Othello Essay
Q: Does Desdemona bear any of the responsibility for the tragedy? Why or why not?
Desdemona bears some of the responsibility for the tragedy in Shakespeare’s Othello. To understand and give the analysis of this topic, let’s try to back up to the end of the play and consider of understanding the tragedy at the deepest level.
As we know, Desdemona is dead in the bed at the end of play, and the most shocking thing is that Desdemona got killed by Othello as a result of her remaining silent. The reason why I try to point this out is that nobody would expect Desdemona eventually to be killed by Othello when people just begin to read or watch this play, because everyone knows and understands how Othello and Desdemona love each other. Finally, they are dead and fall down in this horrible tragedy. Othello kills himself after he murders Desdemona by using the pillow to suffocate her. Why does this couple who used to be happy, eventually become a tragedy, and how does it happen? Is Desdemona innocent? Or, are the tragedies all caused only by Othello?
Frist of all, we must have already known that Desdemona is born in a very prosperous and powerful family, and her father also enjoys a high status in the society. As a result, Desdemona gets the same praises and honors by being covered with her family’s honors. Like I say, Desdemona is born in the prosperous and supreme family. In this family at that time, every member of this family unlikely will welcome any black man to be a part of their family member, especially to be a husband for Desdemona. Her love will not be recognized, even though Othello is a great guy with plenty of honors. To make it possible, Desdemona tries her best to convince her father of her love for Othello. “My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty: To you I am bound for life and education; My life and education both do learn me How to respect you; you are the lord of duty; I am hitherto your daughter: but here's my husband, And so much duty as my mother show'd To you, preferring you before her father, So much I challenge that I may profess Due to the Moor my lord.” (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 180) She knows her love will not be recognized, but she still loves Othello, this is also a mistake at the beginning of tragedy that she makes.
She believes the love between her and Othello’s will come true, just like she says “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 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 the war, The rites for which I love him are bereft me,
And I a heavy interim shall support By his dear absence. Let me go with him. ”(Act 1, Scene 3, line 244) which she believes as she hopes their hearts will stay together until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble. She never doubts the love between them. That love is always her belief.
Another importance is that she almost forgets the fact of Othello is a black man, and she is from a noble family. Even though Othello is the one who has the supreme honors with people’s respect. Certainly, he is proud of himself, but he still feels himself inferior from inside his heart, because of he is a black man. Desdemona can ignore the fact of he is a black, but Othello can’t. So do some persons. Otherwise, Iago jealous Othello’s wealth and success a lot. He quite clearly know the defects of Othello, to use his defeats. Eventually, everything that happened was crafted by his