Masculinity In Othello

A fully developed professional theatre that emerged in England in the 1580s had a “profound effect on the ways the gendered body was staged” (Billing, 16). Early modern constructions of the gendered body were “viewed as along a continuum” moving in one direction or the other (Fisher, 6). This early modern thought implies that gender as a performance rather than its ontological core on the stage. Shakespeare’s comedies may suggest that masculinity on the stage is like “a suit of clothes” that could be put on or taken off at will (Smith, 3). While the controversy surrounding women allowed dramatists of this period to portray them in ways that defined and questioned the validity of the old stereotypes (Marriot, 21). For the purpose of this essay,
I understand the term “gendered body” to be the masculine and feminine stereotypes rooted in the gendered body.
William Shakespeare’s Othello centres around a respected black general in the venetian army who murders his wife because of her infidelity. The first recorded performance of Othello was in 1604, and the play continues to explore and undermine Elizabethan stereotypes about race and gender. My focus is how Othello and Desdemona break away from the Elizabethan stereotypes rooted in their gendered body. I will explore this in three ways. First, Othello’s martial body as a noble black protagonist works against Elizabethan stereotypes on blackness; Second, Othello’s emasculated body through being cuckolded works against stereotypes on Elizabethan masculinity; Third, Desdemona’s transgressive body, through the boy actor’s performance, works against Elizabethan stereotypes on femininity. The essay will consider how the material bodies break Elizabethan stereotypes rooted in the characters’ gendered body.
Elizabethan associations of blackness with barbarity works against Othello’s martial body.
Shakespeare introduces Othello in the first half of the play as “valiant” and “noble” (qtd), where the adjectives of courage and moral principles deter the Elizabethan notion that black people are treacherous and villainous (qtd). To add to that, the Duke of Venice “straight employ[s] [Othello] against the general enemy Ottoman” (1.3.49-50). Here The preposition “against” directs Othello’s martial body as the hero in Venetian society rather than the enemy for now.
The respect for Othello as a black general continues. When Othello’s army sink the Turkish ships “bring Cyprus comfort”. Montano, the governor of Cyprus, states that while serving him under his army, “[Othello] commands like a full solider” (2.1.35-36). Montano’s simile here suggests that he stereotyped Othello as a barbarous general rather than “[commanding] like a full solider” with disciple and self-respect. Therein, examples then present Othello’s martial body as breaking the racial stereotype rooted in his gendered
body. Othello’s race needs to be compensated by his good qualities and martial body. He explores this in his confrontation with Brabantio in Act 1, Scene 2. Perhaps in fear, Brabantio requests Othello be “[subdued]…at his peril!” (1.2.81). The verb and noun suggests Brabantio racially stereotypes Othello as a wild animal in need of suppression. Othello’s passive nature challenges this by telling his “[incline] and the rest” to back down (1.2.83). Yet, Othello proclaims that if it were his “cue to fight… [he wouldn’t need] a prompter” (1.2.83-84), showing that he has self-control and discipline and knows when to fight. Yet, Othello’s martial body here demonstrates his breaking away from the racial stereotype rooted in his gendered body.
It is assumed that Shakespeare’s first Othello was played by Richard Burbage wearing make-up and a wig . Much like gender, race existed on a precarious continuum and was determined through a variety of performed acts. Robin Headlam Wells defines Othello as an “oxymoron…a figure who unties incompatible ideas in a single image” (94). These “incompatible ideas” view Othello as either the noble general or savage in Venetian society. From that I argue Othello’s marital body comes before his race. For instance, in Act Two, Scene 2 Othello’s herald uses the determiner “our” (2.2.11-12) which indicates that his military prowess is celebrated collectively in Venetian society, and that issues with his race come second.
Yet Andrzejewski confirms Othello “during the play [becomes a] beast, a sexual deviant…” (44) and thus becomes the racial stereotypes rooted in his gendered body. This ultimately true except that his martial body has more significance. The Duke refers to Othello as “more fair than black” (1.3.287), which indicates that his morals are of a “fair” white person, while stereotyping that if he were “black Othello” then he is inferior and less virtuous. Moreover, his martial body works more against the racial stereotype rooted in his gendered body. Next, the focus follows Othello’s emasculated body which works against stereotypes concerning Elizabethan masculinity.
Evidently, Othello’s fear of cuckoldry emasculates him and thus works against Elizabethan conventions of manliness. First Cassio glorifies Othello as “[making] love’s quick pants in Desdemona’s arm [and]…[bringing] all Cyprus comfort!” (2.1.79-82, pg 167). Othello’s sexual and martial body are kind of intertwined “[giving] renewed fire”, which is satisfaction to the “extincted spirts” of his wife and platoon. This contrasts how Othello views himself after being cuckolded. He would “rather be a toad [living in a dungeon] than keep…[Desdemona] for others’ uses” (3.3.274-277). Though Othello “won [Desdemona]” (qtd) he would chuck her contaminated body away because of a ruined reputation more than heart break. This “warlike” bodied figure is now an emasculated one and so works against the masculine stereotypes rooted in his gendered body.
Onwards, in Act 3, Scene 3 a significant scene occurs between Othello and Desdemona. Iago plants the seeds of jealousy into Othello’s mind, which thus brings him “a pain upon [his] forehead” (3.3.287). From this he believes Desdemona’s been unfaithful, which cuckoldry takes a physical toll on his “seven years’ pith” body (1.3.84). Furthermore, Othello opposes Desdemona to “bind” his head with the handkerchief he gave her as its “too little” (3.3.289-290). This can mean cuckoldry has a mental toll on Othello as he seems to believe he has actual horns. Here then, Othello’s emasculated body works against the masculine stereotypes.
Notably, Dympna Callaghan enforces that cuckolds are constructed as “physically and socially inferior breed of men [because] they have failed in the area of sexual prowess” (165). Othello’s race does make him inferior, but cuckoldry directly emasculates him. Othello’s infamous line: (“Cuckold me!” 4.1.197) aims his disbelief at how he thinks Desdemona is unsatisfied with him sexually. To add to that, Othello wishes that his “general camp…had tasted [Desdemona’s] sweet body”, to avoid anxiety about unsatisfying Desdemona. He woefully exclaims “farewell [to his] occupation’s gone” (3.3.360, pg 232), which implies that his emasculated body denies manly warlike things. An example is military music (“the spirit-stirring drum”), thrusting canons, and “circumstance of glorious war” because cuckoldry makes him physically and socially inferior in venetian society.
Carol Thomas Neely adds that “cuckoldry invalidates Othello’s military glories” and by killing Desdemona and his own suicide restore “pride” in his occupation (143).
Instead, rather than pride, Othello’s pre-suicide soliloquy accepts his emasculated body. He wants the characters to “speak of [him] as [he] [is]” (5.2.340) as either a savage beast, and emasculated man or both . In addition, Iago mocks Othello’s emasculated body with “Are you a man? Have you a soul, or sense?” (3.3.378, pg 233). where his “soul [and] sense” are his martial body qualities, his soulless murder of Desdemona and illogical suicide render him an emasculated body. These examples confirm Othello’s emasculated body works against the masculine stereotypes. The discussion will turn to how Desdemona’s body works against feminine
stereotypes. Elizabethan hierarchal order rests on traditional male-female stereotypes, something which Desdemona’s body breaks away from. Her marriage to Othello explicitly rejects society’s expectation of her marrying a white, upper-class Venetian man . She calls for Brabantio’s empathy to her marriage by comparing how her mother “[preferred] [Brabantio] before her father” (1.3.187). Though Brabantio opposes the marriage, his view of his daughter as “a maiden never bold / Of spirit, so still and quiet” (1.3.94-95) changes. Desdemona does have masculine descriptions placed on her body. Her eagerness to elope to Cyprus and “go to war” is met with as “[the] general’s wife is now the general” (Act 2, Scene 3) and “our great captain’s captain” (2.1.74). This instance of Desdemona’s body works against the stereotype rooted in her gendered body.
Act 4, Scene 3 draws significance to Desdemona’s transgressive body breaking away from stereotypes. Desdemona tells Emilia of her mother’s maid called Barbary who sang the ‘willow’ song. Barbary’s lover was jealous and “did forksake her” thus she “died singing [the song]” (4.3.27). Desdemona sings the ‘willow’ song which explores themes of infidelity (“if I court moe woman, you’ll couch moe men”) (4.3.56), while being “unpinned” by Emilia. The Elizabethan stage would have male boy actors employed to play female characters. David A. Whelan explains the complicated process of unpinning Desdemona covers up the song’s transgressive themes . Yet, these potentially dangerous female ideas are enclosed within the boy actor’s male body. Therein, within Desdemona’s transgressive body she breaks away from stereotypes rooted in her gendered body.
Michael Neil details that Desdemona’s “liberal hand has become, for Othello, a sign of her “liberal heart” (52). There is much attention directed towards Desdemona’s “moist palm” as “the hand that gave [Othello’s] heart away” to establish her erotic agency. This originates from Cassio “taking Desdemona’s hand” in Act 2, Scene 1, as an appreciation confirms Desdemona’s liberal hand and heart. Yet, her moist palm is referred to as “sweating devil” (Act 3, Scene 4) to showcase her transgressive body. Mendoza states that in “Desdemona’s verbal submission…her voice most disturbs male narratives, wants, and desires” (31). However, Desdemona achieves this disturbance when alive also. On her death, Desdemona asks Emilia to “shroud [her] in one of [bed sheets]” (4.3.22-23). These are Desdemona’s wedding sheets which are symbolic of her sexuality . This mummified image is a protest toward her ownership of her sexuality. Lastly, Desdemona’s conversation with Iago displays her sexuality. She seeks how Iago would “praise” her sexually and biologically, which constructs her transgressive body as working against the stereotype rooted in her gendered body.