In the end, Othello … Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Bianca – prostitute in love with Cassio. The theme of love is blinding is best shown in Desdemona and Othello, Emilia and Iago, and Brabantio and Desdemona. ). Othello has led a life of adventure; Desdemona has hardly been outside her house. She refuses to marry any of the rich, handsome Venetian men that everyone expects her to marry. Desdemona is a model wife, if perhaps too trusting of Iago. 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. When Iago gets Roderigo to ambush Cassio, he hopes: both will be killed: 22. 236]). Two of the key characters are Cassio, Othello's loyal captain, and Roderigo, a man who is love with Othello's wife, Desdemona. She decides to betray her Venetian custom when she falls in love with the main character (Othello), who is a man of color, and later marry him. © 2004 – 2020 No Sweat Digital Ltd. All rights reserved. . Like most of Shakespeare’s plays, Othello is a tragedy. Updates? A devoted, loving wife, she is murdered by her husband in a fit of jealous rage. The Turks are heading towards Venice and unless they can be stopped they will invade the city. 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. Yet, when a crisis comes, they both share the same basic values of honesty and loyalty. He takes his own life once he finds out. Othello sensed her feelings about him and was emboldened to speak out about his love for her. On the other hand, bein… 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. Othello used magic on Desdemona: 19. 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? Iago engineers an incident in a pub by making Cassio drunk and framing him for a small act of violence. Othello is about many things and one of the most glaring of those things is race. .. 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. She is a beautiful, intelligent and educated young woman with multiple suitors, but well-guarded by her father. Iago uses Othello’s love for Desdemona against him. 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. (She dies) (Act 5, Scene 2, 125-127)” Love is the driver for all great stories. 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. Please log in again. She is far too trusting and thus herself partly responsible for her fate. 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. By doing that he plants jealousy into Othello’s mind. 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 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. Who does Iago convince Othello that his wife has been sleeping with? They decided to elope and get married without her father knowing. Desdemona Desdemona is a foil for the male characters in the play, emphasizing their masculine characteristics. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. When his ship arrives, he and Desdemona joyfully greet each other. At the heart of Shakespeare's "Othello" is the doomed romance between Othello and Desdemona. Desdemona obviously did not share this view, as she was a devoted Christian, and so would not have falling in love with something unholy. He convinces Othello with engineered ‘evidence’ that Desdemona is having a sexual affair with Cassio. Duke of Venice – leader of govt. Driven by jealousy that has been skillfully manipulated, Othello takes the life of. Othello then swears to have Cassio dead, and to be revenged upon Desdemona for the non-existent affair. Considering the love in friendship, one can analyse the friendship between Emilia and Desdemona. Desdemona, fictional character, the wife of Othello and the object of his unwarranted jealousy, in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello (written 1603–04). O, farewell! 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. Roderigo doesn’t like Othello because: Desdemona is married to him: 20. Desdemona (/ ˌ d ɛ z d ə ˈ m oʊ n ə /) is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello (c. 1601–1604). And she's a total Daddy's girl... until she falls head over heels in love with Othello. Othello is the man who is in love with Desdemona. The login page will open in a new tab. Othello's status in Venice is pretty complicated—he's both an insider and an outsider. 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. So he doesn't look like he is against Othello What is Roderigo's previous relationship with Brabantio and Desdemona? Othello is a General in the Venetian military. Othello was truly in love with Desdemona, but so were many others. Othello demotes Cassio while at the same time becoming very unpleasant to Desdemona. 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. In spite of that, she is basically innocent and unaware of the dangers of life. Farewell. Othello is depicted by the author as the hero of love as he is ready to safeguard the love of his life. The play Othello portrays various stages of love and how it is bound to the nature of the individuals who experience it. Love And Betrayal In Othello 2500 Words | 10 Pages. Iago is probably Shakespeare’s most fully realised and most destructive villain. Othello, a black man, has gained the love of Desdemona, the daughter of a wealthy citizen. 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). Roderigo is in love with Desdemona but she rejected him Barbantio's reaction to othello and desdemona's marriage Omissions? Iago, angry about life generally, and taking pleasure in manipulating people, decides to poison that love and destroy Othello. Desdemona is a beautiful, young, white, Venetian debutante. And Desdemona with all her love that she had for Othello even if he killed her, she doesn’t want Othello to suffer and to let the fault on him so she answered: “Nobody – I myself. 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. Emilia – lady-in-waiting for Desdemona and Iago’s wife. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. 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. 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. Gratiano. She is one of the most pitiable victims in all of Shakespeare’s plays. 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). In the meantime Brabantio, a prominent Venetian citizen, has just heard that his daughter, Desdemona, has run off with the Moor and married him. Othello and Desdemona are deeply in love with each other, even though they are very different. Iago also has the complete trust of Desdemona. Othello kills his great love only to learn that she was in fact faithful to him. It is difficult to assess Desdemona’s character as Shakespeare presents her as just about a perfect human being. Read More. Their lives seem to be moving along in happiness, but the infamous Iago has an evil plan in store for them. Not bad at all. Desdemona anxiously waits for Othello. Doing that demonstrates enormous courage. It is believed that Shakespeare wrote 38 plays in total between 1590 and 1612. The daughter of a Venetian senator, Desdemona is greatly loved by Othello, an honoured and heroic Moorish general in the service of Venice. Even during that horrific event, she continues to declare her love for him. Her love of Othello appears as a mental decision rather than a vital infatuation. They are in love, but Othello can't get past his self-doubt as to why such a lovely woman would love him. Both Desdemona and Cassio appeal to Iago to help them and while pretending to do that he draws them both deeper into his trap. Besides the beauty and charm for which she is revered, she possesses a marked degree of mental idealism and emotional purity. Iago also knows that Desdemona is the love of Othello's life and the person he adores the most. 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. Cassio. Othello has some trusted officers around him. Desdemona is a character in Shakespeare’s Othello. Instead, she elopes (gasp!) 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. The play opens to a Venetian crisis. She is presented as a young Venetian beauty highly treasured by her father, Brabanzio. Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish man several years her senior. 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. Othello was loved and respected by some. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the Republic of Venice, Desdemona accompanies him. Over the course of the play, both are lured into the complex love plot engineered by Iago, one of Shakespeare's best-written villains. Emilia is down to earth to Desdemona's nobility, and practical to Desdemona's romanticism. Love can be used against you/ Love can be manipulated. 179–180]) and her terse fury after Othello strikes her (“I have not deserved this” [IV.i. Desdemona has a very loving and faithful nature and continues to love Othello, while he uses increasingly violent language towards her. … 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. Desdemona is an exceptional woman. Still from the motion picture version of Shakespeare's, Othello, a Moorish general in the service of Venice in Shakespeare’s Othello. Brabantio. “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. 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. 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. . Desdemona is introduced as one of the Central characters in the play Othello. true: 23. 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. Othello refuses to be destroyed by jealousy because he can clearly see that Desdemona chose him out of love and not because of anything else, but he feels like he needs proof from Desdemona that she is not cheating on him to be truly convinced. The Duke agrees that she should go to Cyprus with her husband. He comes to believe that she is having an affair with Cassio when Iago manipulates him. Although he is a highly accomplished and experienced general and head of the Venetian army he is subjected to racial abuse. 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. One of his most famous plays is Othello. The first person to doubt Iago’s honesty, besides Roderigo is: Emilia: 21. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Desdemona-fictional-character. Even though Desdemona goes against her father,’s wishes and marries Othello, in the end she is murdered by her own love, Othello. Iago, angry about life generally, and taking pleasure in manipulating people, decides to poison that love and destroy Othello. Not bad, Othello. As it advances the other characters are drawn in. Othello does not believe her, and smothers her to death. Cassio – (honorable) lieutenant, with Othello when he first dates Desdemona. Her speech to the Council shows strength and determination, common sense, and commitment. Desdemona is a more plausible, well-rounded figure than much criticism has given her credit for. 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. This leaves his mind susceptible to the tragic poisoning by the scheming Iago, even though Desdemona has done nothing wrong. In her marriage, her vow to honour her husband through thick and thin is carried out to the very end. The possession of a woman is the key element of a man’s power in Othello. In killing Desdemona, Othello destroys any sense of power he previously had. Urged by the Duke Brabantio reluctantly accepts that but refuses to have her in his house. The eponymous character, Othello, is a Moor. In the play, one gets to see the love of Desdemona and Othello and also the kind of love between Emilia and Iago. The daughter of a Venetian senator, Desdemona is greatly loved by Othello, an honoured and heroic Moorish general in the service of Venice. with Othello—an older black man, an outsider to Venetian society (gasp! Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Desdemona, fictional character, the wife of Othello and the object of his unwarranted jealousy, in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello (written 1603–04). Roderigo – in love with Desdemona, pays Iago to court her on his behalf. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). According to Emilia, she might cheat on Iago. Othello becomes obsessed with the idea that his wife is sleeping with Cassio. He has married Desdemona in secret as they are greatly in love. Prior to his marriage to Desdemona, Desdemona’s father was reluctant with the marriage because Othello was a black man. Cassio has until recently been an ancient but was chosen ahead of Iago to be Othello’s lieutenant. There is no more but this, away at once with love or jealousy!” (3.3.31). Shakespeare’s most fully realised and most destructive villain, Shakespeare’s 10 most influential characters, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters List, All’s Well That Ends Well Characters List, The Merry Wives of Windsor Characters List, The Most Powerful Shakespeare Female Characters, The Two Gentlemen of Verona Characters List. Iago warns Othello about Brabantio’s anger, but Othello is confident in his own strength and in his love for Desdemona…. This list of Shakespeare plays brings together all 38 plays in alphabetical order. She fell in love with the idea of a bold, courageous, romantic adventurer and her heart fully consented. Act 1, scene 3 The duke and the senators discuss the movements of the Turkish fleet and conclude that its target is, indeed, Cyprus…. 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. Iago hints to Othello that she deceived her father so she could deceive him. Iago also wants to attack Cassio and devises a plan to kill two birds with one stone. Othello explains all that to the Duke. Commend me to my kind lord. Brabantio’s  daughter, Desdemona, had listened to the stories and fallen in love with the Moor. Corrections? 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