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. EMILIA O, who hath done this deed? He tells her to pray to God and confess her sins before he kills her. She affirms her love for the Moor, and her desire to live with him, and requests to be permitted to accompany him to Cyprus. OTHELLO You heard her say herself, it was not I. EMILIA She said so: I must needs report the truth. She spoke for her herself, refused to be crushed under the feet of patriarchy. Her father appears to be a controlling man, and she stands up to him. Othello calls her a liar and admits it was he who killed her. Desdemona from Othello: Character Analysis & Overview 4:38 Othello & Desdemona's Relationship 5:10 Roderigo in Othello: Character Analysis & Quotes 3:26 ...birth, before his grandparents even arrived in America. In any given situation, for her, “even his (Othello’s) stubbornness, his cheeks and frowns have grace and favour in them.” Ad. From the outset of the drama it’s visible that Desdemona is just as innocent as she is pretty. 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. DESDEMONA: Nobody; I myself. Her character is presented as mild and sweet as possible, so that it appears unavoidable for her to subdues herself to her husband and let the destiny extinguish her. Suspicion leads to loss of trust and relationships are spoilt to the extent that both the lovers are dead by the end. DESDEMONA Nobody; I myself. Or, Is Desdemona responsible for the tragedy of her life? This quote demonstrates Desdemona's strength and bravery. She is too pure and kind hearted but lacks worldly wisdom. I,3,600. I,3,593. August 24, 2017 Othello. Desdemona remains faithful to her end, by saying she caused her own death. She was doubted, beaten and not trusted. Desdemona and Emilia arrive to accompany him to a state banquet, and Othello disguises his distress. Murph S Blog Othello Quotes For Desdemona . Dies. Even if someone is absolutely perfect doesn’t mean they will live a blessed life. She protects Othello, because he is her husband, even after he murdered her. “You know, Julia, maybe if you knew how to behave yourself, to keep your mouth shut, your sister would still be alive. In Act 5, Scene 1 of Othello, how does Desdemona's claim that she is to blame for her own death affect the interpretation of her character? Desdemona draws strength from Emilia as a friend, protector, healer, and would-be savior—but Emilia cannot save her. I ago is basically a pervert jealous unscrupulous, inhumane person whose unappreciable character is worsened with the betterment of Othello’s uplift in his life. At the core of the drama are the love and personal relationships and their inbuilt vulnerabilities. Farewell" (5.2.125). As they leave, Desdemona drops a handkerchief that was Othello’s first gift to her. • She looks for excuses for his behaviour which shows her eternal love for him. Emilia calls at the door. In life nobody is perfect and we are defined by our goodness and our flaws. She denies giving Cassio the handkerchief but Othello assumes she is lying. Or, Is Desdemona responsible for the tragedy of her life? Act 5 Scene 2 – Key Scene . Though she asserted her individual personality but under the impact of a male dominant society she could not exercise her freedom. “Everybody must pity Desdemona, but I cannot bring myself to like her. Desdemona has no knowledge of jealousy. Perhaps Othello never told her that if she lost it, he would loathe her because he wanted to use the handkerchief as a test of her love. It also demonstrates Desdemona’s forgiving nature and death. Her innocence is her primary weakness that leads her to death. However, one of the individuals in the play unwittingly helps contribute to her death by being naive. Emilia who is Desdemona’s loyal friend fails to convince Othello that Desdemona is faithful. Desdemona cries out that she has been murdered, clears Othello of the guilt, and dies. Desdemona was killed by Othello in the last scene, act 5.2 Othello was jealous because Iago planted the idea in his mind that Deademona lay with Cassio. Desdemona arrives in Cyprus & awaits news of her husband: As soon as their ship lands, Cassio associates their survival to nature’s reluctance to in any way hurt such a beautiful creature as “the divine Desdemona“, so we see yet another man worships her purity and has her on a pedestal so high, she’s sure to get vertigo! Do you agree? Hearing Emilia call at the door, Othello finishes off Desdemona, then lets in Emilia. 150: OTHELLO: You heard her say herself, it was not I. EMILIA: She said so: I must needs report the truth. Speeches (Lines) for Desdemona in "Othello" Total: 165. print/save view. She blames herself for Othello murdering her… Her determination to marry Othello – it was she who virtually did the proposing – seems the romantic crush of a silly schoolgirl rather than a mature affection; it is Othello’s adventures, so unlike the civilian life she knows, which captivate her rather than Othello as a person. In this Quote, Julia remembers Jazmyn’s reaction when she first learned of Olga's death. When Othello goes on to say that Iago knew of her unfaithfulness all along, Iago's insidious plot becomes clear to Emilia. When Emilia asks Desdemona who has harmed her, Desdemona replies "Nobody; I myself. OPTIONS: Show cue speeches • Show full speeches # Act, Scene, Line (Click to see in context) Speech text: 1. Other characters—notably her father—may be horrified that she could give herself to this alien creature, but his appearance is of little importance to her, compared to the essence of what he is. Desdemona (/ ˌ d ɛ z d ə ˈ m oʊ n ə /) is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello (c. 1601–1604). Her final act of loyalty to her husband is to condemn her self to purgatory as she lies on her death bed to protect Othello. Nor I; I would not there reside, To put my father in impatient thoughts... 3. Desdemona never stood up for herself; allows everything to happen to her without an insinuation of struggle, including her own death. ...a girl. I,3,528. "Amá just shakes her head. Or, Why does Desdemona suffer? Desdemona occupies contradictory positions in Othello; she is both 'half the wooer' (I.3.176) (an active female who makes her own choices – to marry Othello and to defend Cassio) and the passive prey or victim. EMILIA: Alas, who knows? By the play's end, Desdemona is so beaten down that she's pretty passive when Othello strangles her and when, with her dying breath, she blames herself for Othello's physical and emotional abuse. In this scene, Othello goes to Desdemona, convinced she must die. Despite her loyalty to her husband, Othello physically and verbally abuses Desdemona, slapping her and calling her a whore in public. Study Desdemona flashcards from Felix Essex's Hinchley wood class online, or in Brainscape's iPhone or Android app. Farewell Commend me to my kind lord: O, farewell! How is Desdemona faithful to Othello to the end? Even during that horrific event, she continues to declare her love for him. Tragically desdemona is apparently aware of her imminent death. Desdemona blames herself for her death; but, Emilia does not believe her. She follows Othello to Cyprus and shows constant loyalty to him, even to the moment of death, when he kills her on false suspicions that she has been unfaithful. Learn faster with spaced repetition. DESDEMONA A guiltless death I die. But she blames only herself for her death. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the Republic of Venice, Desdemona accompanies him. Desdemona’s Death and Emilia’s Defense. Desdemona is too innocent and gullible a character to be believable. Desdemona saya how she was murdered unfairly because she never cheated; she is dying an innocent woman. However, her position as a woman made her vulnerable. This suggests that in fact it is Desdemona’s hamartia that puts her at fault for her death; however she is innocent in that her feelings for Othello made her want to marry him, yet through her naivety or need for power (suggested by Rattray) she was a “strumpet” who in marrying Othello caused her own downfall. She insists she has done nothing wrong. When Desdemona is brought into court to speak for herself in the matter of the marriage, she declares that she freely and lovingly takes Othello for her husband, and intimates that she is willing to take all the consequences of that act. EMILIA Alas, who knows? I think that Othello is to blame for Desdemona's death's direct cause, because it's not in Othello's nature to kill such a gentle and, again, defenseless creature, though he does commit the murder. Or, Why does Desdemona suffer? She says what her big, sad eyes were telling me all along" Narrator . She is unwittingly responsible for her friend’s death because, she never mentions the handkerchief until Desdemona has been killed. Desdemona's Death. She awakes and defends herself against his accusations. Desdemona’s strength lies in her faith in love with does not shake with the opinion of the society and does not fade away with minor ruptures in her marriage. While Desdemona begins the play as a confident, assertive young woman, over the course of the play she seems to become far more passive. Desdemona is too innocent and gullible a character to be believable. OTHELLO Why, how should she be murder'd? Desdemona is a strong and independent woman. The story really begins in summer 1922. Soon after, Othello strangles her, and Desdemona blames herself for her husband's violence. Emilia encourages Desdemona to regard herself as Emilia does: as an individual worthy of love, life, and respect. EMILIA: O, who hath done this deed? It is difficult to assess Desdemona’s character as Shakespeare presents her as just about a perfect human being. • Desdemona is bewildered by her husbands treatment. My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty:... 2. He smothers her. Farewell : Commend me to my kind lord: O, farewell! DESDEMONA: A guiltless death I die. Even though they tell the truth and defend each other. Here, Desdemona says she's "sure" that she's done absolutely nothing to warrant Othello's behavior, and yet we can detect a note of uncertainty. Do you agree? Desdemona has a strong and enduring love for Othello—even though, at the same time, she does not really know him very well. Othello was promoted in his position overlooking Iago. Characterisation Desdemona. Have you ever thought about that?” She finally says it. The Othello quotes below are all either spoken by Desdemona or refer to Desdemona. Emilia tells him that Roderigo is dead and Cassio is wounded. [Dies] OTHELLO: Why, how should she be murder'd? It is revealed that he has previously warned Roderigo of his daughter, saying “My daughter is not for thee,” (Act One, Scene One), but she takes control.She speaks for herself instead of letting her father speak for her, and she defends her relationship with Othello. She stands by her decisions and knows her duties. Desdemona Quotes in Othello. 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