Othello and also the kind of love between Emilia and Iago. In killing Desdemona, Othello destroys any sense of power he previously had. However, she shows a strong independent streak in choosing to defy her powerful father and marrying where her heart is rather than where her father’s economic interest lies. © 2004 – 2020 No Sweat Digital Ltd. All rights reserved. Urged by the Duke Brabantio reluctantly accepts that but refuses to have her in his house. The two most senior are Michael Cassio, who he has just promoted to be his second in command, and Iago, an ancient – the third-ranking officer. Othello does not believe her, and smothers her to death. At the heart of Shakespeare's "Othello" is the doomed romance between Othello and Desdemona. By doing that he plants jealousy into Othello’s mind. "Gentle" means kind, refined, and of a good family. In her marriage, her vow to honour her husband through thick and thin is carried out to the very end. Iago, angry about life generally, and taking pleasure in manipulating people, decides to poison that love and destroy Othello. The Daughter of the Venetian senator Brabantio.Having been charmed by Othello 's tales of exotic lands and military exploits, Desdemona elopes with him before the play begins (although they do not consummate their marriage until they have received sanction from the Duke and, reluctantly, her father). So he doesn't look like he is against Othello What is Roderigo's previous relationship with Brabantio and Desdemona? … The daughter of a Venetian senator, Desdemona is greatly loved by Othello, an honoured and heroic Moorish general in the service of Venice. He does that by being a close confidant of the general and getting his absolute trust then manipulating him into a position in which he destroys himself. Cassio has until recently been an ancient but was chosen ahead of Iago to be Othello’s lieutenant. (She dies) (Act 5, Scene 2, 125-127)” Love is the driver for all great stories. It is believed that Shakespeare wrote 38 plays in total between 1590 and 1612. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Iago is probably Shakespeare’s most fully realised and most destructive villain. Although he is a highly accomplished and experienced general and head of the Venetian army he is subjected to racial abuse. Commend me to my kind lord. A devoted, loving wife, she is murdered by her husband in a fit of jealous rage. Her response to Othello – the dangers he has encountered and overcome – shows her to have a tender heart and a great capacity for empathy. Othello, a black man, has gained the love of Desdemona, the daughter of a wealthy citizen. Not bad at all. Othello mentions the handkerchief so often because it is the one thing that has "proved" that Desdemona had an affair with Cassio and is the key to all of his rage and suffering as he is about to kill his wife. Iago, angry about life generally, and taking pleasure in manipulating people, decides to poison that love and destroy Othello. Desdemona Love can be used against you/ Love can be manipulated. Othello used magic on Desdemona: 19. When Iago gets Roderigo to ambush Cassio, he hopes: both will be killed: 22. Act 1, scene 3 The duke and the senators discuss the movements of the Turkish fleet and conclude that its target is, indeed, Cyprus…. Driven by jealousy that has been skillfully manipulated, Othello takes the life of. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the Republic of Venice, Desdemona accompanies him. Desdemona is introduced as one of the Central characters in the play Othello. Like most of Shakespeare’s plays, Othello is a tragedy. The theme of love is blinding is best shown in Desdemona and Othello, Emilia and Iago, and Brabantio and Desdemona. 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