This might have been what caused Desdemona's rebelliousness. Because Brabanzio had such immense power over her, Desdemona may have wanted to gain this kind of power herself. Thus she decided to take her relationship into her own hands and ignore the tradition of receiving her father's approval. Desdemona was striving to play an equal role with the men in Venetian society. The aspect of playing the same role as the men in such a society also explains Desdemona's marriage to Othello. Instead of Brabanzio taking the initiative in the marriage, Desdemona took the initiative in the courtship because she envied the power that her father had over her and the power of Othello's bravery and masculinity. Desdemona's actions were not necessarily based on the desire to be a man, but more so a desire to have the equal powers of men. By marrying Othello, Desdemona was showing that she was strong enough and educated enough to break the societal boundaries of passivity and submission set for women. However, one should not assume that Desdemona did not love Othello or that she married him only to define herself as a liberated woman. Desdemona's affirmation of her love was revealed when she said, "I saw Othello's visage in his mind, And to his honours and his valiant parts Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate," (1.3, 410). She loved Othello for his body and mind, for his reputation and actions. She gave herself to him spiritually and physically and she continued to love him throughout all the events and accusations. .
Race was not an issue to Desdemona and this was a result of her intelligence and determination to become liberated. Othello, however, may have been frightened by Desdemona's aggressiveness as a woman. This, along with the misperceptions brought on by Iago, could have led to his changing views of Desdemona. When Othello and Desdemona are first married, Othello spoke nothing but love for Desdemona.
