DESDEMONA - INNOCENCE PERSONIFIED AND IAGO THE VILLAIN WHO ENTRAPED OTHELLO

 

 

DESDEMONA  -  INNOCENCE PERSONIFIED  AND IAGO THE  VILLAIN WHO ENTRAPED  OTHELLO

                                       

William Shakespeare's famous play "Othello" (c. 1601-1604) is a tragic love story.

Othello and Desdemona are central characters in William Shakespeare's play Othello, a tragic story of a love affair that ends in murder.

 

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".

 

Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello embodies innocence and the struggle against societal norms, as she defies Venetian customs by marrying Othello, a black man.

 

Othello, a Moorish General in the Venetian army, is entrapped by Iago through deception and jealousy to make him believe that his wife Desdemona is adulterous.

 

Cassio is Othello's Lieutenant above the cadre of Iago. The appointment of Cassio as superior makes Iago jealous, and he plots a plan to avenge his loss. He concocts a story and tells Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. Upon hearing the news of Cassio's death, Desdemona breaks down and weeps inconsolably. This makes Othello believe Iago's version and confirms his fear that Desdemona is adulterous, and murders her.

  

Desdemona is depicted as a paragon of virtue, a beautiful, loving wife, and a woman of high rank and culture. None of this is enough to protect her from Othello's wrath: once he is convinced, on Iago's word alone, that she is an adulterer, there is nothing that will change his mind.

 

Desdemona is a  beautiful and virtuous Venetian woman who elopes with the Moorish General Othello. She becomes a tragic victim of Iago's manipulation, which leads Othello to murder her out of unfounded jealousy.

 

                                 

                     
                                                                                     

Desdemona’s warm heart was captivated by Othello when she listened to his tales of adventure and near-death experiences. Once she has hinted at her feelings to Othello (she was far too modest to flirt openly at that stage), she joyfully accepts his proposal. Othello represents a new world of experiences and emotions to her, perhaps a way of breaking through the civilized constraints of her social circle. Above all, she wakes up to the power of true love.

 

Desdemona is a young and innocent woman who has grown up in a world of privilege and protection as the daughter of Venice’s Governor. Though she is socially sophisticated and graceful, her sheltered upbringing leaves her essentially pure-hearted and trusting. Her generous spirit and vitality make her both admirable and vulnerable, as her innocence blinds her to the malice and deceit that surround her.

 

Desdemona is rather like a younger version of Hermione in The Winter’s Tale. Both have the confidence within their marriages to be open and warm with other men, whilst being utterly faithful to their love for their husbands. Both are unjustly accused, despite being presented as absolutely morally pure, something which is reiterated by others. As Emilia says of her mistress in Act 5 Scene 2, Desdemona is ‘heavenly true’, ‘the sweetest innocent’ and ‘chaste’. Her only fault is to be ‘too fond’ of Othello.

 

In the context of Shakespeare's Othello, describing Desdemona as "innocence personified" means that she is the epitome of purity, loyalty, and childlike naivety. Her absolute virtue is a central element of the play's tragedy, as it is her very goodness that makes her vulnerable to manipulation and ultimately leads to her death.

 

Desdemona was a virgin until her death.

 

Desdemona is closely associated with the colour white, the image of a pearl, and the kind of descriptions traditionally reserved for the Virgin Mary, symbolising purity and spiritual perfection. Yet Shakespeare also presents her as deeply human. She banters playfully with her maid and with the men who surround her, revealing warmth, humour, and emotional vitality. Her youthful desire to experience the fullness of life drives her to act independently and defy the expectations of her father’s world. In a society where women of her class were regarded as possessions — passed from father to husband like property — Desdemona’s elopement with Othello is an act of quiet rebellion. Othello, in turn, grants her a rare degree of respect and freedom; he listens to her, values her opinions, and allows her to be “free and bounteous to her mind.” In doing so, he elevates her to a position of moral and intellectual equality, allowing her to inhabit a broader world than that permitted to most women of her time.

 

 

 

Desdemona’s essential goodness remains undiminished. She is genuinely shocked when, probably for the first time in her life, she is hit in anger by someone she trusts. And she struggles to comprehend Emilia’s pragmatic take on marriage and her bitter desire to play men at their own game. Despite Othello’s accusations, she cannot imagine being false to the man she has married. 

 

 

 

Desdemona’s desire to uphold and protect the man she loves extends even beyond her own life. In her final moments, as she lies dying, she takes the blame for her own death, falsely claiming that she has killed herself in order to shield Othello from punishment. This final act of sacrificial love and forgiveness encapsulates her profound moral purity and unwavering devotion. Her compassion in the face of betrayal makes the cruelty inflicted upon her seem all the more tragic and undeserved. Through her death, Desdemona becomes almost saint-like, embodying an ideal of love that transcends human weakness — yet her innocence and selflessness also underscore the devastating consequences of misplaced trust in a corrupt and jealous world.

 

 

Othello does repent after realizing Desdemona's innocence and his monstrous mistake. His repentance and grief drive him to take his own life in the final moments of the play.