The character of Desdemona in Othello written by William Shakespeare is representative of innocence in that she is uncorrupted by the sins that those around her suffer from, and yet she is the character who endures the most for the actions of those around her.  She is uncorrupted by anger, wrath, vengeance, or adultery, but in the end she is killed with her death representing the loss of innocence in the play. Her tragic end can also be seen as a circumstance of how women at the time of the play were mistreated and sheds light on the social commentary Shakespeare may have been making with  her death. 

Women, at the time in which the play was set, were severely mistreated. Their ideas were often disregarded or ignored, if heard at all. Desdemona is a prime example of how this mistreatment occurred and how it can result in death. For example, when Iago told Othello that Desdemona was having an affair with Cassio, Othello did not ask Desdemona her side of the story and jumped to the conclusion that she was guilty and should die for it. I will withdraw/To furnish me with some swift means of death/For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant”(Shakespeare 541-545). Othello Othello refers to Desdemona as a “lewd minx” meaning that she is sneaky like a minx, but in a sexual way because she is going behind Othello’s back to have an affair. Even though Othello is not physically abusing Desdemona here, Desdemona is still in danger since Othello is planning on killing her and with his rage unchecked, it is impossible to know what he is capable of. Iago telling Othello fallacies about Desdemona is also a form of mistreatment towards Desdemona, although it may not appear this way. Iago is only telling Othello of Desdemona’s “affair” because he believes that Cassio will be fired and he will replace Cassio. Iago is using Desdemona as a pawn to further his plan and is not disturbed nor does he call off his plan when Othello threatens to kill her. Overall, the men in this play treat the women with little regard and almost as if they are objects rather than people. 

Despite all the suffering, Desdemona is representative of innocence in the play and described in an angelic-like nature. For instance, Othello describes her as, “Yet I’ll not shed her blood,/Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,/And smooth as monumental alabaster.”(Shakespeare 3-5). When Othello talks about Desdemona and her appearance, he uses imagery associated with chastity and purity. The snow white skin is a reflection of something that is untarnished (virginity) and untouched by anything else. The white color of snow is a symbol of purity as well, contributing to Desdemona’s innocent state. Alabaster is a smooth stone and smoothness is  also associated with purity as it is not rough or broken. Her depiction of being innocent shows how she is uncorrupted by sin, especially the sins she is accused of committing. Throughout the play, Desdemona is not vengeful like Iago, does not display a temper like Othello, or commit adultery as Othello believes. Before Othello goes to kill Desdmona, he describes her in this innocent-looking state because she does not just appear innocent, she is in reality innocent. Desdemona’s handkerchief is seen as an extension of herself and also holds symbolic meaning. The handkerchief, being the first gift given to her by Othello, is a symbol of trust, or more specifically, fidelity. Othello explains the story of the handkerchief by stating, “She told her, while she kept/it,/’Twould make her amiable and subdue my father/Entirely to her love”(Shakespeare 69-71). In Othello’s story, he states that the handkerchief was given to him by his mother who used it as a means of keeping her husband chaste and gave it to Othello for the same purpose. Since Othello believes that Desdemona gave the handkerchief away, Othello believes that Desdemona’s chaste and fidelity had gone with it. However, since Desdemona never gave away her handkerchief, her innocence and fidelity are still intact unbeknownst to Othello. 

Desdemona’s death speaks to the mistreatment of women and is Shakespeare’s way of showing social commentary against the matter. Not only is Desdemona not truly listened to in the play, but neither are the other women. Emilia is forced to obey Iago, but it is her that ultimately has the power to bring down her husband. In Shakespeare’s ironic twist, it is a woman that brings justice for another woman and ultimately saves the day. “Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak./’Tis proper I obey him, but not now./Perchance, Iago, I will ne’er go home”(Shakespeare 232-234). Emilia speaks against Iago when she begins to unravel his plan and she realizes that she does not have to be subject to a man. This revelation is Shakespeare’s way of speaking against injustices brought against women and flips the script on traditional gender roles. Desdemona was the ideal woman of the time: doting wife, loved her husband unconditionally, beautiful. By killing Desdemona, Shakespeare was killing the idea of this type of woman being the ideal woman. Although Emilia does also meet her end, it is to a man, like Desdemona, shedding light on the violence brought to women by men.