In the play's final scene, Desdemona whispers on her deathbed to protect the husband who killed her. How do you interpret her actions? Does it confirm a view of her as a personification of good?.
In Act 5 Scene 2 Othello kills Desdemona because he believes she has betrayed and deceived him by sleeping with Cassio. Just before she dies, with the last of her strength, Desdemona whispers that she is innocent "O falsely, falsely murdered A guiltless death I die-. She says it was not her husbands who killed her and asks him to think kindly of her "Nobody; I myself. Commend me to my kind lord-. This can be interpreted in many different ways. To twentieth century readers this may seem like an unbelievable action. To deliberately protect and forgive your murderer takes a lot of spiritual strength and good will. I think this highlights her purity and shows the unbelievable strength of her love for Othello. It reinforces the idea that Desdemona is a personification of goodness and symbol of virtue. .
However, she could be interpreted here as cunning and deceitful, trying to make Othello feel remorse and regret for his actions. Her intention may be to make herself look like a martyr and raise sympathy from the audience.
Throughout the play Desdemona is portrayed as spiritual and redemptive, she completely contrasts with the corruption of the characters around her. At the beginning of the play in Act 1 Scene 2 Desdemona's father describes her as "tender, fair and happy- then in Scene 3 he says she is mild, shy and nave when it comes to men. This description gives the reader their first impression of Desdemona and creates a certain angelic' image of her in the audience's mind. In Act 1 Scene 3 Othello says he loves Desdemona for her pity, understanding and gentle admiration "She gave me for my pains a world of sighs-. These descriptions are given before the audience sees Desdemona and would leave them expecting a quiet, gentle wallflower.
