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Psychoanalysis is the study of inner conflict (E. Kris, 1950). One hallmark of conflict is irrational self-defeating behavior. As such, conflict is readily identifiable in both clinical and literary contexts. Frequently, the more severe the internal conflict, the more contradictory, confusing, and oscillating are the feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Wurmser (2000) writes about the fracturing of self-experience that occurs as a universal phenomenon but is more pronounced in severe neurosis. He identifies severe clashes of the internal world seen in literary and cultural phenomena, but more importantly in clinical settings, as related to, initiated by, and mirrored in superego conflicts. Of course, personal, familial, and cultural traumas both cause and exaggerate this rupturing and its accompanying superego pathology. Many Shakespearean characters exhibit such severe conflicts.
Desdemona, for example, has a severely ruptured personality. This paper posits that one major fault line that her personality splinters along is the opposing trends of submission and aggression. She has other conflicts, but we believe that submission and aggression are the most salient for understanding her personality as they affect the action of the play. However, many other interpretations of her character are of course possible.
Along with their self and object representations, the constellations that form her submissive and aggressive compromise formations contain drive, defense, and superego components. Each collection makes entrances and exits on stage and contributes to the action. As a result, Desdemona at times contradicts herself in speech and behavior. Without the ideas of severe inner conflict and superego pathology, these contradictions seem baffling. Each collection also encourages the appearance of its counterpoint. Desdemona thus is often oblivious to her aggressive behavior and is driven to aggressive action to counter her submissiveness. Psychoanalytic theory argues that these different conflicting forces in the mind interact dynamically and influence each other. These interactions add to Desdemona's complexity and the intricate nuances of her character.
The relationship between Desdemona's personality, Elizabethan culture, and psychoanalysis has not been sufficiently explored. Byles (1989), Dickes (1970), and Reid (1970), for example, discuss Desdemona's personality in psychoanalytic terms but spend litde time on the influences of culture on her personality. Othello, Cassio, and Emilia praise Desdemona for her elegance and virtue. Brabantio similarly praises his daughter for her modesty (Shakespeare, 1603-1604,...