ABSTRACT
The part of Desdemona gives an actress difficult problems to solve. No character in Shakespeare which has suffered from so much misconception. The general idea seems to be that Desdemona is a ninny, a pathetic figure chiefly because she is half-baked. It is certainly the idea of those who think an actress of the dolly type, a pretty young thing with a vapid innocent expression, is well suited to the part. There is something of the potential nun in her. She is more fitted to be the bride of Christ than the bride of any man. Shakespeare implies this in the lines, So opposite to marriage that she shunned and The wealthy curled darlings of our nation. There is no scene in the tragedy which throws more light on Desdemona's character than the one in the fourth act between Desdemona and Emilia.
