Desdemona's Moral Compass

In Shakespeare’s Othello Desdemona is perceived as naïve and very foolish due to her age and lack of life experience, her strength is questioned multiple times in this tragedy only because she is a woman but the acts of courage, bravery, and strength that she does perform are quite admirable until she finally succumbs causing her own death.

(Act I Scene III lines 213-214)-"I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband".Desdemona shows courage and strength after eloping in the night by defending herself to her uninformed father and to the most powerful men in Venice. Desdemona does not hide the truth and stands by her decision which was quite admirable in those times when permission was sought by the spouse and marriages were not interracial.

(Act III Scene III lines 68-82)-"Why the tomorrow night, Tuesday morn, On Tuesday noon or night; on Wednesday morn. I prithee name the time, but let it not Exceed three days. In faith, he;s penitent; And yet his trespass, in our common reason-Save that, they say, the wars must make example Out of her best-is not almost a fault T' incur a private check. When shall he come? Tell me, Othello. I wonder in my soul What you would ask me that I should deny, Or stand so mamm'ring on? What? Micheal Cassio, That came a-wooing with you, and so many a time, When I have spoke of you disapraisingly Hath ta'en your part-to have so much to do To bring him in! I could do much-"When Desdemona arrives in Cyprus she is under the impression that this will allow her to spend more time with Othello but she is mistaken seeing that he is on duty.Desdemona pleads with Othello to spend a bit of time with her, lies of infidelity have spread and he wants nothing to do with her but she puts her pride aside and all but begs for a moment of his time. Sacrificing ones own self esteem and worth is the ultimate sacrifice which is strength in itself

”(Act III Scene III lines 325-332)“Why do you speak so faintly? Are you not well?...I am very sorry that you are not well”. Though mounting suspicion had appeared Desdemona did not falter or operate in a guilty fashion, she cared for Othello unconditionally and still acted as his wife caring for him when he was pained.Desdemona tries to stop Othello’s headache with the handkerchief that he has given her despite how unpleasant he is acting towards her she never backs away.

(Act III Scene IV lines 159-175) “I prithee do so. Something, sure, of state, Either form Venice, or something unhatched practice Made demonstrable here in Cyprus to him, Hath puddled his clear spirit; and in such cases Men's nature wrangle with inferior things, Though great ones are their object. 'Tis even so. For let out finger ache, and it endues Our other healthful members even to a sense Of pain. Nay, we must think men are not gods, Nor of them look for observancy As fits the bridal. Beshrew me much, Emilia, I was-unhandsome warrior as I am!- Arraingning his unkindness with my soul. But now I find that I had suborned the witness, And he's indicted falsely ” . When Desdemona speaks to Emilia privately they discuss relationships and Desdemona has a stance of monogamy and standing by your husband no matter what his actions are and how he treats you. This entails a strong woman because she is willing to put up with his behavior towards her and try to work things out for the better which is not many people’s idea of marriage

”(Act V Scene II lines 100-104) -"Kill me tomorrow let me live tonight…But half an hour…But while I say one prayer"When Othello enters her room in the darkness of the night with only the flicker of a candle to and the sound of his voice to awaken her she knows exactly what is happening.This is her final plea of innocence not of sorrow or redemption because she has done nothing wrong and wishes one last time to clear her name but it too late. These are some of the strongest lines in the entire play because the man that she loved and risked everything for has turned his back on her by taking her very life.

O vs. Othello

The movie "O" based on Shakespeare's Othello differs in many ways but the interpretation of Shakespeare's text into modern America is spot on. In many ways an army is like a basketball team because they both require leadership, communication, and only one side can win. This could be compared to competing for a better position on the team such as forward or a higher standing in the army such as lieutenant. The characters are perfectly intertwined in the same fashion and standing in the play:

O- star basketball player and Desi's boyfriend
Othello-general in army and Desdemona's husband

Desi- O's girlfriend and Dean's daughter
Desdemona- Othello's wife and Barbantio's Daughter
Hugo-steroid shooting underdog
Iago- ancient for Othello
Roger- in love with Desi good friends with Hugo but at times seems to be his flunky
Roderigo- good friends with Iago in love with Desdemona
Micheal Cassio- mutual friend of Desi and O and a fellow basketball player
Cassio-mutual friend of Desdemona and Othello and a Lieutenant in the army
Emily-best friend of Desi and girlfriend of Hugo
Emilia-Desdemona's attendant and Iago's wife
Dean- hierarchy of school and father of Desi
Brabantio-Venetian Senator and father of Desdemona

This movie gives a very good modern feel for the play and makes it easier for people today to understand what what going on because Shakespeare's language can be difficult at times. While minor aspects of the book were missing such as Bianca (i am not sure if she was the girl who Hugo was trying to convince that Roger shot Micheal on the road or not) maybe she was there and I missed it, but key elements such as the missing scarf and O strangling Desi to death (the plan came up in Act IV lines 226-228) and then killing himself (Act V haven't gotten to it yet but know its coming). This was a particularly good movie in my opinion and gave me something to look forward to in every act of the book to come.

Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More

• 1478-1535
  
• Born February 7, 1478 the son of Sir John More who was a prominent judge Archbishop Morton
  
• Went to St Anthony's School in London
• We he was younger he served as a page in the household of Archbishop Morton
• At Oxford he studied Greek and Latin Literature while also writing comedies
• One of his first publications was a Latin translation of the biography of Pico della Mirandola from Latin to english in 1510
  
• went from being a barrister to a monk to being in parliament and getting married
• knighted in 1521
• Made speaker of the house of commons in 1525
  
• refused to recognize King Henry VIII divorce from from Katherine of Aragon in 1527
  
• His fall came quickly in spite of is notable work and resigned from his law work in 1532
• More's stance with the church was a big influence seeing that he did not believe in King Henry VIII being the head of the church of England or even the divergence from the Catholic church
• More did not attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn which angered the King in 1533
• More refused to swear to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy which landed him at Tower castle where he was beheaded on April 17, 1535
• Utopia was his most famous work of Literature
• Died a martyr to the Catholic church
• Canonized in 1935 by Pope Pious XI

http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/morebio.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14689c.htm
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/philosophers/more.html

Wife of Bath: Ambiguous?

I believe that the Wife of Bath is ambiguous. There is information in the text leaning towards her being a money grubbing whore and on the other hand she is caring, sensitive, and desires equality. Though the Wife of Bath has more bad factors than good I believe that the good and bad balance each other out. The abuse that her husbands gave and the adultery caused her to be manipulative and cruel. Every pro has a con and every cause has an effect, hers just was a bit more drastic and blatant but she was also put through more than the average person now or back in the Middle Ages.

Bad

• Line 6 "Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve" saying that she's had five husbands was heinous back then and even frowned upon today in a womans case.
• Lines 10-13 "That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis, To weddyng, in the Cane of Galilee, That by the same ensample taughte he me, That I ne sholde wedded be but ones" this basically says that one should follow in Christs footsteps and only marry once as he did in Galilee but she has gone against her own advice and married five times.
• Lines 212-214 "And sith they hadde me yeven al hir lond, What sholde I taken keep hem for to plese, But it were for my profit and myn ese" basically says that they have my hand in marriage and they have given me there land, why should i pleasure them without her profit and pleasure. If it's your husband you should have sex with him because he is your husband and you love him. Or maybe it means that she should receive pleasure from it too the meaning itself is not clear.
• Lines 222-223 "They were ful glad whan I spak to hem faire, For, God it woot, I chidde hem spitously" means that they were happy when i spoke to them pleasantly because she often scolded them. Why would you scold your husband or not speak to them pleasantly?
• Line 408-412 "Ther wolde I chide and do hem no plesaunce, I wolde no lenger in the bed abyde, If that I felte his arm over my syde, Til he had maad his raunson unto me, Thanne wolde I suffre hym do his nycetee" the Wife of Bath would deny pleasure to her husband until he gave into her every desire. This type of manipulation is terrible and uncalled for.
  

Good

• Lines 231-242 "A wys wyf, if that she kan hir good, Shal beren hym on honde the cow is wood, And take witnesse of hir owene mayde, Of hir assent. But herkneth how I sayde:,`Sire olde kaynard, is this thyn array?, Why is my neighebores wyf so gay?, She is honoured overal ther she gooth;, I sitte at hoom; I have no thrifty clooth.,What dostow at my neighebores hous? ,Is she so fair? Artow so amorous?What rowne ye with oure mayde? Benedicite! Sire olde lecchour, lat thy japes be!. Basically says that the wife of her neighbor is happy because she has everything she needs and the Wife of Bath has to wear less than nice clothing and also calls the maid a lecher which means she might be sleeping with her husband.
• Lines 243-246 "And if I have a gossib or a freend, Withouten gilt, thou chidest as a feend, If that I walke or pleye unto his hous!Thou comest hoom as dronken as a mous." Saying that she is not allowed to have friends or she is scolded and when she does visit a friend her husband comes home drunk and abusive. She is lonely and has done nothing to deserve this.
  
• Lines 371-378 "Thou liknest eek wommenes love to helle, To bareyne lond, ther water may nat dwelle, Thou liknest it also to wilde fyr, The moore it brenneth, the moore it hath desir, To consume every thyng that brent wole be, Thou seyest, right as wormes shende a tree, Right so a wyf destroyeth hire housbonde, This knowe they that been to wyves bonde." This is a tangent of verbal abuse from her husband saying comparing a womans love to that of hell and her company to a barren wasteland and a woman destroys her husband as the worm destroys the tree. It is not the Wife of Bath's fault that she is manipulative since she has been hurt over and over again by someone who is supposed to love her.