Desdemona's Loyalty

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Character Analysis: Desdemona Many classic novels and playwrights are about girls that must prove themselves to the reader. However, Desdemona, wife of army general Othello in Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, proves throughout the play that she is borne of loyalty, independence, and naivety. Desdemona’s many forms of loyalty are shown in subtle and clear ways. One of these forms of loyalty is loyalty to herself. This is shown in the idea behind the play. Desdemona’s family expects her to marry a rich white man that is on the same level of society as herself; however, she finds more happiness elsewhere, and instead of following her father’s wishes, she betrays his wishes to stay loyal to herself, as seen in lines 160-164:…show more content…
Are they married, think you? These lines also provide proof Desdemona’s loyalty towards her husband. She has deceived her father for the one she loves, an act that usually faced disownment or severe punishment by one’s family in the time period the play is set in. This shows that Desdemona was a loyal woman, to herself and her husband. Even in death, she proves her loyalty by her protection of her husband’s guilt, telling Emilia “Nobody. I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell!” The loyalty displayed by Desdemona can also be considered a show of her independence. In this time, women were heavily dependent on the males of society, and more often than not followed the codes of racial prejudice set by the men and the guidelines of marriage set out by their fathers. Desdemona, however, forges her own path in the world of Venice. She also uses her mother’s actions as a presedence for her actions (1.3.179-185) My noble father, I do perceive here a divided

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