Desdemona

Play

Othello

Summary

Othello's wife and the play's chief victim, Desdemona is a Venetian noblewoman of remarkable courage and moral clarity who defied her father to marry Othello for love and followed him to the wars. Her absolute innocence and fidelity make Iago's fabricated case against her all the more monstrous; she faces her murder with dignified bewilderment, and even with her dying breath attempts to shield Othello from blame — an act of selfless love that makes her one of Shakespeare's most purely virtuous characters.

Notable Quotations

"I saw Othello's visage in his mind, / And to his honours and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate." *(1.3)*

"The heavens forbid / But that our loves and comforts should increase / Even as our days do grow!" *(2.1)*

"Willow, willow, willow... / Sing all a green willow must be my garland." *(4.3 — the Willow Song)*

"Nobody — I myself. Farewell. / Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell!" *(5.2 — her dying words)*

Cross-references

• Othello — the play
• Tragedies
• character_othello — her husband who kills her
• character_iago — who engineers her destruction
• character_emilia_othello — her attendant and friend
• character_brabantio — her father
• character_cassio — the man falsely accused of adultery with her