That there be women do abuse their husbands O, these men, these men!ĭost thou in conscience think – tell me, Emilia – In her conversation with Emilia, she finds it hard to believe that any woman would cheat on her husband: Further, Desdemona’s apparent inaction in the play stems from her innocent nature, always believing the best of her husband, despite his often suspicious behavior. If she truly were to act, it would be to distance herself with her husband because of his suspicion, which would be a less noble action than trusting him, despite the result. It is important to observe a distinction between a weakness of character and inaction, and although Desdemona tends toward inaction especially toward the end of the play, she cannot be criticized of displaying a weakness of character. The inactionthat critics observe with respects to Desdemona, is not truly inaction, so much as a decision to trust Othello, which at times presents itself as a type of inaction. In regards to her character, she is strong willed, and displays these qualities as the play permits. This passivity, while truly apparent, is one with reference to the Desdemona’s influence on the plot, and not to her character itself. Thus, the character of Desdemona as a truly strong willed and resolute woman, must still take a back seat, which may come across as passive to an unmindful audience. If Desdemona had played as large of a role in the action as Othello, the balance of the play itself would be overthrown, and the plot could not be sustained. Desdemona is not the focal point of the play and therefore her character must be passive enough in order to facilitate the overarching plot of Othello’s tragic fall. Ultimately, Desdemona character is a strong-willed character who actively chooses to love her husband over any obstacle.Ī major issue that critics may have with Desdemona stem from a lack of focus on her actual role in the play itself, placing unreasonable expectations on her as a supporting character.As Harley Granville-Barker suggests “Desdemona’s part in the play is a passive one” and this is true if we judge her with respects to her role in the play as a unified whole, a tragedy with all the plot elements of which a tragedy consists, without judging her character itself. This essay will provide you with an analysis of Desdemona’s character and observe the many aspects of Desdemona’s character throughout the play, such as her role in the play itself as a supporting character, her inaction actually constituting strength, her initiative in pursuing Othello, her loyalty to her husband over her father,choosing to go to war, and her unconditional love for Othello. Rather, it is her strong resolve to trust her husband in times of crucial doubt that emphasizes the tragic elements of the play. The tragedy does not suffer from any passivity on the part of Desdemona. This critic is not well-founded, as Desdemona, on the contrary, presents an image of a woman going against the cultural expectations that society has placed on her, and instead choosing to follow through on her own convictions which primarily concern loving her husband Othello, proving to be a great and resilient woman. An unfortunately common critique of Desdemona’s character in Othello is that she presents a passive character, who is virtuous, yet lacks any real depth or resolve, and thus the tragedy is unfortunately hollow because of this problem.
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