Characters: Desdemona (Grade 12 NSC Matric English HL): Revision Notes
Characters: Desdemona
Character overview
Desdemona stands as one of Shakespeare's most complex and well-developed female characters in Othello. Rather than being simply weak and submissive as some critics suggest, she demonstrates a fascinating blend of independence, loyalty, and tragic awareness that makes her a compelling figure throughout the play.
Her character challenges easy categorisation - she displays both remarkable strength and vulnerable submission, making her a truly three-dimensional character whose contradictions reflect the complexities of human nature.
Key character traits
Independence and strength
Desdemona begins the play showing considerable independence and courage. This is most clearly demonstrated in her first major speech where she declares her "divided duty" between father and husband. Her bold choice to marry Othello against her father's wishes shows her determination to follow her heart rather than social expectations.
Key Quote Analysis: Desdemona's Declaration of Independence
"My noble father, / I do perceive here a divided duty" (1.3.179-180)
This speech reveals her ability to articulate her position with conviction and authority, challenging the stereotype of the passive Renaissance woman.
Contradictory nature: submission and defiance
Shakespeare crafts Desdemona with intriguing contradictions. Whilst she shows independence early in the play, she also demonstrates submissive tendencies, particularly in her willingness to accept blame for her own murder.
Her Final Words: The Ultimate Contradiction
Her famous dying words exemplify this contradiction: "Nobody. I myself. Farewell. / Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell" (5.2.133-134).
Even as she dies, she protects Othello by refusing to name him as her killer, demonstrating both submission and a form of active moral choice.
Loyalty and forgiveness
Throughout the play, Desdemona maintains unwavering loyalty to Othello, even when faced with his increasingly erratic behaviour. She continues to defend him and their love, showing a capacity for forgiveness that remains constant until her death.
Loyalty Until Death
She maintains she is "guiltless" (5.2.133), yet still forgives Othello in her final moments, showing that her loyalty transcends even her own suffering.
Tragic awareness
In the final act, Desdemona displays a haunting awareness of her approaching death. She asks Emilia to prepare her wedding sheets and requests to be buried in them should she die. This preparation shows her intuitive understanding of the tragedy unfolding around her.
The Willow Song: Foreshadowing Her Fate
Her singing of the willow song demonstrates her subconscious recognition of her destiny:
"She was in love; and he proved mad / And did forsake her... And she died singing it. That song tonight / Will not go from my mind" (4.3.27-30)
This shows her subconscious recognition that she shares the fate of the abandoned woman in the song.
Character development through the play
Desdemona's journey follows a tragic arc from confident young woman to victim of circumstance. However, she never becomes entirely passive - even her submission contains elements of active choice and moral strength.
Early acts: the independent wife
- Defends her marriage choice boldly
- Shows intellectual capability in her speeches
- Demonstrates social confidence
Middle acts: the loyal wife
- Continues to support Othello despite his strange behaviour
- Attempts to help Cassio, showing compassion
- Maintains her innocence with quiet dignity
Final acts: the tragic victim
- Displays awareness of impending doom
- Maintains loyalty even unto death
- Achieves a kind of moral victory through forgiveness
Symbolic significance
Desdemona's death is deeply symbolic - she is literally suffocated beneath the very sheets that represent her marriage vows. This physical detail reinforces how the demands of fidelity and wifely duty ultimately destroy her, despite her genuine faithfulness to both.
The manner of her death emphasises the play's themes about how women are trapped by societal expectations, even when they try to navigate them with integrity.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Desdemona is complex, not simply weak - she shows both independence and submission in different circumstances
- Her contradictions make her human - she can be both strong and vulnerable, defiant and submissive
- Key quotes show her loyalty - even dying, she protects Othello by claiming "Nobody" killed her
- She displays tragic awareness - the willow song and wedding sheet preparation show she senses her fate
- Her forgiveness is active, not passive - choosing to forgive Othello represents moral strength, not weakness