The polysemous nature of Shakespeare's Othello means that over time different cultures have found certain readings of particular characters more relevant than others. For example, there are many possible readings of Desdemona, but two of the most dominant interpretations include seeing her as the ideal wife who is the victim of an abusive husband and seeing her as a progressive woman who contributed to his downfall in s 'expressing frankly and defying the rules. the place of women in her time. Both readings are relevant to contemporary society, especially when we take into consideration the role that feminism has played in shaping modern thought and the number of abusive relationships depicted in our media. However, as we will show, contemporary society feels more comfortable viewing women as innocent, pure and good and therefore a reading of Othello, which perceives Desdemona as a victim, will always be more relevant. The tragedy of Othello could more aptly be described as the tragedy of Othello. Tragedy of Desdemona, because the real tragedy of the story is that a loving and faithful wife is killed by a jealous and abusive husband.• Desdemona demonstrates her love for Othello by risking rejection from her family• I can't believe that 'a woman can be unfaithful - perhaps naively but still demonstrates her beliefs • Created by a stolen handkerchief and her kind nature, willing to put the needs of others before herself (by trying to help Cassio) • Qualities that respond to the good wife's speech? And yet she was killed in a domestic dispute. This reading constructs Desdemona in a way that draws on a traditional understanding of the Virgin Mary; pure, chaste and sacrificial, but an alternative interpretation places her more in the role of someone like Germa...... middle of paper ......na who perpetuates stereotypes by relying on traditional discourses of femininity prevalent in our media will be most relevant to modern audiences. “Desdemona is a character who can be read in multiple ways, some of which are more relevant to contemporary society than others. Desdemona can be interpreted as the “good woman” who, despite her great virtues, is murdered by her jealous husband or as a modern woman defying oppressive societal values. Both readings are relevant to modern society, but in interpreting Desdemona, the innocent victim is more relevant to contemporary society, as audiences are more familiar with this version of femininity as it has become normalized in the media. Hopefully, over time, contemporary audiences will become more receptive to readings that challenge the dominant sexist ideologies still prevalent in society..