"I swear I have no idea why he stopped loving me. Here I’m kneeling to swear that if I ever did anything to destroy his love for me, either by thoughts or actions, or if I ever took pleasure in anyone else, or if I never did love him, or don’t love him now—even though he tries to shake me off—then I hope I have a life of misery! Unkindness is powerful, and his unkindness may kill me, but it’ll never destroy my love." This quote shows that Desdemona really has no idea what's going on, but she still loves Othello and she's been nothing but faithful and loving to him, and nothing can kill that love.
"That’s not what I wish. I love him even when he’s harsh and mean—Help me unpin this, would you?—I love even his stubbornness, his frowns, his bad moods." This quote shows that even though Othello is acting cruel toward her without any reason to, Desdemona still loves him. Despite the flaw in his character, she loves him for who he is. It shows that she can overlook the bad and see the part of him that she loved so much.
2. How is Othello changing in Act 4? What is the effect of his public humiliation of Desdemona by slapping her?
In Act 4 he's been completely transformed by Iago's manipulative actions. He now hates Desdemona and thinks she is nothing better than a cheating whore, conspiring to kill her by strangulation. When he slaps her in public it gets Emilia concerned and it lets Iago know his plan is working - he is driving the Moor insane. It also leads others to think he always acts this way or that he's slowly losing his mind.
3. At the end of Act 4 we get a glimpse into the private world of women. How does Shakespeare portray this world?
Shakespeare portrays this world in an interesting fashion. Emilia and Desdemona are having a conversation in which Desdemona asks her if she'd ever cheat on her wife "for the world." Emilia agrees and explains that there are some things - such as making her husband the king - that she would cheat on him to make possible. The conversation progresses on to how there's a double standard; it's normal for men to have wives and then have whores on the side that they cast their wives out for, but it's unheard of for women to do the exact same thing. It's a rather sexist double standard because it's almost like saying if you're a man you can sleep around but if you're a woman and there are rumors, it's okay for you to be cast out and killed.
4. Analyze "The Willow Song". What is the literal meaning of this song? What does this song symbolize?
"The Willow Song" is about a woman deserted by her love after he goes mad. The song symbolizes Desdemona's own situation. She is afraid she will be deserted by Othello and lose her love that she is desperately clinging to.
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