Desdemona

• "Swear thou art honest."

  
  

  "Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell."


  - Othello questions Desdemona of her honesty which is evidence of their deterioration of their relationship. Tragic -> a relationship based on true love is deteriorated by a relationship based on fake love which upsets as audience but is also reflective of the emotions felt by Othello at the end of the play.

  - In questioning Desdemona about her honesty, it could be argued that Othello does not even know Desdemona well enough to gauge that his wife is not lying. He questions her because he is clueless about her as a character. Could this be because of their short-lasting time together after getting married because of their move to Cyprus? Is this Shakespeare telling us that even if Desdemona did not cheat, their relationship would have likely not lasted because they do not know each other well enough?

  - Sad; Othello is not so intelligent. He lacks the intellect to tell he is deceived and he also lacks the intellect to gauge that his wife is telling the truth. A victim of his own intellect and intelligence - not so emotionally smart.

  - Othello's language begins to mirror Iago's language. Not only is Othello manipulated psychologically, but also verbally. He is no longer an independent person. He is controlled by Iago in all aspects of life. HAS LOST HIS INFLUENCE AS A GENERAL.

  - Heaven and hell imagery... repeated throughout.

  
  

  SAID BY OTHELLO
• "I am a Christian."


  - Once again, this quote highlights that Othello does not know his wife well enough. Othello is aware of the importance of religion in his wife's life, yet he is not smart enough to gauge that because Desdemona is a Christian and devotes herself to God, she is very unlikely to sin against God and his commandments.

  - This heightens the tragedy. If Othello would have known his wife well enough and understood that as a Christian she wouldn't be an adulterer, she would not have been sacrificed wrongfully. She is like Jesus, sacrificed for her religion. Her religion and her goodness is manipulated.

  - Some may argue that Desdemona uses her religion as an excuse. She does not know how to excuse her adultery and therefore, hopes God saves her from her potential lie. <- VIEW OF JACOBEANS WHO DISLIKED DESDEMONA FOR CHALLENGING SOCIAL CONVENTIONS.

  
  

  SAID BY DESDEMONA
• "I am a child to chiding."


  - An example which convinces us that Desdemona is innocent. She does not understand Othello's accusations.

  - Missed opportunity & fate; in making it known that she does not understand Othello's accusations outside of his presence, Desdemona makes it clear that she is innocent. She would not put a front outside of Othello's presence.

  
  

  SAID BY DESDEMONA
• "Good Iago"

  "Good friend"


  - Desdemona as a victim. She is also manipulated by Iago.

  - Tragic; Desdemona is killed at the hands of her "good friend's" duplicity. Women as sacrificial animals and victims.

  - Portrays Iago as heartless. How could he allow Desdemona's killing to go ahead when she evidently has so much trust in him?

  - Desdemona is innocent. Almost too innocent that it angers us.

  
  

  SAID BY DESDEMONA
• "Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well."

  - Duplicity of Iago; he comforts Desdemona despite being the one to put Desdemona in such a position (dramatic irony).

  - A good actor; he knows how to treat characters and how to act around characters so he does not give away his facade. He is still holding onto his innocent and guiltless image.

  - Well-calculated and opportunistic.

  
  

  SAID BY IAGO
• "Guiltiness I know not."

  - Desdemona's innocence.

  
  

  SAID BY DESDEMONA
• "Send for the man and ask him."

  "Let him confess a truth."


  - Desdemona asks Othello to give her a voice. She wants the truth to be found out.

  - It is natural that Othello does not accept Desdemona's request. Desdemona asks Othello to find out the truth from Cassio, yet, Othello is likely to believe that Cassio would cover up the truth for Desdemona.

  - Fate and missed opportunity. Othello is full of pride and therefore refuses to think that Iago or himself are in the wrong. His pride heightens the tragedy because should he have abandoned his pride for once, he would have found out the truth and Desdemona would have been saved from being killed.

  - We feel anger towards Othello. If he was the level-headed and anti-patriarchal male character we saw at the beginning, Desdemona would have been able to voice her side of the story. She is killed wrongfully.

  
  

  SAID BY DESDEMONA