Blog #6 Desdemona: Submissive Desdemona

Today, no respectable woman would put up with such an abusive, untrusting relationship like that of Othello and Desdemona. If I were a woman, Othello would be dead the second he put his hands on me.
However, I understand that the choice for Desdemona to be submissive to Othello's accusations and accusations was her only option. The fact that Desdemona is so submissive is surprising since she is in the upper class of society and could have had many suitors for her hand in marriage. She also proves to be independent, secretly marrying Othello and standing up to her father when he opposes the marriage. It's understood that women did not have many rights in the 16th an17th centuries and men were dominating figures but where do you draw the line?
I do respect Desdemona's attempt to plea for mercy by putting the white sheets on the bed. She may have had a shot at living if she didn't break down when hearing of Cassio's death. Clearly, that was the straw that broke the camels back in Othello's mind. Watching this relationship deteriorate was very frustrating because it was interesting to see Desdemona break away from traditional values during her time by marrying a black man. Once again, like in Much Ado About Nothing, manipulation leads to the downfall of love between man and woman. What is most frustrating for me is when Desdemona defends Othello to Emilia before she dies. Like Claudio, Othello should have seeked the truth harder and should not have laid a hand on a woman. Desdemona should have exposed him for being a mad man.

Blog 5: Leonato's and Brabantio's similarities

In Act 1, Scene2, Brabantio accuses Othello of stealing Desdemona and using magic to get her to marry him. Brabantio says, "O thou foul thief", and " Damned as thou art, thou has enchanted her, for I'll refer me to all things in sense, if she in chains of magic were not bound". Clearly, Brabantio has an issue with Othello's race above anything else. Throughout the beginning of the play, Othello is presented in a negative way by a few different characters. Iago uses the term,"The Moor", when referring to Othello. In Shakespeare's day, they used this term to describe any African with dark skin. Blacks were viewed as wicked with negative associations. Roderigo shares Iago's views toward Othello, referring to him as "The Black Ram" and making reference to his "thick lips" in act 1, scene 1. This is unfortunate because Othello is a well rounded, powerful man who did seem to have genuine intentions for Desdemona.
The relationship between Desdemona and Othello bothers Brabantio because he does not feel that "The Moor'', who he views as animalistic, is not a suitable match for his daughter. Of course, to Brabantio, Desdemona is "tender, fair and happy"(act 1, scene 2).
This scenario is similar to Much Ado About Nothing. Like Brabantio's perception of Desdemona, Leonato sees Hero as being pure, kind, and gentle. But when he hears of the accusations regarding his daughters sexual conduct, he is distraught. However, unlike Brabantio, Leonato is honored to give his daughter's hand to the admirable Claudio. That is until Claudio's true colors show. Though the story lines are different, the two plays are similar in that they tackle some touchy issues; race, and the purity of women.

Blog #4: Claudio Blew It!

From the beginning of the play, it seems evident that Claudio is enfatuated with Hero. Unfortunately for the two parties, enfatuation and love are two totally different things. One can question Claudio's true feelings for Hero on more than one occasion. For example, his interest in Hero being the only heir to Leonato leads to questions of whether there are other motives that spark Claudio's interests in the young lady. Also, the fact that Claudio is so easily manipulated by Don John, without seeking CONCLUSIVE evidence on two separate occasions, leads me to believe that he does not feel strongly enough for Hero to actually love her. If he did, he would have had Don John prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the woman having sexual relations with Borachio. He also shouldn't have believed that Don Pedro would make a move on Hero for himself at the masked ball.
It becomes obvious that Claudio is shallow and insincere in Acts 4 and 5. First, at the wedding ceremony in Act 4, Claudio's outburst was out of line. He tells Leonato, "Take her back again. Give not this rotten orange to your friend." Claudio's rejection of Hero is designed to inflict as much pain as possible, and Hero's and Leonato's reaction to it seem to make things worse.
The last straw is in Act 5. After falling into a state of shock and anger, Leonato challenges Claudio to a duel, as an attempt to avenge his daughters death. Claudio mocks this challenge, claiming that Leonato is too old to fight. He then adds fuel to the fire when he tells Benedick of his recent encounter with Leonato (Act 5. Scene 1, Claudio says to Benedick: We had like to have had our two noses snapped off with two old men without teeth).
Perhaps Claudio has become jaded from war, but his suspicious nature and passion for revenge makes him an unsuitable match for the kind, gentle Hero. He does not deserve a second chance.