Rukhsar Yazmin
‘Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is only presented as existing in the extremes of passion’
In light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Othello and Desdemona’s relationship in
this scene and across the play
Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is presented to be existing in the extremes of passion,
whether it be that they are desperately in love and are willing to defy all Venetian norms of marriage
and reject all expectation of society, or the binary opposite of their relationship morphing into one
of complete distrust and violence. Shakespeare presents their relationship to either be ideal and the
most perfect match or to be in complete disharmony and chaos, fuelled by their own passions, both
good and bad.
Within the extract, Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is only presented as existing in the
extremes of passion through Othello’s violence and fury towards Desdemona and her apparent
‘infidelity’. This is evident within the line ‘I will chop her into messes: cuckold me!’. The brutal
imagery of ‘chop’ conveys Othello’s fury, we begin to see as readers as he falls into a rage and
violence towards Desdemona, fuelled by Iago’s lies. This idea is emphasises by Othello’s exclamation
of being a ‘cuckold’, which reference the societal shame and embarrassment of being cheated on by
your wife, which would ruin a mans reputation and his honour. Othello is shown to have a extremes
of passion after learning of Desdemona’s treachery, he later states ‘Arise, black vengeance, from
hollow hell, yield up thy crown and hearted throne to tyrannous’. The personification of vengeance
conveys the darkness and lack of morality that Othello has fallen into, he uses imperatives to call
upon evil and vengeance in order for love to yield to hatred. This would have made sense to the
Elizabethan audience, as Othello is a ‘moor’, they would expect such unnaturalness and evilness
from a black man, and Othello’s passion and aggression in the later acts would be viewed as typical
black behaviour. However, despite Othello’s fury and violence, after murdering Desdemona is act 5,
he calls upon her ‘my wife, my wife’ the repeated line conveys a sense of possession and control but
also his previous love, in his eyes he has gotten justice and returned her to her previous state of
purity and perfection, emphasised by the line ‘I will kill thee and love thy after’. By comparison,
Desdemona’s love exists in the extremes of passion by unwaveringly loving Othello, even to the end.
Desdemona claims previously that ‘His unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love’
conveying that even despite his cruelty and the suffering he causes her, she will never stop loving
him. This is evidently seen within the final scene with Desdemona, where even after he murders her
she states ‘Nobody. I myself’, taking the blame from a merciless and ruthless Othello, even in her
final moments loving him too much to condemn him to the consequences of his actions. Evidently,
Desdemona jeopardizes her being by deliberately lying in order to protect Othello.
Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is presented as existing in the extremes of passion at the start
of the play, where their love is overwhelming and defies all social expectations. Othello claims that
he had ‘won Desdemona’ and that ‘she loved me for the dangers that I had passed’, going against
Brabantio’s accusations of ‘foul charms’. This is an early indication of their relationship, as
Desdemona did not view Othello as a ‘black ram’ or their love to go ‘against all rules of nature’ but
rather that she saw Othello’s character. This is further seen through Desdemona’s dialogue, she
states ‘You are the lord of all my duty… so much duty as my mother showed… preferring you before
her father’. Desdemona conveys her conformity to expectations, even though their marriage is the
epitome of rejection to these conventions, Desdemona has chosen to place her husband before her
father, conveying their love. Furthermore, her passion and love is seen to be far greater than racial
discrimination and Venetian norms of marrying within communities, as she claims ‘the moor my and
my lord’, conjoining the idea of her husband still being titled and loved despite being a black man.
‘Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is only presented as existing in the extremes of passion’
In light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Othello and Desdemona’s relationship in
this scene and across the play
Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is presented to be existing in the extremes of passion,
whether it be that they are desperately in love and are willing to defy all Venetian norms of marriage
and reject all expectation of society, or the binary opposite of their relationship morphing into one
of complete distrust and violence. Shakespeare presents their relationship to either be ideal and the
most perfect match or to be in complete disharmony and chaos, fuelled by their own passions, both
good and bad.
Within the extract, Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is only presented as existing in the
extremes of passion through Othello’s violence and fury towards Desdemona and her apparent
‘infidelity’. This is evident within the line ‘I will chop her into messes: cuckold me!’. The brutal
imagery of ‘chop’ conveys Othello’s fury, we begin to see as readers as he falls into a rage and
violence towards Desdemona, fuelled by Iago’s lies. This idea is emphasises by Othello’s exclamation
of being a ‘cuckold’, which reference the societal shame and embarrassment of being cheated on by
your wife, which would ruin a mans reputation and his honour. Othello is shown to have a extremes
of passion after learning of Desdemona’s treachery, he later states ‘Arise, black vengeance, from
hollow hell, yield up thy crown and hearted throne to tyrannous’. The personification of vengeance
conveys the darkness and lack of morality that Othello has fallen into, he uses imperatives to call
upon evil and vengeance in order for love to yield to hatred. This would have made sense to the
Elizabethan audience, as Othello is a ‘moor’, they would expect such unnaturalness and evilness
from a black man, and Othello’s passion and aggression in the later acts would be viewed as typical
black behaviour. However, despite Othello’s fury and violence, after murdering Desdemona is act 5,
he calls upon her ‘my wife, my wife’ the repeated line conveys a sense of possession and control but
also his previous love, in his eyes he has gotten justice and returned her to her previous state of
purity and perfection, emphasised by the line ‘I will kill thee and love thy after’. By comparison,
Desdemona’s love exists in the extremes of passion by unwaveringly loving Othello, even to the end.
Desdemona claims previously that ‘His unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love’
conveying that even despite his cruelty and the suffering he causes her, she will never stop loving
him. This is evidently seen within the final scene with Desdemona, where even after he murders her
she states ‘Nobody. I myself’, taking the blame from a merciless and ruthless Othello, even in her
final moments loving him too much to condemn him to the consequences of his actions. Evidently,
Desdemona jeopardizes her being by deliberately lying in order to protect Othello.
Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is presented as existing in the extremes of passion at the start
of the play, where their love is overwhelming and defies all social expectations. Othello claims that
he had ‘won Desdemona’ and that ‘she loved me for the dangers that I had passed’, going against
Brabantio’s accusations of ‘foul charms’. This is an early indication of their relationship, as
Desdemona did not view Othello as a ‘black ram’ or their love to go ‘against all rules of nature’ but
rather that she saw Othello’s character. This is further seen through Desdemona’s dialogue, she
states ‘You are the lord of all my duty… so much duty as my mother showed… preferring you before
her father’. Desdemona conveys her conformity to expectations, even though their marriage is the
epitome of rejection to these conventions, Desdemona has chosen to place her husband before her
father, conveying their love. Furthermore, her passion and love is seen to be far greater than racial
discrimination and Venetian norms of marrying within communities, as she claims ‘the moor my and
my lord’, conjoining the idea of her husband still being titled and loved despite being a black man.
