LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 15:9 September 2015
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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The Unnatural End of Desdemona at the Hands of Othello

Prof. L. Lakshmanan

Abstract

The unnatural killing of Desdemona by husband Othello, is, indeed, a sad commentary on the power of jealousy that can make men kill their wives, who might or might not have been unfaithful! In this paper Shakespeare’s Desdemona and the cutting short of her sweet life with the husband she loved so much so as to even cross her powerful father, is considered for a critical analysis. There have been many women throughout history and many more in fiction who have eloped to marry the men of their dreams and lived ever after – a happy married life or not, one can never be sure! Desdemona was not destined to live happily ever after, as we know, due to the wiles of the cunning devilish Iago and the jealous possessive suspicious nature of husband Othello. This paper will make an attempt to show how the bold and independent girl became a victim of treachery and jealous anger.

Keywords: Othello, Desdemona, Unfaithful wife, Suspicion, Jealous husband

Introduction

The heartless killing of Desdemona (Shakespeare, Othello) is a sad end to a fairy tale, a romantic elopement and marriage for love.

The period of the Renaissance and Reformation was the time when Europeans were coming into increasing contact with the people of darker pigmentation in Africa, Asia and the Americas and were making judgments about them. The play does not focus on the race relations, but the very introduction of Othello is based on his color of the skin, thick lips and so on, even before his name is mentioned.

Beginning in the late seventeenth century, laws were also passed in North America forbidding marriage between Whites and Blacks and discriminating against the mixed offspring of informal liaisons. Such laws implied that Blacks were unalterably alien and inferior.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.


Prof. L. Lakshmanan, M,A., B.Ed., ELT
Department of English
Theni Kammavar Sangam College of Technology
Veerapandi
(Via) Theni - 625 534
Tamilnadu
India
laxmanmegalai@gmail.com
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