Scene Two

• Desdemona in Act 1, Scene I remains unnamed - allows her to take on the role of symbol for all women ("maidens) and their desired, coveted innocence
• "you have lost half your soul": '"My daughter is not for thee" - robbing'
• "your white ewe": '"your fair daughter" "clasps"'
• "if you have not given her leave.... hath made a gross revolt": '"unhappy girl!"'
• "She deceives me": '"The property of youth and maidenhood // may be abused"'
• Desdemona presented as the ideal of a virtuous woman despite deceiving her father
• Desdemona


  • "Soul", "white", "ewe", "youth", and "Maidenhood" are all terms linking Desdemona with purity and innocence
• Repeated emphasis on Desdemona's purity but also rendering her character one-dimensional, a pawn in the possessive men's games + an objectified (though precious) possession
• Despite her idealisation, Desdemona's nature is flawed - not due to malice or contempt, but on immaturity
• Desdemona


  • Infantilising language used to describe her - "ewe", "girl", "youth", "maidenhood"
• Repeated notion that Desdemona had been seduced or coerced into a relationship with Othello, "robbing"
• Discussion of Desdemona's "Maidenhood" as well as description of her fertility (replies "neigh" etc.) may also describe her purpose as a mother, considering the way Othello is seen to corrupt it
• The use of women in Shakespearean tragedy is discussed in Woodbridge's Critical analysis as she focusses on tragedy's 'anti-feminist agenda' personified by the gradual demonisation of all prominent female characters at the culmination of Shakespearean tragedy
• By describing her fertility and essential womanhood in the opening of the play, Shakespeare foregrounds the tragic events and remains present in the minds of the audience as the play progresses and emphasises the impact of her eventual death
• In Act 1, Scene 3, Iago tells Othello that Brabantio knows about his marriage but Othello dismisses this, saying let him do his spite!
• Cassio then arrives with a message from the Duke asking Othello to come to the senate to discuss the war in Cyprus. As they are about to leave, Brabantio and Roderigo arrive to arrest Othello for bewitching Desdemona. When he hears of Othello's beckoning he allows him to go, saying "The Duke himself // cannot but feel this wrong as 'twere their own."
• "You"


  Used to connote respect but also detachment
• Iago addresses Othello as 'you' perhaps showing his detachment
• Iago's address of and description of Othello shows his mock-respect, over-amplification/emphasis on his nobility still suggests Iago's intent with his expressions
• Opening of 12, "slain vs Murder- illustrates himself as an honourable, lawful man by stating his adherence to the boundaries of war
• "by Janus" (two-faced God): '"The little godliness I have"'
• Iago's self-deprecating language and use of religious references suggests a desire to appear more pious and virtuous than he truly is, further highlighting his duplicity
• Iago's description of Brabantio's "bad intent" which Iago himself instigated is an early sign of his later duplicity
• Suggests Brabantio must be dealt with to prevent termination of Othello's marriage, already planting seeds of murderous intent
• Othello compares his love and freedom to the sea, showing their value and in his mind eternal presence. This suggests he is loyal and dedicated, believing his experience of the present is permanent
• Othello's naivety is shown as he doesn't consider the possibility of his relationship breaking down, believing the privileges of his nobility counteract the disadvantages of his race
• Othello uses abstract nouns to describe his possessions, perhaps suggesting holiness as he isn't concerned with the protection of material objects, but spiritual ones
• Othello's dependence on confidence in his own ability to protect himself furthers his noble military status