I have included a number of images below to indicate the strength of Othello and Desdemona's love for each other.
After Brabantio accused Othello of abducting Desdemona, Othello is given an opportunity by the Duke to explain his position, and he tells them:
So justly to your grave ears I'll present
How I did thrive in this fair lady's love,
And she in mine.
Here, Othello is metaphorically saying that he grew and flourished in Desdemona's love, and she in his. It is as if the two of them provided sustenance through their love for one another, making them grow.
In another metaphor in the same speech, Othello declares,
She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,
And I loved her that she did pity them.
In this instance, Othello is providing the reason for why he and Desdemona fell in love. He is implying, metaphorically, that Desdemona loved him for the hardship, pain, and struggles he had to endure and that he, in return, loved her for showing pity. She did not pity the dangers he had to undergo, but she pitied him. Saying that she pitied the dangers themselves is personification.
When Desdemona is summoned to vouch for what Othello had testified, she states,
That I did love the Moor to live with him,
My downright violence and storm of fortunes
May trumpet to the world: my heart's subdued
Even to the very quality of my lord:
She is using personification in this example, stating that the turbulence that she has experienced is like an announcement to the world that her heart has achieved calm because she is one with Othello. She has become part of him. Desdemona shows her commitment to her husband by asking the Duke and senators to allow her to accompany him to Cyprus.
if I be left behind,
A moth of peace, and he go to the war,
The rites for which I love him are bereft me,
And I a heavy interim shall support
By his dear absence.
Desdemona's reference to a "moth of peace" is a metaphor in which she implies that she would be useless without Othello. If she should not be allowed to accompany him, she would be miserable. She wants to be with Othello even in war. This is a true indication of her loyalty and love for him.
In Act ll, Scene 1, after his arrival at Cyprus, Othello expresses his joy at being reunited with Desdemona. He metaphorically states that he would be prepared to face any storm if he should, at the end thereof, experience the peace that being with Desdemona brings
If after every tempest come such calms,
May the winds blow till they have waken'd death!
Desdemona replies,
The heavens forbid
But that our loves and comforts should increase,
Even as our days do grow!
In this expression she hopes that their love and joy should only grow stronger as they grow older. The statement is quite ironic, as neither will happen.
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