'Commonly, texts about husbands and wives present a violent story.' In respect to this, examine how Shakespeare portrays the dynamic between Othello and Desdemona in a given extract and elsewhere in the play.

The violence of marriage is seen through Othello’s conflicted mindset as he clearly still holds affection for Desdemona. He prolongs finally murdering her by interrogation as to whether she has prayed, and acknowledges this with “Amen, with all my heart!” This appears genuine to the audience and suggests that Desdemona is still the object of his “heart”. Othello’s soliloquy prior to his killing of Desdemona further implies that he is not resolved in his decision, as he suggests “should I repent me”. This faltering of Othello’s decision implies he is aware that he may “repent” his decision, due to the finality of his violence. However, Othello follows through with his “talk…of killing”, displaying extreme violence. This suggests that no matter how deep the love within the marriage, faults and jealousy can be exacerbated to provoke violence if instigated by a third party. The Machiavellian villain Iago raises questions as to stability of the marriage, but nonetheless ensures the breakdown of the relationship. His carefully measured interventions using iambic pentameter creates a trustful tone, contributing more to villainous character. It also shows Iago to be similar to works such as Webster's 'The Duchess of Malfi', where yet again a marriage story centres around violence. Therefore, although 'Othello' is a story of violence due to the protagonist's violent mania, there is a suggestion that marriages could exist harmoniously if manipulation from a third party is evaded.