Question

Why did Othello kill Desdemona?

Answer 1

Othello comes to his sleeping wife's bedroom to murder her as punishment for her supposed adultery. He smothers her with a pillow as she asserts her innocence.

Step-by-step explanation:

Throughout the course of the play, we see Iago, someone who Othello believes he can trust, manipulate Othello and sow seeds of doubt of Desdemona's faithfulness. This drives him to rage and jealousy and ultimately leads him to kill Desdemona.

Answer 2

In the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare, Othello kills Desdemona as a result of manipulation and assumptions.

In this play, Othello allows a deceptive antagonist by the name of Iago to plant detrimental seeds in his mind regarding the fidelity (or faithfulness) of his wife, Desdemona. Rather than challenging or denying Iago’s gossip, Othello lets these thoughts grasp control of his actions as he smothers Desdemona with a pillow in her sleep.

The play delineates a profound sense of trust and manipulation in that one character’s actions are driven by jealousy and a spread of what is interpreted to be misinformation. As a way of taking his anger and frustration out on the world, Othello smothers Desdemona in a pillow.