Blog Post #11 Othello

Think Piece from last week:

Why does Othello tell Desdemona this origin story about the handkerchief?
I believe that Othello is made out to be a very dramatic character who enjoys telling elaborate and somewhat "magical" stories. This can especially be seen when he speaks to Desdemona.
He says:
"
For this reason, I think that Desdemona is very fascinated and attracted to this characteristic of Othello. Not only that, but I think she also easily believes his stories because they do seem very meaningful and heroic. Because Desdemona often believes his stories (whether they are true or not we don't know), I think that causes him to continually tell more just as he did with the origin of the handkerchief. He is aware that Desdemona is intrigued and drawn to him even more when he tells his stories. By talking of his dearest mother and father and their history with the handkerchief, he knows that she must only fall deeper in love with him. This response also answers part of this discussion question:  Do you think Desdemona believes the story of the handkerchief’s origin? Where else in the play is there evidence of Desdemona’s attraction to Othello’s storytelling? This storytelling can be seen again from the very start of the play when Othello tells Desdemona of his heroic battles and traveling the world.

Part 2 - Question:

How can Desdemona's love for Othello be justified? From the beginning we know that she falls for him because of his stories but, as the play progresses we see Othello get increasingly angry (by deceit) and eventually strike Desdemona and call her a whore. What has kept Desdemona so faithfully attached to Othello throughout the play until he eventually smothers her?