Closely Comment on the Following Two Passages Discussing the Character of Desdamona and Her Strength

Closely comment on the following two passages discussing the character of Desdamona and her strength.

In William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, the heroine Desdamona has a large shift in thought and emotion as her life is taken through a dark tunnel with no light at either end - there is no way out. Her love for her husband Othello makes her lose her footing on an emotional level as she has no idea what she has done to upset him. Two passages reveal that near the start of her marriage she is strong-willed, sure and logical, whereas that quickly changes turning her feelings upside down as she loses the stability and support of her husband.

DEsdamona is a strong minded, confident woman and feels independent and sure of herself, she makes a foothold for women of the Jacobean society by opening a door of equal rights. D. loves O and he loves her. They run away and are betrothed secretly. In extract 1, D defends her marriage to her father in front of a courtroom full of important men. She asks her father's permission to go with her husband to Cyprus: "let me go with him." D proves she has courage by asking this as women of the Jacobean era were supposed to be under the control of their husbands. D is so sure of her husband's love for her and is so sure that their love is unbreakable that she declares her love in front of the court to prove her confidence: "I did love the Moor to live with him.... My downright violence and storm of fortunes may trumpet to the world. My heart's subdued." D proves she is sure here and desperate for independence. Her actions reflect her inner most feelings and Shakespeare is able to show the audience how she feels through imagery using metaphors such as 'storm of fortunes' to reveal how she knows her secret marriage is not seen as right but it is all exciting and unpredictable like a storm, filled with electrical charges that keep everything fresh and fun. She shows her adventurous streak and her romantic, naïve side as she recklessly throws herself into an unknown world.

D shows how even the most sure, bravest person can be deceived and weakened by loved ones. Extract 2 reveals D's love is still stronger than ever for her husband yet she is unsure of his love for her. She no longer knows where she stands, losing confidence and her much wanted independence ebbs away, exposing her true feelings. D shows how trustworthy of people she is and how innocently naïve of the situation she is when she says to the seemingly honest but secretly betraying and disloyal Iago: "O good Iago." This shows total trust and friendship as she innocently believes he would never do her wrong. D seems to have lost all independence and surety as she has lost any thoughts of logic and has lost all hope of answers in her fog of questioning her husband's anger at her. She needs support from others: "what shall I