Othello the Faults of Desdemona

Othello

The Faults of Desdemona

The tragic events that occur in Othello are generally blamed on the faults of Othello. He is blamed for allowing Iago to manipulate him and for being irrationally jealous. However, Desdemona also plays a major role in the events that occur. A close look at Desdemona's character will show that she is also partially responsible for the tragic events that occur. Desdemona's own goodness and naivete allow her to become a victim in the events. By becoming this victim, she does not stand up to Othello and this prevents the situation from being resolved before it ends with tragic results.

Desdemona's naivete is first seen when she defends Othello to her father. She describes her love for Othello saying, "I saw Othello's visage in his mind, / And to his honour and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate" (I, iii). This statement is made as part of a romantic speech where Desdemona describes the greatness of Othello. This shows a level of naivete because Desdemona is only able to see the goodness in Othello. A good comparison can be made by comparing the Duke of Venice's view of Othello. He too, shows that he has a lot of respect for Othello and refers to him as valiant. This respect is based on Othello as a soldier and he is considered brave and valiant. However, this respect does not extend to seeing Othello as a good husband. This is why the Duke of Venice is not easily convinced that Othello and Desdemona's relationship is acceptable. This shows that the Duke of Venice does respect Othello but also sees him realistically and does not consider him perfect. In contrast, Desdemona speaks of Othello as if he is perfect. She can only see the goodness in Othello and is not able to see his faults.

Desdemona's naivete is then seen again when Cassio convinces Desdemona to help him get his job back. In this conversation, Cassio does not even have to convince Desdemona to help him. Cassio simply describes his own worries about the situation and Desdemona is immediately sympathetic. This shows Desdemona's goodness in that she is immediately willing to help another person. However, her response also shows that she is naive. She describes how she will help Cassio saying. "To the last article: my lord shall never rest; / I'll watch him tame and talk him out of patience; / His bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift; / I'll intermingle every thing he does / With Cassio's suit: therefore be merry, Cassio" (II, i). This shows that she is naive because she is misusing her place as wife. She is so keen to help Cassio that she is acting more on Cassio's behalf as a friend than as a wife. While it would be valid to say that she will speak to Othello, it is going too far to say that she will not leave him alone until Cassio gets what he wants.

Desdemona is again seen to be naive when she begins to carry out these actions. At first, she describes Cassio in a positive way and asks Othello to call him back. When Othello replies saying "some other time" she says "But shall't be shortly?" (II, i). Othello continues to change the subject and make light of it, but Desdemona persists asking "Shall't be to-night at supper?" And "To-morrow dinner, then?" (I, ii). From Othello's responses, it is clear that he is becoming annoyed. However, Desdemona remains unaware of this and persists. This is a sign of how naive she is because it shows that she is not aware of Othello's feelings. She is not capable of observing that he is not interested and it is not the time to convince him. Instead, she just continues to repeat herself as she tries to get Othello to listen to her and agree with what she wants. This also shows that she is naive because she is more intent on what she promised Cassio than the promise she made to Othello when she married him. This shows that she is driven by her own goodness and by her own interest in helping others. In this section of the play, it is not suggested that she has any romantic interest in Cassio. However, it is understandable that Othello gets this impression. It seems that Desdemona is too naive to see how her actions could look to Othello.