sympathy rather than wisdom This childlike innocence blinds her to evil and makes her helpless in a world of lies and jealousy Unwise Interference for Cassio Desdemona s repeated requests to Othello for Cassio s return to his post create the main misunderstanding She continues to plead for Cassio unaware of how her actions appear to her husband In Act III Scene III she insists again and again that Othello should forgive Cassio Iago says Look to your wife observe her well with Cassio Iago s words and Desdemona s persistence make Othello think she loves Cassio Her unwise insistence though innocent gives Iago s lies a chance to grow Lack of Judgment and Experience Desdemona is young and inexperienced in life She does not understand Othello s jealous nature or his insecurities as a husband and soldier When Othello becomes angry she still talks about Cassio and ignores his questions about the handkerchief Her simple honesty cannot match Othello s suspicious mood Even when he shows his anger she only says I have not deserved this Her lack of judgment and failure to see danger increase Othello s doubts and speed up the tragic end Disobedience to Her Father At the beginning Desdemona boldly disobeys her father Brabantio and secretly marries Othello Though her love is pure her act of rebellion shows her emotional nature Brabantio warns Othello He said she might deceive her husband as she had deceived her father He warns She has deceived her father and may thee These words later echo in Othello s mind This early act of disobedience creates the seed of suspicion It helps Iago s wicked lies find a place in Othello s heart Her Passive Nature in the End At the end of the play Desdemona accepts death without resistance Even when Othello smothers her she says Nobody I myself Her forgiveness shows her purity but also her weakness She cannot fight for her life or defend her innocence strongly This calm submission makes her a tragic victim It also shows that she cannot act to save herself Her silence and passivity complete Iago s cruel success and make the tragedy unavoidable In short Desdemona is one of Shakespeare s most innocent heroines However her simplicity and lack of understanding help Iago s intrigue succeed She means no harm yet her overtrusting nature and unwise behavior bring ruin Othello s jealousy and Iago s evil cause the tragedy but Desdemona s gentle weakness helps it grow Thus she remains both an innocent sufferer and a partial cause of her own tragic fate