Is the woman what she seems?

“Men should be what they seem” so remarks Iago in Act 3 scene 3 line 131. Othello is a play dominated by men whose women appear to be merely pawns and plot devices to support the vehicle of Iago’s systematic takedown of Othello. It is quickly apparent, while men are often not what they question remains are the women of Othello what they seem? Of the three women in Othello, perhaps most intriguing of all is Desdemona.

From a topical standpoint, Desdemona is perceived as frail, demure, subservient, and pasty sniveling wimp. A total and complete victim, from what Shakespeare tells us about her. What does Shakespeare tell us of Desdemona? We know she is of the upper crust of Venice as her father Barbanzio is a senator. It referenced by Iago in 1.1 line 88-87 “Even now, now, every an old black ram is tupping your white ewe”. From this we can physically get an idea of her as being very fair, and probably young. The most we know of Desdemona’s history however, comes from omission. We never hear anything about siblings or about her mother. From this it is easy to paint the biography of her as a sheltered pious. Perhaps she is even a little lonely? Her only companion seems to be Emilia. Who she can never have real companionship as an equal with due to class difference as well as a ill willed husband. Desdemona seems to give in and give up before the battle has even begun with Othello. She speaks to Emilia in 4.3 “ All’s one. Good faith, how foolish are our minds. If I do die, before thee, prithee shroud me in one of these same sheets”. Such words are of defeat a doomed character with no struggle or growth.

Yet perhaps she is not what she seems. From the first act of the scene, Shakespeare lets us know Desdemona lies. Desdemona goes and full on lies to her father about her marriage to Othello. While there have been a great many other liars in Shakespeare’s plays , there is a difference in Desdemona. . While often overlooked as a great heroine, can anyone imagine this being pulled over on Juliet? Absolutely not, because for all that she is, sneaking about behind her parents back, her love for Romeo shines through language with genuine sincerity. Juliet never once attempts to stop the feud, nor does she even give Paris the time of day. Iago never would have been able to have crafted Romeo and against Juliet as he does to Othello against Desdemona. And perhaps because there is some validity to the things in which he says or at least enough what if for it to be plausible. In the movie Stage Beauty the two characters during rehearsal discuss the exclusion of Cassio’s name from her speech in the death scene. Billy Crudup’s character reasons, Desdemona cannot say Cassio’s name because there is too much truth in it. Iago had to pick someone who it was conceivable for her to have an affair with. Beyond Cassio in the same scene of 4.3 the question arises as to why she even brings up the character of Lodovico? Is her bringing up the character Lodovico, her way of showing regret that she was still free to be with him? And when Emilia says “ I know a lady, in Venice would have walked barefoot to Palestine for a touch of his nether lips” ( line 36), Desdemona quickly deflects the subject by going into her song. Why? Maybe because Desdemona is not a she seems, and this makes her a far more complete and palatable character than just poor sweet pious Desdemona.