The Power of Love

Sadly, in the newspaper there are stories so often of spousal abuse that often lead to murder and harm to children. Frequently, we see wives who are in total denial of what is happening to them. They will have marks and physical proof of what their husband has done to them. Surprisingly, these battered women make excuses for their husbands like "I fell down the stairs" or "I fell in aerobics class." They could potentially stop it before it gets any worse. In my opinion, I think there are several resons for why a woman what put herself through this and not try to get a divorce or separate from her husband. The wife may be thinking of the children, or having to totally change her lifestyle and possibly having to support herself if she hadn't previously worked. She may not have the training to hold a jobe that could support a large family. Another just as likely possibility is that the wife is totally blinded by the love she has for her husband. She cannot come to the realization of what is happening to her because she just cannot accept it.

I saw this same phenomenon in the final moments of Desdemona's murder. She completely denied it had anything to do with Othello. This occurrs when Emilia says, "'O, who hath done this deed?' and then Desdemona replies in her last words as she dies, " Nobody-I myself. Farwell...'" (133-134). Othello then says, "'Why should she be murdered?' and Emilia retorts, "Alas, who knows?'" (134). Othello states, "You heard her say herself, it was not I"(134). I think that Desdemona was so in love with Othello that even in the final moments of her murder, a death that she knew she did not deserve, Desdemona still could not blame Othello for her murder. She loved him too much. It would hurt her more to acknowledge the fact that Othello had killed her than to just die and accept death. Infatuation is a formidable force not only in this story, but in real life.