OTHELLO – CRITICISM FOR DESDEMONA

Carol Thomas	‘Emilia is a foil for Desdemona and corrects Desdemona’s occasional naivete’
Carol Thomas	Her naivete and docility in the scene is a result of ‘confusion and fear’
Carol Thomas	Her spirit doesn’t desert her completely in later half of the play
Carol Thomas	‘Inability to defend herself due to Othello’s refusal to voice his suspicions directly’
A.C Bradley	She is ‘helplessly passive’
A.C Bradley	‘Dumb creature’
A.C Bradley	‘tortured without cause’
A.C Bradley	Her innocence makes her suffering more painful for the audience
Marilyn French	‘Her last words are of a martyr’
Marilyn French	She’s seen as a child who lies about the handkerchief – but when Othello strikes her she stands her ground with adult dignity ‘ I have not deserv’d this’
Marilyn French	She remains submissive till the end – begging Othello to let her live