The Character Desdemona and the Role of Women Depicted in...

The society in which Othello takes place is a patriarchal one, where men had complete control over women. They were seen as possessions rather than being just as equally human and capable of duties performed by men. All women of the Elizabethan were to obey all men, fathers, brothers, husbands, etc. Which leads me to the most reliable and trustworthy character of Desdemona, whom goes through many trials just to satisfy her love. Shakespeare brings the thought of Desdemona into the play by Barbantio, her father, â€Å"It is too true an evil. Gone she is.\...Oh, she deceives me\ Past thought! †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1.1.163)(1.1.168-169), whom has just found she has taken off with Othello and firstly suspects they have been hitched. Shakespeare gives reader the†¦show more content†¦She is then disowned by Barbantio with no further words directed to her by him but is referenced as a liar and should be kept on watch for her conniving ways by him towards Othello. Which then begins Shak espeare’s in depth writing on Othello and Desdemona’s relationship where she is as â€Å"a child to chiding† (4.2.119-120). Not even a moment after her father leaves Othello commands Iago to tell his wife, Emilia, to tend to Desdemona as a babysitter. Irony occurs within (2.1.169-171) where Desdemona challenges Iago and stands as an independent woman for Emilia objecting to his conclusion, that women no matter how beautiful or intelligent play the same â€Å"foul pranks†. However, as Othello’s jealousy and rage arises throughout the play it seems as her character has to fight even harder to breathe under his control; symbolic for her death of suffocation. Desdemona is a gentle women living under her love’s control with no power to object even if she had opposed this type of controlling relationship. As a higher class woman she had more power and respect over other women characters such as Emilia or Bianca, but is this dominance enough to fe el in control of oneself? It is believed that Shakespeare added the 2 otherShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare Essay1418 Words   |  6 Pagesthose of any other playwright, past and present. One of the most famous examples of these plays is the tragedy of â€Å"Othello†, believed to have been written in approximately 1603. The work revolves around four central characters; Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army; his new wife, Desdemona; his lieutenant, Cassio; and his trusted ensign, Iago. 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