However, when Desdemona appears she has the ability to hold her own and stand up for her beliefs. She appears quite outspoken and wilful and she defies convention by taking a stand like she does. Shakespeare contrasts these two images deliberately to highlight that she is breaking the social code and not behaving how women at this time were expected. She oversteps the boundaries of class and gender by marrying a black man and defying her father at a time when women were expected to be quiet and submissive. This hints to the audience that it will end in sorrow because in Shakespearean tragedy characters that break the code and cause disruption by going against the grain usually suffer. This idea of social order and its importance runs throughout Shakespeare's work. .
The contrasting images of Desdemona have a secondary purpose; they make it hard for the audience to form a clear interpretation of her. Her father and Othello commend her for being sweet, gentle and mild yet her actions convey the opposite. Desdemona's actions will be interpreted differently depending on how the audience see her character. It could be argued that Desdemona has deceived her father not just through marrying Othello but also by her character. He has a misconception of her, "and so much duty as my mother showed to you, preferring you before her father-, her father cannot argue with this and Desdemona could be seen here to be cunning, manipulative and deceitful. This idea of deception is central to the play "If thou hast eyes to see: she has deceived her father and may thee- and leads to Othello and Desdemona's destruction. .
However I would interpret Desdemona differently at this point. Desdemona has a divided duty. She feels bound to her father but also to Othello, her husband to whom she had pledged her love and future. She is forced to choose. She is not trying to manipulate her father she is just being truthful.