Independent and Dependent Desdemona. In the story of Othello, Desdemona is a young woman who is obedient and loyal to her

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1 1 Shakespeare s Later Plays 4/27/2010 Dr. Jennifer Forsyth Independent and Dependent Desdemona In the story of Othello, Desdemona is a young woman who is obedient and loyal to her husband Othello. If he told her to jump, she would ask how high, how far, and what he would like her to bring back on her way back down. She did most of what he asked her to do with no hesitation and no questioning. It did not matter if she liked doing what she was doing or not, as long as Othello told her to do it, she made sure it was done. Throughout the story, she seemed to be very dependent with Othello, at times she did things that in her heart she knew was not right. What I wonder is why she chooses to be as dependent as she is in the story. At first, I came to a conclusion that back in 17 th century; all women were dependant and listened to every word that their husband told them. That cannot be right because of the way her close friend Emilia acted the way that she did. She showed unbelievable strength and courage during the end of the story. She was able to follow her own heart and let that determine what she was going to do next. This gave me the question that I decided to base my research paper on, was Othello the catalyst for Desdemona s dependence? Throughout the play, she had no problem speaking her mind with other males, but everything was different when it came to Othello. It is possible that the way Othello treated her was the cause of her acting like she was his property. Before he looked at her as a whore, he treated her with the upmost respect and actually loved her. After he began to suspect her promiscuous nature, he started to act very disrespectful toward her and treated her like a dog. Still, during both content and turbulent times of their relationship, Desdemona continued to be loyal until her

2 2 brutal murder. In this paper, I will review the different ways that Desdemona was independent at times and also dependent, normally when the situation involves Othello. I will try to determine if Othello is the reason that Desdemona pulls a complete turnaround and starts to act like she needs to be around men. Since this story was supposed to have been created in the beginning of the 17 th century, I did some research on women during that particular time period. I came across an article called 17 th Century Women by Tim Lambert, a researcher of English history. In this article, Lambert discusses what the typical woman was in a household and how they lived during the 17 th century. A very common job for women was domestic servant. Other women were midwives and apothecaries. However most women were housewives and kept very busy. Most men could not run a farm or a business without their wife s help. According to Lambert, women were very independent during those times. They were steady workers and were considered vital parts in keeping a stable household. When Lambert said most men could not run a business without his wife s help that showed me the importance and strength of women. Although they were viewed as inferior, they still had a say in key situations. Without a wife s own hard work and dedication, the husband is handicapped. In the story Othello, Desdemona s occupation is never revealed to us, so I assume that she is an average housewife, basically working around the house for her husband. What I do know is that she is the daughter of the Venetian senator, Brabantio, so she does have class and must have been taught to be her own person. That shows her ability to be independent and make a choice that benefits her. She has shown this side of her a few times during interactions with other characters.

3 3 In act 2, scene 1, Desdemona engages in a conversation about women with the deceptive Iago and his wife, Emilia, who also happens to be Desdemona s most trusted attendant. Here, she has no problem speaking her mind when in the presence of a man. IAGO. There s none so foul and thereunto. But does foul pranks which fair and wise ones do. DESDEMONA. Oh, heavy ignorance! Thou praisest the worst best. But what praise couldst thou bestow on a deserving woman indeed, one that in the authority of her merit did justly put on the vouch of very merit itself? (Oth ) After a few more demeaning comments about women, Desdemona seems to of had enough of the slander and tells Iago and Emilia how she feels. The conversation ends with Desdemona blatantly telling Iago how foolish his views are towards women. IAGO. To suckle fools and chronicle small beer. DESDEMONA. Oh, most lame and impotent conclusion! Do not learn of him Emilia, though he be thy husband. How say you Cassio? Is he not a most profane and liberal counselor? (Oth ) This is proof that Desdemona can be an independent woman and speak her mind when she feels the need to. She lets her emotions out with no hesitation when Iago decides to make his ignorant claims about how the perfect women would still wind up as a tool for men. She even resorted to name calling when she asked Cassio if Iago was profane. With that said, Desdemona does have her moments where men do not rule her. She also loves Othello enough to go behind her father s back and marry him. In act 1, scene 3, Barbantio is reluctant to believe that his daughter would ever allow the thought of marrying

4 4 Othello to surface. He accused Othello of some sort of dark magic that forced Desdemona to want to be with Othello. Yet, when she is bought in front of him, she tells her father that she was the one who decided to marry of Othello and not anyone else. Desdemona even went as far as to tell her father that she shifts her loyalty from him to her new husband. So, this brings up the question. What has switched her character from being an independent woman who defends the female gender against all-comers to a dependent tool that openly listens to and follows the directions for her own murder? Desdemona clearly showcases the intangibles of an independent young woman many times in the early portion of the play. As stated earlier, she has no problems making the decisions that she feels will benefit her. She married Othello knowing that so many people, including her father, would not be fond of that and talked back at men that said derogatory things to her. That answer resides in the form of one man, Othello. When reading the play, it is noticeable that Othello is the one and only person, who could direct her to do something drastic, if he meant to or not. It makes sense because he is her husband and she seems like she is madly in love with him, but she has made it apparent that she would please him, sometimes no matter what the cost or consequences could possibly be. There has been many times where she had no problem doing this. Basically, the undying love that she has for Othello has made her dependent to him. In act 1, scene 3, during the end of Othello s trial, Desdemona did something that really displayed her loyalty and obedience towards Othello. Without him ever bringing up this topic, she asked if she could accompany him to war. DESDEMONA. That I did love the Moor to live with him, My downright violence, and storm of fortunes, May trumpet to the world. My heart s subdued Even to the very quality of my lord. I

5 5 saw Othello s visage in his mind, And to his honors and his valiant parts Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate. So that, dear lords, if I be left behind, a moth of peace, and he go to war, The rites for why I love him are bereft me, And I a heavy interim shall support By his dear absence. Let me go with him. (Oth ) Not once did the thought of how dangerous it would be for her to follow her husband to the battlefield enter her mind. She could have been captured and sold into slavery for the rest of her life if Othello and his army were soundly defeated or she could have been killed in a surprise attack while she and Othello slept together, but none of those consequences mattered to her. She is all about being there for Othello and trying her best to make sure he is pleased. Nobody else could get her to brave an entire war to be around them that is for sure. She did this act well before she was even accused of adultery, so there was no feeling of guilt or compunction when she decided to do this. When Desdemona said if I be left behind, a moth of peace, and he go to war, The rites for why I love him are bereft me was her way to say that she supports Othello completely and that she is basically miserable without him. This must be because of the influence of Othello. Ann Jennalie Cook s article, The Design of Desdemona Doubt Raised and Resolved, kind of describes how she is an independent character, but still answers to Othello. At her departure, after only two speeches, the audience knows that Desdemona is lovely, intelligent, strong willed, openly passionate, highly unconventional in her choice of a husband, forward in wooing, disobedient to proper parental authority, shrewd enough to deceive her father quite completely and sufficiently poised to keep her self-possession in the most trying situation (Cook 190). This describes what the audience thought about her right after she decided to leave with Othello

6 6 during the trial in Act 1, scene 3. Still, in a sense, while she is displaying independence, her dependent side is also used at the same time. The fact that she is doing what she wants to do shows the independent side that she has. What shows the audience her dependent side is the fact that she does not want to leave Othello s. Unless she was a part of Othello s army, she really had no reason to go to war with him in the first place. No wives or girlfriends accompanied their men to war because they knew what could happen. Othello sparked her interest because of his great war stories so she understands the negatives of war, why is it that she decides to go with him? When discussing Act 2, scene 3, Cook brings up the scene where she appears during an argument Othello has with Cassio. Instead, the playwright brings Desdemona onstage, risen from her bridal bed. How is one to interpret her appearance? Is she simply concerned by Othello s absence? Is she alarmed by the noise? Or is she quite impatient to continue with their lovemaking? And what sort of women would leave her wedding sheets to appear before a garrison of carousing soldiers? Once more Desdemona enters an all-male bastion to claim Othello, except that this time, rather than being summoned as she were before the Senate, she has come of her own volition (Cook 191). Once again, Desdemona shows her dependent state by wandering into something that has nothing to do with her. Not once did Othello, Iago, or Cassio use Desdemona s name. No one called her or even mentioned her and yet when Othello came to find out what the problem was, she did as well. These two men are both Othello s soldiers; therefore this argument is his problem and not hers. She is not even supposed to be there in the first place, but she came to his side as if he needed her.

7 7 The final example of Desdemona being dependent towards Othello was a couple of scenes before her actual death. In act 4, scene 3, when Othello tells her to go to bed she seems to understand what is coming to her. He told her to go to bed and send Emilia away. DESDEMONA. So would not I. My love doth so approve him That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns Prithee unpin me have grace and favor. EMILIA. I have laid those sheets you bade me on the bed. DESDEMONA. All s one. Good faith, how foolish are our minds! If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me In one of these same sheets (Oth ). With Desdemona asking Emilia to wrap her with the same sheets on the bed if she dies before Emilia, this confirms her knowing Othello s intentions. Why did she not decide to figure her own means of escape? Why did she decide to just give up and accept the fact that Othello was attempting to kill her. With the way Emilia acts, Desdemona knew that she would have help to get away from her impending death, but she did not. When the time came, she instead acted dependent and tried to reason with Othello and be at his mercy, not take the independent route and at least try to attempt some form of escape. Clearly, there is something about Othello that forced Desdemona to act dependent instead of being her independent self. She does not sit around and play the dependent role with characters like Cassio or Iago, but Othello has the ability to transform Desdemona from dependent to independent whenever he likes. People could try to make an argument that Iago is the reason for Desdemona s dependent shifts, and to a certain extent, they are right.

8 8 Iago does play a slight role on Desdemona s dependent issue because he is the one pulling Othello s strings and persuading him to treat her as nasty as he does. In act 4, scene 1, like he has been able to do the entire play, Iago does a good job in instigating the downfall of Othello and Desdemona s relationship. IAGO. And did you see the handkerchief? OTHELLO. Was that mine? IAGO. Yours, by this hand! And to see how he prizes the foolish woman your wife! She gave it him, and he hath given it his whore (Oth ). He easily got in Othello s head and caused him to doubt the undeniable love that Desdemona shared with him. E.K. Weedin Jr. points out in his article, Love s Reason in Othello, how Othello jumped to this conclusion. Weedin Jr. says, But now, having judged her guilty, to reason intelligently from these still evident premises, he must deny the virtue that they possessed where virtue is. Not only has he doubted before he has seen, he has proved before he has seen. Othello blindly listened to Iago s insight without even witnessing the crime committed with his own eyes, that shows how powerful Iago truly is and could even have you believe that Iago is the reason Desdemona turns dependent sometimes. Desdemona shows readers how powerless he is to her when she verbally assaults him as she defends her gender against him. Besides, if Iago tried to command Desdemona in the same fashion that Othello did, it would not work because he is not Othello. You can see that just from how she talked back to him and called him profane in act 2, scene 1.

9 9 In conclusion, Othello is in fact the catalyst of Desdemona s dependent issues. She never shows this side of her when she is around the other males or females of the play. With the examples of how she acted with other characters, and how she acted with Othello, you can clearly see the difference.

10 10 Works Cited Cook, Ann Jennalie. "The Design of Desdemona: Doubt Raised and Resolved." Shakespeare Studies 13. (1980): Web. 17 Apr Lambert, Tim. 17 th Century Women. Weedin Jr., E.K. "Love's Reason in Othello." Studies in English Literature 15.2 (1975): Web. 17 Apr Orgel, Stephen, and A.R. Braunmuller. William Shakespeare The Complete Works. New York: Penguin Books, Print.