Desdemona Challenge To Society

I want you to go back in time many years ago, the 16th century in Shakespeare’s time where there was hardly any technology and the society was very different. Now If that’s hard to imagine that’s ok because I’m an actor in the 21st century hear to talk to you about Desdemona. Desdemona was a beautiful, young, white Venetian girl but also she disobeys her father’s expectations by marrying a black man, she also challenges the society that largely disapproves of intercultural marriages and also she gets abused by her husband.

In this way, Desdemona’s relationship with Othello speaks to the play’s concerns with the 16th century attitudes about Lust, Defying social standards of the 16th century and also domestic violence. For example in the play it shows this by Othello saying “She loved me for the dangers I have passed, and I loved her, that she did pity them. ” This is an example of a foreshadowing technique used to hint readers a certain plot development that will come later in the story.

Also this quote is telling us that this is ardent admiration, which tells us that Desdemona is still not matured. To think about her future and what society’s expectations are. She admired the stories that Othello told about his brave journeys. In nowadays young teenagers are not drawn by personality but by looks and popularity. Also, Desdemona disobeys her father’s wish by refusing to marry any handsome, rich Venetian men and she goes for Othello an old black man, outside of the Venetian society.

For example her farther says. “Look to her, Moor, if though hast eyes to see, She has deceived her farther, and may thee. ” This shows that Desdemona is a disloyal character and may disobey her husband as well, she also goes against the societies expectations by defying standards such as not owing the duty to her farther and then a duty to her husband. Also Intercultural marriages where she marries a black man rather than a white man.

In modern societies most young people disobey their parents and follow their own will due to their immaturity. Desdemona gets verbally and physically abused by Othello who slapped her and called her a whore in public towards the end of the play, when she was dying she still blames herself for othello’s physical and emotional abuses. In current situations people all around the world especially women get abused by men and usual, stand up for their husbands exactly what Desdemona did back then.

Well, there you go even if this plays were written in the 16th century even in today’s time we still have the themes lust, domestic violence and societies expectations in today’s time. It’s easy for us to engage with the character’s in that timeframe due to the setting , the characters are realistic and believable and even this themes are considered in today’s society in different concepts.