Desdemona is a more plausible, well-rounded figure than much criticism has given her credit for. When the Prince of Morocco chooses the Shakespeare has not selected the protagonist to be a man of color without a strong reason. In this way, Desdemona's relationship with Othello speaks to the play's concerns with 16th century attitudes about sex, gender, and race... which we discuss in more detail in our "Themes" section. For romance disguises certain facts, or sees them, as it were, through a luminous mist."1. So, even if its role is limited, race is of importance. The racism portrayed by Iago is contrasted to Desdemona's character who does not see race as an issue at all. Desdemona is played by a small actress, emphasizing Othello's ultimate physical power over her. Critics recently have focused attention on the roles of race and gender in Shakespeare's Othello, examining how the play interrogates social norms and disagreeing over whether those norms ultimately are subverted or upheld. in English literature from BRABU and an MBA from the Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi. But, between Othello and Desdemona, on the other hand, a most distressing conflict arose that She was strong but only in her unflinching ability to support her husband. Her speeches are not as lengthy as those of the men, but with Desdemona, every word counts. 260-26i), but is never called black or a Moor. Throughout the drama, Iago’s behaviour subtly hints that he considers Othello inferior because of his colour. world has never approved.  Lectures on Othello: Othello's Jealousy  Shakespeare's Sources for Othello The play tells the story of the demise of Desdemona and Othello's relationship due to mistrust on the part of Othello and lies told by Iago, a man who wants to ruin their marriage. In Othello, Shakespeare creates a hero who is not a racist stereotype. This is where his complexion and African descent may look like a  natural advantage but off the field it is a disadvantage. FOOTNOTE 2: Shakespeare Commentaries: Tragedies, p. 95, St. Louis, U. S. Othellos love for Desdemona at the beginning of the play was based on this hope, faith and experience. Desdemona may have the choice of many suitable matches, but she chooses Othello, even despite his racial difference. 179–180]) and her terse fury after Othello strikes her (“I have not deserved this” [IV.i. Desdemona, unlike her husband, is not insecure, ... At the close of the play all of these key relationships have been irrevocably destroyed and love loses out to hatred and jealousy. far above our common level," and adds: "There is perhaps a certain excuse for our failure to rise to "4 Apparently it needs to be said over again that no conflict arose between Romeo and Juliet, but that all their trouble was with a world arrayed against them. Desdemona began Othello as an elusive, desirable woman who we found to have already challenged gender roles. learn the lesson of letting the dramatist have his way. There are numerous Shakespearean plays which seem to bear out the idea that the dramatist thought it to be the woman's right to choose her own husband, without meeting her father's wishes in the matter. almost completely overshadowed the original conflict and ended only in the greatest catastrophe of the drama. Desdemona and Othello’s relationship is strained by the end of Act 3. Race is not at the core of Shakespeare’s Othello but affects everything in the drama. He has also stolen away Desdemona from her father, and secretly married her, making an enemy of Brabantio, who had been one of his greatest admirers among the Senate. Iago keeps fingering his wound to take him away from his beloved wife Desdemona. Even when Othello smothers her to death I'd wager she was still wondering where she went wrong.  Iago's Motives: The Relationship Between Othello and Iago Othello played the most important role in the murder of Desdemona due to his flaws in his character. As the play progresses it is clear that Othello is a man like any other in the text, the only difference his race. This deficiency, it is now important to notice, the play implies is due to his racial character, and comes from the fact that he is a Moor. golden casket, only to find "a carrion death" awaiting him, Portia remarks: It has not generally been observed that Shakespeare makes more of this racial difference than did Cinthio, the Italian original. In keeping with this, when Othello is questioned about how his relationship with Desdemona began, the difference between him and the surrounding noblemen is more rhetorical than racial: Othello declares that, for his testimony, he will a ‘round unvarnish’d tale deliver’ (1.3.90). While evil characters such as Iago refer to him simply and disparagingly as “the Moor" those who actually know him refer to him instead as “the valiant Moor" making his race part of who he is—a respected and revered man who is, quite circumstantially a Moor. are possible he follows the usual tradition. When Desdemona is brought into court to speak for herself in the matter of the marriage, she declares On the other hand, Desdemona is shown to be a weak female, as she is full of doubts and fears, as she does not stand up to Othello when it really matters. Othello’s skin colour is also one of the reasons that Iago hates him so much. Finally, Iago counsels Othello to trust only what he sees, not Iago's suspicions. regarded with the same distaste as that of Othello and Desdemona. Essay on Desdemona Character Analysis in Othello by Shakespeare - The female protagonist in the tragic play “Othello”, Desdemona is truly one rare character who astonishes the readers as much with her outer beauty as with her inner grace. When charged before the Senate with the abduction of Desdemona, Othello's defence consists of a frank and free admission that he had taken Brabantio's daughter, and an apologetic account of his "whole course of love." FOOTNOTE 4: Ibid., p. 290. does he truely loe her? is the fault of Desdemona, though some critics make a great deal of this, but the fact that in marrying Othello she showed a wilful disregard of her own highest interests. This is bound to give rise to an inferiority complex in the protagonist. Right at the outset of the drama Iago makes racist quotes against the Moor. This play presents a story of Othello being misguided by his ensign Iago and led to him murdering his faithful wife Desdemona. She loves Cassio who is fairer and that the Moor is a poor match for her. Iago again says that his suspicions are likely false. When charged before the Senate with the abduction of Desdemona, Othello's defence consists of a frank and free admission that he had taken Brabantio's daughter, and an apologetic account of his "whole course of love." Race and racial differences can kill. Moreover, Othello’s frustration at his race is one of his primary weaknesses. Get an answer for 'In Shakespeare's Othello, how does racism affect the relationship that Othello has with Desdemona, Roderigo, and Iago?' VIII., p. 290. She says she understands fully what she is doing, recognizes Othello as a Moor, but that she accepts him as he is, or, as her words imply, she finds compensation for his color in the quality of his mind, in his honors, and in In that time, interracial relationships and marriage wasn’t allowed. good to all. Brabantio and his troop serve to bring out the private side of Othello's character, hither-to unsuspected. his courage: In some recent criticism there has been an attempt to glorify the purity and beauty of the love of Othello and Desdemona, and to place it among the most spiritual of the loves of Shakespeare. In the play “Othello,” by William Shakespeare, the main protagonist can be very much interpreted as a victim who has been treated differently in comparison to the Venetians due to his race. On this assumption, however, the many references to his color and race throughout the play cannot well be explained. It shows that Shakespeare has used the element of racism in the drama intentionally. It plays a central role in shaping the plot of the drama and the behaviour of the characters. Desdemona. contact: support@notesmatic.com, admin@notesmatic.com, Ford Mission and Vision Statement: An Analysis, Toyota Mission, Vision and guiding principles, How To Market Your Small Business Successfully, What You Need To Know About Marketing for Your New Business. Shakespeare no doubt shared this feeling, for in the two plays where no doubts on the matter FOOTNOTE 3: Eversley Shakespeare, Vol. Shakespeare has showed it in Othello. He graduated with a Hons. The cool words of Othello prevent a clash between the two: The Moor now finds that his old friend, the Signior Brabantio, formerly his admirer, has unexpectedly The exposition of these two elements of the play is set forth by the dramatist with his usual clearness, and at considerable length, but has nevertheless escaped the notice of the critics, or has been discounted as a factor in the interpretation. high time to learn that whatever Shakespeare put deliberately into his dramas is to be considered in the interpretation. The Moor is courageous and smart in the battlefield but after all his race and colour make him feel like being ostracised. He compares Othello with a black Ram and Desdemona with a white ewe. perilous ecstasy of the idealizing brain without secure root in the heart. Shakespeare's meaning, and to realize how extraordinary and splendid a thing it was in a gentle Venetian girl to love Othello, and to assail fortune with such a downright violence and storm as is expected only in a hero." While, there are no major signs of racial hatred against Othello, except the few slangs that Iago uses for him, still he is an outsider because of his colour. military training could save him. Firstly, Othello’s race and the racism around him ruined his marriage with Desdemona. The proper understanding of the relations of Othello and Desdemona is equally important with the question of the relations of lago and Othello. Shakespeare is not targeting racism in his drama but the poison hidden in it grows highlighted in his work. Othello and Desdemona's Relationship . Once you stop minding your weaknesses, your opponents will benefit from them. "2 Her love, indeed, seems to be a kind of romantic fascination, a love of the sensuous imagination, what Professor Herford properly calls "a Once the suspicion is in, all the trust is Othello’s and Desdemona’s relationship is lost. Desdemona is the representation of continuity of values and an innocent, flawless Venetian woman, however Othello is portrayed as a cultural and racial outsider in Venice. Othello was otherwise satisfied with his life but for Iago, his life is ruined. There are in these and other instances, however, many differences from the case of Othello and Desdemona. Jealousy consumes the mind of Othello, and is it is emphasised in the play, it is a catalyst for the killing of Desdemona. From "Fair Warrior" to Victim of Abuse. become his accuser before the Senate. For the first time, possibly, Othello becomes aware of the fact that he is not accepted on terms of full and exact equality in all particulars with the Venetians. From the very outset one is immediately made aware of Shakespeare’s intent for this play. Moreover, the agony and ignominy of being considered a cuckold are not small either. She affirms her love for the Moor, and her desire to live with him, and requests to be permitted to accompany him to Cyprus. It is due to his colour (race) that Othello is considered an outsider. III. Iago successfully brings out the monster from inside Othello. Race provides the most prominent catalyst for the conflicts that become evident in the play.  The Problem of Time in Othello, Iago's Motives: The Relationship Between Othello and Iago. He cannot be loved because he is not as good looking as Cassio. "3 The last mentioned writer shows clear insight when he contrasts the love of Othello and Desdemona with that of Romeo and Juliet, which so "completely possesses and occupies their simple souls, that they present no point of vantage for distintegrating forces. Othello claims not to be jealous; though it is obvious from his manner that this is untrue. Moor. She is equally capable of defending her marriage, jesting bawdily with Iago, and responding with dignity to … If he was not of African origin, Iago would have found it difficult to prove that Desdemona did not love him. Juliet disobeyed a tyrannical and hateful father to find a larger life and a true spiritual union with Romeo. Some critics endeavor to make out that nothing whatever of the happenings of the play are in any way connected with the fact that Othello is a  Othello: Plot Summary Under some conditions it is possible that their love might have outlived their lives and overcome its handicaps, yet it is to miss the art of this drama not to see that the dramatist is here showing its unnaturalness by placing it in the conditions that test it to the uttermost and that reveal its weakness and 475). But it is They allege he is nothing but a man, though he happens to be a black man. However, he himself fails to escape his fate for having done injustice to two poor lovers. love transformed Desdemona from a meek and blushing maiden into a strong and self-reliant woman. Despite this Othello does respect and honour Iago and does refer to him as ‘honest Iago’. A., 1807. In this way, race plays a small but still significant role in Shakespeare’s play. And the play makes Othello quite as conscious as any one else of his diversity of race, though it is to other causes that he assigns his want of grace and culture. and find homework help for other Othello questions at eNotes Othello’s colour also makes readers sympathise with him. not necessary to hold, as Professor Bradley would have us believe, that the dramatist must be credited with clear doctrines of Kulturgeschichte if we are to Desdemona doesn’t understand why he’s acting so strangely and Othello starts to talk to Iago about her death. Professor Bradley speaks of Desdemona's choice of Othello as rising "too There need be no attempt to deny the reality of the love of these two, and its effect upon their development, but it was not strong enough or natural enough to overcome all its enemies, for the hand of Portia, and presented him as unsuccessful. He asks Brabantio to open his eyes else the black devil would have turned him into a grand father before he even knew. Society’s view of Othello’s relationship with his wife, Desdemona… “Because we come todo you service and you think we are ruffians, you’llhave your daughter covered with a Barbary horse,you’ll have your nephews neigh to you, you’ll havecoursers for cousins and jennets for germans”. The Limits of the Human: Fictions of Anomaly, Race, and Gender in the Long Eighteenth Century, 2003.) Badger, 1916. In both cases there is evidence of his callousness and dullness of mind. 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