In preparation for my two upcoming shows, "Othello" and "Miss Julie," I wanted to compare two pivotal characters to gain deeper insight. The two being Miss Julie and Desdemona, as I find the similarities in these characters to highlight key aspects within each play. Miss Julie and Desdemona's demographic information is a crucial aspect in each play as it affects their male counterparts. The interracial couple, Desdemona and Othello, contrast with one another and characterise both of the couples through this contrast. Miss Julie on the other hand is a strong woman who is socially superior to Jean. Miss. Julie being female gives the play a sense of a power struggle between Julie and Jean. To continue, both these characters are highly complex in their development and this enhances the dramaturgical structure. Desdemona so clearly was an individual independent of need for a man in the initial moments of the play, however in her final moment we see how she becomes submissive to her husband claiming suicide in her final moments of the play when the audience is aware Othello has murdered her. She let herself become vulnerable and protective of her husband as she felt a sense of duty, even in death. Miss. Julie by comparison complexity lies within the insinuation of a mental disease. The play takes course over a single night, in which Jean and Julie have sex and this causes Miss. Julie to commit suicide. Though the play is classed as a realist play, it could better be interpreted as a melodrama. To finish in the comparison I highlight how these characters need to be portrayed in order to be effective. Primarily I am seeking versatility from actors and insight into their interpretation as to why the characters are more deeply complex. Within "Othello" and "Miss Julie" their demographic information is important in categorising the two characters, Julie and Desdemona, as well as those around them. The audience easily distinguishes the assumptions of the time period based on this information and the actors develop the characters from these stereotypes. In looking at the language used to describe Desdemona and Othello we start to make assumptions firstly about their characters and secondly about the way other characters view them. It's been speculated whether Othello is about race or not, I am not sure however Iago's description of Othello may be an indicator of motive due to race. He describes Othello and Desdemona consummation as "...making the beast with two backs and makes the senator, Desdemona's father, angry with threats of his "daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you'll have nephews neigh to you. This depicts Othello as a beast, contrasting with Desdemona who's described as a "white angel." The defining feature of skin color combines with language foreshadows throughout the play that Othello will kill Desdemona, Othello being the beast that turns Desdemona into an angel. Also association with the words angel and Desdemona is a suggestion of her innocence since it's never proven whether she did or did not commit adultery. This contrast helps develop an understanding of Iago's motive, the characters and how they're viewed by others in the world. By comparison we have Miss. Julie who's contrast within her relationship with Jean is one of status. Her being a female is very important because it was believed during the time that this play was written that women were the weaker sex. Strindberg, when writing this as homage to hi