What does Desdemona stand for?
for more unique definitions from across the web! What does DESDEMONA mean? Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello. Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a man several years her senior.
What does the name Desdemonia mean?
What does Desdemona mean? Desdemona as a girls' name is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Desdemona is "wretchedness". Literary: in Shakespeare's "Othello", Desdemona is the beautiful, innocent heroine, wrongly accused of adultery by her husband. STARTS/ENDS WITH Des-, -ona. ASSOCIATED WITH greek, literary, beautiful, heroine.
Why does Iago say he loves Desdemona?
why does iago say he loves desdemona? because he loves that he can use her so easily and efectively in his plan. what do we know about iago;s plan thus far? hes using cassio and desdemona against othello. what two reasons are given for celebration? marriage and the turkish fleet being destroyed.
What are Desdemona's weaknesses?
Another weakness which can come to view is Desdemona's tendency to poke her nose into Othello's public life, which is unnatural for a woman to do in the Elizabethan era.Desdemona also shows weakness in allowing men to mistreat her; in the beginning of Othello, her father disowns her, Iago uses Desdemona for his own revenge throughout the whole play, and then Othello who ignores and silences her for innocently protesting to reinstate Cassio.
What does Desdemona's character represent?
Desdemona is a lady of spirit and intelligence. For all the claims of military straightforwardness of some other characters, Desdemona is the most direct and honest speaker in the play. Her speeches are not as lengthy as those of the men, but with Desdemona, every word counts.
How is Desdemona presented?
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.
How does Desdemona show feminism?
Desdemona is a strong and independent woman. She spoke for her herself, refused to be crushed under the feet of patriarchy. However, her position as a woman made her vulnerable. Though she asserted her individual personality but under the impact of a male dominant society she could not exercise her freedom.
What does Desdemona's death Symbolise?
Answer and Explanation: Desdemona's death symbolizes the corruption of innocence in the play since she is the only pure figure in Othello.
What does Desdemona symbolize in Othello?
Desdemona is a complex character with multiple facets to her. Desdemona's character traits include loyalty, bravery, compassion, and naivete. Desdemona shows bravery, loyalty, and independence in her first speaking scene, when she is before the city council.
Why is Desdemona so important in Othello?
Desdemona was the faithful wife of Othello in Shakespeare's play. She was kindhearted and wished for all to be well with the male characters, and it is her sympathy towards Cassio which made Iago's lies more credible. Her naïve nature made her an easy target for the antagonist in the play.
Is Desdemona submissive?
Desdemona is at times a submissive character, most notably in her willingness to take credit for her own murder. In response to Emilia's question, “O, who hath done this deed?” Desdemona's final words are, “Nobody, I myself. Farewell. / Commend me to my kind lord.
Is Desdemona too good to be true?
Desdemona has been criticised as a two dimensional character who is simply too good to be true; a paragon of virtue who embodies everything that is pure and true in humanity.
Who is the female inspiring in Othello?
From the beginning of the play, we see that Desdemona is a courageous and decisive woman who pursues Othello, falling in love with his intrigued stories of adventure, seeing "Othello's visage in his mind, and to his honors and valiant parts..." refusing the attempts of other suitors such as Roderigo.
Why is Desdemona responsible for her own death?
Iago proves this scene a key edge for his success and downfall of his opposition Desdemona, Cassio and Othello. So, it is the fault of Desdemona that she let herself be killed. Because she thinks that she does everything perfectly. Her gullibility paves the way for her death.
What does Desdemona's handkerchief symbolize?
The handkerchief initially is a gift given to Desdemona by Othello as a love token. It is subsequently symbolically transformed into Desdemona's bedsheets, which she uses to reveal her true innocence and fidelity to Othello; and finally, Desdemona requests that the bedsheets be used to cover her as a death shroud.
What does Desdemona say just before she dies?
Then Desdemona's voice is heard from the bed, saying "falsely murdered" and Emilia calls for help. Desdemona says that she is innocent, denies that anyone has killed her, and dies.
How is Desdemona presented as courageous?
Key quotation: Desdemona's bravery Desdemona defends her own honour throughout the play, shown when she says to Othello, 'By heaven, you do me wrong' (IV. 2.82). Desdemona is still brave and assertive, even when Othello attacks her verbally and physically. The reference to heaven reinforces Desdemona's virtue.
How is Desdemona described in Othello quotes?
Her father describes her as pure, meek and subservient, 'a maiden never bold' (Act 1, Scene 3), yet when confronted by him she promptly defends her choices in a public forum, and says she will 'trumpet them to the world' (Act 1, Scene 3) and willingly follows Othello to Cyprus.
What type of character is Desdemona?
Desdemona (/ˌdɛzdəˈmoʊnə/) is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian military prodigy.
How is Desdemona described by Iago?
He says, "Indeed, she's a most fresh and delicate creature" (2.3. 20); Cassio is agreeing that she's attractive, but he refrains from drawing any conclusions about her sexual inclinations. Iago answers, "What an eye she has!
What does the name Desdemona mean?
The meaning of Desdemona has more than one different etymologies. It has same or different meanings in other countries and languages. The different meanings of the name Desdemona are: 1 Greek meaning: Of the Devil; Ill*fated one; misery. 2 A Shakespearian character murdered by her husband Othello
Is Desdemona popular in the US?
This name is not popular in the US, according to Social Security Administration, as there are no popularity data for the name. This doesn't mean that the name Desdemona is not popular in other countries all over the world. The name might be popular in other countries, in different languages, or even in a different alphabet, as we use the characters from the Latin alphabet to display the data. A derivative of the name might also be popular in US. Try searching for a variation of the name Desdemona to find popularity data and rankings.
Is Desdemona a boy or a girl name?
The first thing you should know if you are considering Desdemona for your baby's name is that in most countries all over the world the name Desdemona is a girl name.
What is the love between Desdemona and Othello?
The love between Othello and Desdemona is very clear and obvious to all, and in private, too, Othello is tender and loving towards his wife. Iago, angry about life generally, and taking pleasure in manipulating people, decides to poison that love and destroy Othello.
What does Iago do to Desdemona?
Iago also has the complete trust of Desdemona. Iago also wants to attack Cassio and devises a plan to kill two birds with one stone. He convinces Othello with engineered ‘evidence’ that Desdemona is having a sexual affair with Cassio. By doing that he plants jealousy into Othello’s mind.
Why does Desdemona and Cassio appeal to Iago?
Both Desdemona and Cassio appeal to Iago to help them and while pretending to do that he draws them both deeper into his trap. Othello is eventually driven mad by his jealousy and one night after Desdemona has retired to bed he approaches her and strangles her to death.
What is the character Othello?
The eponymous character, Othello, is a Moor. Although he is a highly accomplished and experienced general and head of the Venetian army he is subjected to racial abuse. The play opens to a Venetian crisis. The Turks are heading towards Venice and unless they can be stopped they will invade the city.
Who does Othello demote?
Othello demotes Cassio while at the same time becoming very unpleasant to Desdemona. Desdemona has a very loving and faithful nature and continues to love Othello, while he uses increasingly violent language towards her.
Where does Othello go with her husband?
The Duke agrees that she should go to Cyprus with her husband. Othello has some trusted officers around him. The two most senior are Michael Cassio, who he has just promoted to be his second in command, and Iago, an ancient – the third-ranking officer.
Who is Iago in Shakespeare?
Iago is probably Shakespeare’s most fully realised and most destructive villain. Regarded as honest and trustworthy by Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, and the other officers, he is, in fact, hypocritical and vicious, plotting and scheming behind everyone’s back. The love between Othello and Desdemona is very clear and obvious to all, and in private, ...
What does Desdemona tell Emilia?
When she hears Iago criticize women, Desdemona tells his wife Emilia, 'do not learn of him, Emilia, though he may be thy husband' (Act II, Scene 1, lines 163-164).
What does Desdemona say when asked about who harmed her?
She states, 'Nobody, I myself' when questioned about who harmed her. Although she lived most of her life independently, Desdemona dies submissively and weakened. Lesson Summary. Through the course of the play Othello, Desdemona's character evolves and develops.
What does Desdemona do when Cassio defends Othello?
When Desdemona comes to the defense of Cassio and encourages Othello to reinstate his title as lieutenant, Othello is firm and lets Desdemona know he will not do what she wants him to do. When her husband begins to think she is unfaithful, Desdemona has to convince him that she is an obedient wife.
What happens after Desdemona and Othello marry?
Shortly after they marry, Othello and Desdemona announce their marriage, which is not customary in Venetian society. Desdemona is not concerned about her husband's ancestry or the disapproval she receives from others.
Why does Desdemona marry Othello?
Othello explains that Desdemona is marrying him because he is adventurous, and she loves his stories and lifestyle. Othello is a strong, popular, and well-respected soldier. When questioned by her father about her husband she states, 'But here's my husband, and so much duty as my mother showed 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, lines 184-188). She confidently tells her father that she will be loyal to her husband, just as her mother had been to him.
Does Desdemona believe in Othello?
Desdemona does not believe there is anything wrong with a woman standing up to a man when she thinks he is wrong. Her beliefs quickly change when she tries to talk to Othello on Cassio's behalf. Obedient Desdemona. Despite her strength at the beginning of the play, Desdemona slowly loses her voice and independence.
What is Desdemona's final words?
In response to Emilia’s question, “O, who hath done this deed?” Desdemona’s final words are, “Nobody, I myself. Farewell. / Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell” (V.ii. 133–134 ). The play, then, depicts Desdemona contradictorily as a self-effacing, faithful wife and as a bold, independent personality. This contradiction may be intentional, meant to portray the way Desdemona herself feels after defending her choice of marriage to her father in Act I, scene iii, and then almost immediately being put in the position of defending her fidelity to her husband. She begins the play as a supremely independent person, but midway through she must struggle against all odds to convince Othello that she is not too independent. The manner in which Desdemona is murdered—smothered by a pillow in a bed covered in her wedding sheets—is symbolic: she is literally suffocated beneath the demands put on her fidelity. Since her first lines, Desdemona has seemed capable of meeting or even rising above those demands. In the end, Othello stifles the speech that made Desdemona so powerful.
What is the manner in which Desdemona is murdered?
The manner in which Desdemona is murdered—smothered by a pillow in a bed covered in her wedding sheets —is symbolic: she is literally suffocated beneath the demands put on her fidelity. Since her first lines, Desdemona has seemed capable of meeting or even rising above those demands.
Who asks Emilia to put her wedding sheets on the bed?
Tragically, Desdemona is apparently aware of her imminent death. She, not Othello , asks Emilia to put her wedding sheets on the bed, and she asks Emilia to bury her in these sheets should she die first.
