... wedding sheets for her shroud. As Emilia helps her mistress to undress, Desdemona sings a song, called "Willow," about a woman whose love forsook her. She says she learned the song from her mother's maid, Barbary, who died singing the song after she had been deserted by her lover. The song makes Desdemona think about adultery, and she asks Emilia whether she would cheat on her ... and Graziano. Left alone onstage with the bodies of the two women, Othello searches for another sword. Emilia's dying words provide eerie background music, as she sings a snatch of the song "Willow." She tells...

• Word Count: 2963
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

... , promising to join her soon. Desdemona obeys, departing immediately for her chamber. There she tells Emilia to dress her in her wedding dress and asks her to sing the willow song, which her mother's maid used to sing to her. In conversation with Emilia, Desdemona reveals her continued, deep love for Othello. Emilia is reluctant to leave her mistress alone, but ... her mistress to undress, she notices that Desdemona cannot think clearly; she seems bewildered and only half-awake. She continues to sing the old willow song; then Desdemona explains that the maid who taught her the song lost ...

• Word Count: 6585
• Approx Pages: 26
• Grade Level: High School

... that her mother's maid, Barbary sang before she died when her lover turned mad and ran away. This song foreshadows her death as she says that the can't get the song out of her head. Act 5, Scene 2 Line 4-5 Othello sees Desdemona sleeping and he says "Yet I'll not shed her blood, nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow and ... ...

• Word Count: 3368
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School

... should die before her to wrap her body using the sheets on the bed. At first, Emilia thinks this is only "talk", but Desdemona begins to tell her about the song she learned from her mother's maid (Barbary). This becomes an intimate moment between the two, as Emilia is unpinning Desdemona's hair and preparing her for bed (like a mother helping her ... ...

• Word Count: 4504
• Approx Pages: 18

... even after the way he has mistreated her. Her love for him will not change. "Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve - " (Act 4, Scene 3. Line 49). This line comes from a song Desdemona sings but it represents Desdemona's feelings towards Othello perfectly. She won't blame him for the way he treats her. Even on her death bed Desdemona does not blame Othello ... ...

• Word Count: 2824
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

... even after the way he has mistreated her. Her love for him will not change. "Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve - " (Act 4, Scene 3. Line 49). This line comes from a song Desdemona sings but it represents Desdemona's feelings towards Othello perfectly. She won't blame him for the way he treats her. Even on her death bed Desdemona does not blame Othello ... ...

• Word Count: 2824
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

... the final scene. Desdemona behaviour is also different she seems melancholy and subdued, there is an air of tragedy and foreboding about the scene. This is emphasised by the willow song that Desdemona sings about forsaken lovers. The women's different views on men are contrasted, highlighting Desdemona's innocence, purity and virtue. Desdemona says she would never be unfaithful " No, by this ... ...

• Word Count: 2631
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School