1. Desdemona

2. Central Conflict The central conflict is that Othello is angry because he thinks that she’s cheating on her with Cassio but she’s not.

3. Internal Conflict Othello thinks that Desdemona is a whore and she wonders how he came to think that way. Desdemona questions what she did that made Othello think that she cheated on him. Quotes: 1. Desdemona, “May heaven keep that monster away from Othello’s mind!”

4. External Conflict Desdemona talks to him and tells him that she is not a whore and that she is not cheating on him then they start fighting. Othello gets very angry and starts to yell and then suddenly hits Desdemona. Quotes: 1.Othello, “The handkerchief!” Desdemona, “Really, you have no reason to act like this.” Othello, “Get away from me!” 2.Desdemona, “Why, sweet Othello!” Othello, “Devil!” Desdemona, “I’ve done nothing to deserve this.”

5. Article #1 Article Comparison I read an article called “How to Find Out if Wife is Cheating – Subtle Clues to Look For” because it directly relates to Desdemona’s situation in the novel “Othello”. The article talks about how a cheating wife may often talk about her lover directly to her husband. Although Desdemona doesn’t cheat she often is talking to Othello about Cassio. This relates to the article because Othello is under the impression that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Desdemona isn’t sure why Othello is accusing her of cheating. She thinks Othello just lost it and isn’t himself. She even asks Othello why she could have possibly done for him to freak out on her. She knows she never cheated on him but he is under the impression she has been cheating with a good friend of his. http://www.linkroll.com/Infidelity-Relationships--124345-How-to- Find-Out-if-Wife-is-Cheating-Subtle-Clues-to-Look-For.html#

6. Article #2 Article Connection to Desdemona’s central conflict The article I read was called Black-White Marriages Rise, But Couples Still Face Scorn. Desdemona’s central conflict is her confusion on why Othello is angry at her and her shaky marriage as a result of it. A connection from this central conflict to this article is that Othello is insecure about his race and age which is why he believes Desdemona’s infidelity to be true. This article discusses the problems modern day interracial couples face still to this day. Even today racism still is almost as strong as ever. Many white Americans still sadly look down on interracial couples. In Othello, the situation is no different. The sight of a black moor with a white woman would be considered a surprising sight back then and still could be a shocking sight for some close-minded people. Another connection from this article to Desdemona’s central conflict is that Desdemona’s father, Barbantio, does not agree with her decision to marry Othello. This is similar to many parents in the real world who do not approve of their children’s rightful choices. Barbantio is absolutely crushed at the news of his daughter’s marriage to a black man and he makes sure she knows it. Throughout the article it explained the horrible truth about how hard it is for interracial couples with disapproving parents. A final connection from this article to Desdemona’s central conflict is the rarity of an interracial marriage. The article says that only 1.5 out of 1000 marriages in the United States were white-black. This is similar to the story because the marriage of Othello and Desdemona is a shocking one because of how rare interracial marriabges were back then. The rarity of these marriages definitely contributes to the shock and racism that follows them.