Preview

Comparing and Contrast Emilia and Desdemona's love for their husband

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1009 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparing and Contrast Emilia and Desdemona's love for their husband
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.) In the play Othello this quote shows relation to how love occurs among the main characters. This is highlighted though the relationship that Emilia and Desdemona have with their respective husbands. Throughout, the relationship of these characters with their spouses will be analyzed. The relationship between Emilia and her husband Iago will be expressed as well as the relationship between Desdemona and her husband Othello. Then the similarities and differences between the two relationships will be compared. Emilia and Iago had a very complex relationship. They do not have a strong and equal relationship displaying love. This is not what one would expect to exist between a man and his wife. Iago uses Emilia as his puppet; he mocks and disrespects her. He appears to not care much about her well being. This is seen in the lack of affection he shows to his wife. Iago seems as though he does not have the ability to love anything or anyone. However Emilia 's feelings towards her husband completely different from the negative feelings he has towards her. Emilia 's love towards Iago is filled with so much passion and devotion. She tries her utmost best to please Iago."I nothing but to please his fantasy."(Act 3. Scene 3) This is seen when she steals Desdemona 's handkerchief hoping her husband would be appreciative. She is experiencing unrequited love. This is odd as the object of her affections is her husband,whom has no feelings towards her. He is undeserving of her love,as Emilia could be offering all this love to one whom actually deserves it. This is a good character trait in Emilia. Due to her not getting the love she wants from husband, she develops the belief that women should be able cheat on there husbands. Subsequently they had a rocky relationship,even though Emilia really did love her husband.

In contrast, Desdemona and Othello had a powerful
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ethical And Moral Issues In Physician-Assisted Suicide
    • 188 Words
    • 1 Page

    Ethical And Moral Issues In Physician-Assisted Suicide

    Physician-assisted suicide raises many ethical and moral issues. For patients who advocate for PAS, they acknowledged that the act promotes human dignity, autonomy, and is a humanizing act to end their suffering. PAS is an act of healing for the terminal sick to help end their daily struggles and many see it as a dignified choice. It is evident from patients’ voice and Dr. Byock testimonials strikes the heart of the senseless need to keep the terminal ill alive. Along with the inevitable deaths comes costly medical expenses that can better serve to improve the country and the communities’ welfare.…

    • 188 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mod B: Critical Study - Othello Essay - Prelim HSC
    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Mod B: Critical Study - Othello Essay - Prelim HSC

    Regardless of Emilia being the voice of reason in Othello, even she succumbs to Iago’s deceptions. In Act 3: Scene 3 Emilia finds Desdemona’s handkerchief, “I am glad I have found this napkin/This was her first remembrance from the Moor” yet despite knowing its importance, she gives it to her husband (Iago). Emilia doesn’t know what Iago will do with Desdemona’s precious handkerchief nonetheless she yields, “I nothing but to please his fantasy”. Upon receiving it from his wife he dismisses her and her questions with, “Be not acknown on’t; I have use for it. Go, leave me,” he uses high…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Othello and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Comparative
    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Othello and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Comparative

    Othello is a Shakespearean tragedy, set in Elizabethan Times that present the relationship between, Othello, a ‘moor’ who’s an official in the Venetian army and Desdemona, the daughter of a noble Venetian Senator, Brabantio, and how despite their different experiences in love, a strong relationship can occur, without any initial external input. Desdemona’s assertive behaviour towards romantically pursing Othello, demonstrates her confidence and power, which she maintains throughout the play. Most significantly, the fact that Othello did not ask for Brabantio’s permission to marry Desdemona, demonstrates how Othello did not consider the traditional values of Elizabeth society. However as they play develops, Iago’s manipulation of Othello’s insecurities, leads to the relationship between Othello and Desdemona falling apart.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Taming Of The Shrew Analysis
    • 1755 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Taming Of The Shrew Analysis

    In Othello, the two main women, Desdemona and her friend Emilia, are foils of one another. Desdemona is Othello’s wife and acts exactly as a woman was believed to in their era, a devoted and subservient wife who would die if that is what her husband requested, whereas Emilia was loyal to her husband only until it contradicted her moral code. Emilia stood up for her friend when she was threatened, “Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak: / Tis proper I obey him, but not now. / -Perchance, Iago, I will ne’er go home”(Othello V.ii.195-197). Throughout the play, Emilia makes references to her independent nature, but it is not until this scene at the end of the play that she openly defies her husband in order to protect her closest friend. It is a total girl power moment for her and led to many discussions about her as a character, “[she] achieved psychological freedom and freed herself from societal domination and self-imposed restraints by speaking and acting as she thinks and feels”(Iyasere). Emilia also has a powerful monologue comparing women to men in this play. Her outcry to the men is a strikingly radical speech in a play that had repeatedly displayed patriarchal dominance. Her tone is powerful and progressive throughout the final scene, contributing to the impact the…

    • 1755 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Are Jocasta, Desdemona, Dorine, Elmire, Mariane, and Laura All Portrayed Differently?
    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Are Jocasta, Desdemona, Dorine, Elmire, Mariane, and Laura All Portrayed Differently?

    Desdemona is young, sexual, and recently married. She is the daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio. Desdemona and Othello are secretly married before the play begins. While in many ways stereotypically pure and meek, Desdemona is also determined and self-possessed. She is equally capable of defending her marriage, jesting bawdily with Iago, and responding with dignity to Othello’s incomprehensible jealousy. Desdemona is at times a submissive character, most notably in her willingness to take credit for her own murder. The play, then, depicts Desdemona contradictorily as a self-effacing, faithful wife and as a bold, independent personality. This contradiction may be intentional, meant to portray the way Desdemona herself feels after defending her choice of marriage to her father in Act I, scene iii, and then almost immediately being put in the position of defending her fidelity to her husband. She begins the play as a supremely independent person, but midway through she must struggle against all odds to convince Othello that she is not too independent. The manner in which Desdemona is murdered, smothered by a pillow in a bed covered in her wedding sheets, is symbolic. She is literally suffocated beneath the demands put on her fidelity. Emilia is Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant. A cynical, worldly woman, she is deeply attached to her mistress and distrustful of her husband (Shakespeare, 2005).…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Othello and a Discourse of Marriage and Wiving
    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Othello and a Discourse of Marriage and Wiving

    In Othello, Shakespeare adheres to some of but ignores some of the rules set from A Discourse of Marriage and Wiving, while he creates conflicts in Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. While everything starts out great with Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, things slowly unravel when Iago, the villain of the play, begins to fill the heads of his ‘friends’ with lies. Othello is boastful of the beauty and gentleness of his wife, causing the work for Iago to be minimal. Othello allows his sweet Desdemona to be around his friends more often than he should and by doing this Iago finds it that much easier to make his plan fall in place. Othello grows very jealous as Iago fills his head with lies of his sweet Desdemona and from there everything goes spiraling downward into an awful fate.…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    emilia in othello: A complete transformation
    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages

    emilia in othello: A complete transformation

    At the beginning of the play, Emilia is completely submissive and couldn't argue with Iago whatsoever, no matter what he said and she was willing to do anything, as long at it helped him succeed. When Iago talks about women, he really has nothing nice to say. In fact, when Iago is slandering women and talking about Emilia and she doesn't stand up to him, only Desdemona does, telling Iago to stop talking about Emilia so harshly. He says, "players in your huswifery and huswives in your bed," saying that women are only good for cleaning and in bed (2.1.121-125). Iago goes on to say women talk to much and are practically useless. Desdemona refutes Iago, but Emilia cannot. Another example of Emilia's submission is when she and Desdemona are talking about why people cheat and Emilia says that she would cheat on her husband, not if there was any benefit to her, but if it would benefit her husband, she wouldn't think twice (4.3.81-87). Emilia begins the play completely submissive to her husband and unable to defend herself against the awful things he says.…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Conflict In The Great Gatsby
    • 1653 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Conflict In The Great Gatsby

    In Othello, there is a conflict between a couple, Othello and Desdemona. The conflict initially starts by an envious man, Iago, not by the two lovers themselves conversely to Oskar and his mom. Iago is jealous of Othello for the reasons, he made Cassio his lieutenant instead of him and marrying Desdemona. Iago tries to ruin Othello’s life as he says “I follow him to serve my turn upon him.” Iago poisons Othello’s mind against Desdemona by bringing up how Desdemona deceived…

    • 1653 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jealousy and Ambition in Othello
    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Jealousy and Ambition in Othello

    One of the main aspects explored through Shakespeare's Othello are the intense relationships which exist through human values such as jealousy and ambition. The way these themes are used to drive the plot forward and give purpose to the interactions at the core of the play allow for Othello to resonate even with contemporary society. Almost every character is deeply involved with another, creating a web of both lies and betrayal; two such relationships are those between Othello and Desdemona, and of course, between Iago and Othello. Despite the relationship having completely different dynamics, they remain vital to the effectiveness of the production itself.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Othello's Speech
    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Othello's Speech

    By stating that Desdemona “loved me [him] for the dangers I [he] had passed” and that he “loved her that she did pity them” corroborates Carol McGinnis Kay’s argument that the basis for Othello’s and Desdemona’s love “is the grand romantic picture of Othello that they both admire and pity” (265). Hence, Othello’s “love” for his wife derives from “the image of Othello that Desdemona reflects to him” (265), which is, I would argue, even more explicitly indicated by Shakespeare when he has Othello proclaim to Desdemona that he “does love thee [her]”, and “when I [he] love[s] thee not, chaos is come again” (1314). Although I would insist on approaching those hypothetical nature of the roots of the couple’s relationship with a non-absolutist attitude, considering the limited access the audience has to the two characters either in the form of revealing asides or an adequacy of mutual interaction in any of the acts, I concur with Kay’s point, in that Othello’s love for Desdemona is rather self-oriented, a mirror of his own desirable self-concept as a romantic warrior, contrary to Mose Durst’s rather simplistic perception of “Othello’s love for Desdemona”, namely as having “given his life its most profound meaning” merely…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Treatment Of Women In Othello
    • 1710 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Treatment Of Women In Othello

    Alternatively Desdemona is revealed to be the ideal woman, Cassio even admits“She is indeed perfection.” Othello often makes remarks on her beauty and her wit. Even when he thinks she has betrayed him, he cannot help himself from looking upon her fondly even stating that she is “so delicate with her needle: an admirable musician: O! she will sing the savageness out of a bear: of so high and plenteous wit and invention:—“ despite Desdemona’s perfection Othello lets himself be manipulated into thinking she is unfaithful to him, and he kills her. Emilia, while not as perfect as Desdemona appears to be an obedient wife to Iago. She even gives him Desdemona’s handkerchief without knowing the reason he wants it, when stealing the handkerchief she says “what he will do with it Heaven knows, not I; I nothing but to please his fantasy.” In the end of the play however, she chooses to honour Desdemona and she exposes her husband's treachery as opposed to supporting it. Iago kills her due to this one moment of disobedience. Through the killing of Emilia and Desdemona at the hands of their husbands and the fact that Bianca lives, Shakespeare reveals what he thinks of the relationships husbands have with their wives. He is exhibiting how women are never good enough for their husbands. Desdemona and Emilia are honest women, but in Desdemona’s case Othello believes she is having an affair and to him this is inexcusable. Emilia is killed because Iago sees it as a fit punishment for her disobedience and her lack of support of his dishonesty. Bianca on the other hand has no husband and thus she appears to follow no rules but her own and suffers no dire consequences because she has no one ruling over her. Shakespeare is showcasing the oppression that husbands had over their wives. On top of that Shakespeare is suggesting…

    • 1710 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Balance Of Power In Othello
    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Balance Of Power In Othello

    They are presented initially as ideally loving and based on mutual trust but Iago’s manipulation and deceptive powers changed the relationship into one of Othello’s dominance and mistrust of Desdemona. Desdemona growth through the play is opposite to that of Emilia. Desdemona is presented as strong, independent character however as the play progresses she turns into the quiet obedient wife whereas Emilia gains confidence throughout the play. Act 1 scene 3 demonstrates how Desdemona was a confident character and was sure of what she wanted in life. When her fiancé is accused of bewitching her, she immediately defends her love for him. "And so much Duty as my mother showed to you, preferring you before her father, so much that I may profess due to the Moor my lord". Desdemona, however, despite proposals from various suitors and public discouragement, continues her pursuit of Othello, and marries him. The change of Desdemona’s character and the powerlessness experienced by Desdemona is shown in the scene of Desdemona’s death. Othello demands Desdemona home and she abides like the obedient wife. When Othello comes to the room to murder her she tries to defend herself proclaiming her innocence og whatever crime she may have committed. Othello doesn’t even tell Desdemona the crime she committed which portrays the lack of respect Othello now has for his wife and how her opinion on the crime doesn’t matter as…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Role Of Psychopath In Othello
    • 2111 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Role Of Psychopath In Othello

    Iago did not truly love Emilia, while she had a only love for him. Iago used her purely to steal the handkerchief, which would later ravage Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. They also had a rather…

    • 2111 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Betrayal In Othello Essay
    • 1092 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Betrayal In Othello Essay

    One other relationship of love and friendship is seen between Emilia and Desdemona. Emilia stands up for Desdemona, her innocent mistress, to prove her innocence by bringing her husband’s bad deeds to the sight of Othello. Even though Emilia steals her mistress’s handkerchief because of her love towards her husband, she ends up standing up for her loving mistress. Iago uses love as a source of advantage to gain success in revenge. He fakes love as a friend to Cassio, Rodrigo, as a husband to Emilia for his own benefit. Iago’s idea of love is control. “It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the will.” (763). He uses people’s affections towards love as a weapon to create a friction between characters which eventually leads to…

    • 1092 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Discuss how age, social position and race impact the relationship between Othello and Desdemona
    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Discuss how age, social position and race impact the relationship between Othello and Desdemona

    Othello and Desdemona’s manifestly love-filled relationship was somewhat shielded by society’s views of the age, social position and race differences, that would evidently cause implications. In the late sixteenth century, the time in which Othello is based, it was disreputable to do anything that was thought of as abnormal, for example, marrying below your class. Othello and Desdemona’s relationship was quickly looked down upon, simply due to the fact that it was seen as unconventional at the time. The implications that were apparent in the relationship were; the fact that Desdemona was considerably younger then Othello, the difference in social position of the two, and of course the obvious reason, being that Othello was dark skinned and Desdemona fair skinned. Beneath these implications, the two shared a deep, meaningful and adoring relationship, for the start of the play, that is.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More