Desdemona and the
“Willow Scene”
(IV.iii.40-56)
A Summary of Literary Criticism
The following piece is a summary of the points and
arguments raised within two literary criticisms of the “Willow
Scene” in Shakespeare’s Othello.
Rebecca A. Kaaz
4/3/2009
A summary of literary criticism of the willow scene in Othello
Introduction:
The following is a short summary and discussion on two critical analyses of Act IV, scene
iii in Shakespeare’s Othello. This scene contains what is known as the “Willow Song,” sung by
Desdemona as Emilia unpins her and puts on her nightgown. She sings:
The poor soul sat sighing, by a sycamore tree,
Sing all a green willow:
Her hand on her bosom her head on her knee,
Sing willow, willow, willow.
The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur’d her moans,
Sing willow, willow, willow.
Her salt tears fell from her, which soften’d the strongs;
Sing willow, willow, willow.
Sing all a green willow must be my garland.
Let nobody blame him, his scorn I approve,
I call’d my love false love; but what said he then?
Sing willow, willow, willow:
If I court moe women, you’ll couch with moe men.
(IV.iii.40-56)
For each source I have presented the main points of the critic’s argument followed by a
comparison and/or contrast with another critic sharing similar or dissonant thoughts. The
purpose of this summary is to provide a well-rounded survey of several theories on the
presentation and interpretation of scene, thereby enabling the formation of a deeper
understanding of the scene and its inclusion or removal from performance, and understanding
the means by which the critics developed their arguments.
Walen, Denise A. "Unpinning Desdemona." Shakespeare Quarterly 58(2007): 487-508.
Walen’s “Upinning Desdemona” explores the differences between the quarto (1622)
and First Folio (1623) in the portrayal of the Willow song in IV.iii. The author summarizes that
the two editions present varying themes due to the presence or absence of elements of the
scene, particularly the Willow song. The majority of Walen’s article encompasses the question
of whether or not “F was revised or expanded or whether Q was edited and reduced” (Walen
488). As Walen’s discussion of the argument progresses, she takes the stance that “An
examination of theatrical practice suggests that F prints a version of the play as performed at
the Globe and the Q represents a separate, generally later version that shows signs of the cuts
made in F to accommodate performances at Blackfriars (Walen 489).
Walen summarizes that F “presents both Desdemona and Emilia as complex characters”
(Walen 487). The presence of the scene allows the reader or audience to dive deeper into the
character of Desdemona and develop a sense of empathy. “While the song alludes to themes of
infidelity, madness, melancholy, and death, it also functions practically to cover the rather
complicated business of unpinning and unlacing various articles of clothing” (Walen 490). It is
also interesting to note that the Willow song sung by Desdemona in Act IV, scene iii was a
familiar song. If the time required to sing the song was not long enough for the unpinning of
Desdemona, it is possible that the actress could have supplied more stanzas.
In order to summarize the value of the scene, Walen quotes A. C. Bradley as saying, “The
great tragedies never proceed immediately to a conclusion after the conflict has been
established. Instead, these plays provide a bit of relief and create interest with a momentary
pause, which results in a decided slackening of tension” (Walen 496). This scene is the calm
before the storm. Shakespeare did not wish to take us directly into the scene of Desdemona’s
death. Instead he preferred to give his readers and audience a change of pace, a feeling of
peace and relaxation from the tension brewing within the play.
The Q still contains the basic narrative structure present in F, but the presentation of the
women varies quite drastically. As stated previously, the Q likely came into use once the
company began performing at the Blackfriars. The practice during this time was to take breaks
between the acts and therefore “they had less need for a pause written into the script because
the interval provided its own relief from the dramatic tension of the plot” (Walen 497). There
was no longer a need for the Willow Song to slow down the brewing tension of the plot. Rather
than focusing on the unpinning of Desdemona and the emotional nakedness present in the
scene, the Q focuses more on the end of Act IV with the plot to murder Cassio. Walen proposes
that “The Q version drives the narrative more quickly toward its conclusion without the lengthy
detour for Desdemona and Emilia, and thereby heightens the dramatic tension of the play in
performance.
The practice of cutting out portions or this entire scene was commonplace in the
seventeenth through nineteenth century. This was deeply embedded within the Shakespearean
theatre culture until the mid-1900s (Walen 502). The large editing of the scene “has had a
disastrous consequence for both of the female characters, but especially for Desdemona”
(Walen 502). Walen claims that many modern critics currently blame this practice for “diluting
the character” and causing audiences and readers to become more strongly attached to
Othello. Cook, a critic cited by Walen, proposes that “4.3 is one of two ‘little islands’ in the play
where Desdemona’s ‘character is illuminated’; the other scene is Desdemona’s conversation
with Iago in Act 2” (Walen 503). Other critics also agree that 4.3 is one of the few (or only)
places that allows us to see within the character of Desdemona.
In conclusion, Walen states that theatrical trends of the time led to the initial edits and
enabled the acceptance of “later deletions” (Walen 508). These later deletions, as Walen sees
them were done due to the scene’s inability to advance the plot and the focus placed on two
minor characters that are female. She concludes with a powerful statement for her readers to
ponder: “The history of this scene in performance shows an unnerving disposition to still the
female voice, which makes it all the more remarkable that Shakespeare wrote the scene at all”
(Walen 508).
Ronk, Martha. "Desdemona's Self-Presentation." English Literary Renaissance 35(2005): 52-72.
Ronk calls readers to question what we can learn about Desdemona from how she
represents herself. She poses the following questions: “If one examines Desdemona’s efforts to
represent herself, what does one see or know? In the moment in which she describes herself,
arranges herself, calls up her past, addresses her own agency, what does she suggest? And
what does this constructed and iconic character tell us, if anything, about early modern
subjectivity?” (Ronk 54). Ronk claims that early in the play Desdemona presents herself as an
intelligent, well-spoken, and confident woman; however, just prior to her murder her means of
representation change and she “represents herself as visually allegorical rather than
dramatic…She is a picture rather than a woman of verbal wit” (Ronk 54). It is important to pay
great attention to this later scene to gain insight into the character of Desdemona. This is
primarily due to the fact that in the earlier scenes Desdemona shares her scenes with more
dominant male characters, but in the willow scene she is in control and is able to represent
herself in her own manner. Ronk claims that Desdemona is representing herself “vividly by
gesture, speech, and most decisively, by emblem. Visual allegory was not, as the studies of
Renaissance iconography make clear, a mere decorative tool for authors and artists, although
here it adds to the scene’s high drama since Desdemona knows and the audience knows she is
about to die” (Ronk 55).
Ronk further discusses the character of Desdemona when she states, “In the play
Desdemona is almost immediately reified as whore or adored idol of love (‘there, where I have
gerner’d up by heart’), an idolatry specifically forbidden by religious commandments…Her only
recourse seems to be to define herself by offering an equally potent image” (Ronk 61). Because
of this self-defining, the confident woman present at the beginning of the play has been
replaced by the time readers or audiences are to the willow scene. Similar to the theory behind
Walen’s argument, Ronk believes “Desdemona’s scene is also theatrical, performative, and
artificial—a play within a play, slowed and curtained off from the rest of the action at least for
the time being. In several ways she creates herself as an objectified character, a self asking to
be observed different” (Ronk 62). The images presented in the song lyrics are allegorical,
allowing Desdemona to “project herself into a visual image and thereby manage[s] to reveal her
sadness, betrayal, and isolation” (Ronk 63). In addition, Ronk also proposes that “It is as
emblem that a character seems to come closest to an intimate revelation of self; paradoxically,
Desdemona comes closest to a representation of subjectivity by means of an objectified
picture” (Ronk 64). It is in the allegory of the willow tree that Desdemona presents her internal
conflict. It is through the undressing that takes place during the song that reveals her true self—
exposed, revealed, and intimate.
The scene is also important because it takes the focus away from the masculine and
military-based setting of the rest of the play. This scene takes place in the bedroom, “a room
designed for privacy and intimacy” (Ronk 65). She is now in a feminine world, surrounded by
“mother, maid, and attendant” and is able to define herself as she knows herself, not based on
the masculine view (Ronk 65). Ronk also claims that the use of “Barbary” is of great importance:
“By naming the maid ‘Barbary,’ the same name given to bestial male sexuality…she rescues and
redefines the term” (Ronk 66). Ronk claims that “Barbary” is Desdemona’s self-instituted
emblem for the innocence she knows she still possesses even after she takes responsibility for
Othello’s actions.
In conclusion, Ronk summarizes the self-presentation of Desdemona as a “play within a
play, creating an artificial and visual projection of self so that she can be known and
remembered” (Ronk 72). It is through this that an unforgettable character is created. It is a
“Process a character performs on herself, and a process which may provide a way of
understanding the emerging self of early modern England” (Ronk 72).