Desdemona Quotes

• "Who, he? I think the sun where he was born Drew all such honours from him"- Act 3 scene 4


  Emilia questions Desdemona if Othello will get jealous after he realises that she has lost her handkerchief. Ironically, she boasts that Othello is far "too noble" to stoop to "such baseness"- the irony here is that, as a tragic hero, Othello's overwhelming pride is what leads to his jealousy, and ultimately his downfall.
• "You are lord of all my duty, I am hithero your daughter. But here's my husband"- Act 1 Scene 3


  Desdemona uses logic against her father's argument- although he used to have a patriarchal control over her, now that she has married a man the power has been transferred to Othello; this is a reflection of the wider attitudes of the time period-Elizabethan women were expected to be subservient to the men in their lives. In Shakespeare's play 'King Lear' the character of Cordelia is silently devoted to her father.
• "I will not stay to offend you"- Act 4 Scene 1


  Desdemona demonstrates a transformation through the play- she begins as a strong and valiant woman who refuses to become the stereotypical image of an Elizabethan woman- 'moth of peace', however, as the play continues, she becomes gradually more passive as she internalises the oppression from Othello and the other male characters. "Battered woman syndrome".
• "Why do you speak so faintly? Are you not well?"- Act 3 Scene 3


  Othello complains of having a headache; in the 16th century, in Literature (particularly Shakespearean), a man having a headache meant that he was 'growing horns' from his hand. This referenced to being made a cuckold- typically cuckolds have horns.
• "I do not know. I am sure I am none such"- Act 4 Scene 2


  Again, we see Desdemona's deterioration from a woman with a brave and confident character to a meek and vulnerable shell- her confusion rather than anger shows that she has submitted to Othello.
• "A guiltless death I die"- Act 5 Scene 2


  "guiltless" emphasises Desdemona's innocence and the destructive nature of Othello's jealousy- Othello's overwhelming pride is what has killed Desdemona- she has done nothing wrong. Emphasises the tragic element
• "And to his honor and his valiant parts Did I my sole and fortunes consecrate"- Act 1 Scene 3


  This hints at Desdemona's strong desire to become a warrior- she fell in love with Othello because of his brave war tales above anything else; a contemporary audience would have viewed this as unconventional, as the war scene was a realm that was outside her role as a woman. Desdemona's blatant valiance at the beginning of the play emphasises her deterioration and increases the tragic element- ultimately eliciting an emotional response from the audience.
• "If I be left behind, A moth of peace, and he go to the war"- Act 1 Scene 3


  If Desdemona doesn't go to war with Othello, she believes that she will become a "moth of peace". Moth's are commonly associated with being weak and futile- this suggests that she believes she is only of value when in association with Othello. The modern literary critic Marian Cox expressed this in the sentiment "women could only rise through their association with men and their rank".
• "O noble Moor!" - Desdemona
• "My heart is sore" - Desdemona
• "I am your spaniel, and like a dog will lie" - Desdemona
• Desdemona


  The main female character in the play "Othello" by William Shakespeare. She is the wife of the title character, Othello.