Emilia's courage comes out in
the last scene. She calls Othello, who is of great social standing compared to her, a
liar and a devil. To utter such words as a woman and one of a lower class would have
been incredibly courageous in her day. She also turned on her husband in that scene in
defense of Desdemona. She says that what Iago said of Desdemona cheating was false and
she calls Iago a liar. She calls Othello an idiot for believing Iago. Unfortunately,
Emilia's courage comes out a little too late. This is probably part of Shakespeare's
purpose: waiting to tell the truth can cost
lives.
Desdemona's courage is
displayed throughout the play. She leaves her home and seeks relationship with Othello
even though her father disapproves of their union. She confronts Othello with Cassio's
requests, even though Othello doesn't want her to be a negotiator for others. Finally,
when she knows he is about to kill her, she asks for a little more time and confesses
her innocence. Some people would just cave and tell a murderous man what he wanted to
hear, but Desdemona told him the truth. This was most certainly courageous because the
result was death anyway.
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