Othello: Blindness

Could one ordinary woman be more intelligent than several highly skilled male warriors? In William Shakespeare's Othello, although Emilia plays a small role, she makes a powerful impact. Her omnipotent bravado brings us to the conclusion that she is the reincarnation of Esther from the Bible and that she is a mirror image of today's risk taking woman. Emilia's insight brings perspective to not only what is righteous but also to the darkness of bestiality portrayed throughout the play. Although the maiden is underestimated because she is a woman, she proves herself time and time again that her bold demeanor is what interprets her to be the heroine and inspiration for William Shakespeare's Othello.

Shakespeare has brought the Bible to life through the character of Emilia. Her passion for justice and intelligence reminds us of Esther. Emilia’s unusual ability to talk down to powerful men of authority portrays the bold persona of Esther. The maiden’s brave act is a replication of the scene where Esther risks execution by appearing unannounced to her husband, King Xerxes, just so the truth would prevail! Emilia has no hesitation when is comes to speaking her mind, even to a powerful war general. Emilia even curses that, “…may his [Othello’s] pernicious soul/ rot half a grain a day!” (5.2. 154-155)
She even puts Othello beneath a homeless drunk, “A beggar in his drink/ could not have laid such terms upon his callet.” (4.2.120-121), where Desdemona’s friend describes that even a drunk would not even call his mistress a whore. This exposes Othello and reveals him as insolent. Emilia’s great risk was selflessly done to defend unrighteous accusations directed to Desdemona. She goes as far as labeling the pernicious liars as snakes and tells them to, “let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse!” (4.2.19). The serpent refers to the falling of Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Later in the play, Othello falls out of his high position of power to the dark realm of a demonic and bestial state. Emilia gives us one more biblical reference that is directed towards Desdemona. Emilia claims, “There’s no man happy; the purest of their wives/ is foul as slander.” (4.2.22) Iago's wife foreshadows what is to become of Desdemona. In the Bible it speaks of the falling of the angel Lucifer, and proves how even the purest angel can fall to become the almighty ruler of hell. As is in the play, Desdemona will fall from being, “honest, chaste and true.” (4.2.20), to dying tragically by her husband’s hand. The death of Othello's wife is a symbol of darkness and resembles the fearful state of hell. Emilia has truly brought the Bible into perspective and shows us she has no fear of death if it is for a righteous cause.
The lady in waiting gives the realization that her character always stayed true to what was honest and in the end this caused her to have the greatest impact compared to the rest of the characters.

Could Shakespeare have fantasized the modern day woman through Emilia? Her strong will and boldness allows her to see through the blindness which the other characters have failed to do. The juxtaposition between the behaviors of Emilia and Desdemona really exonerate the lady in waiting's admirable sense of what it means to be a woman in the twenty first century. Desdemona’s quiet and dismissive behavior allows herself to be abused for the sake of pleasing her male lover. Othello’s wife shows pathetic fallacy by joyfully sings about how, “let nobody blame him [Othello]; his scorn I approve.” (4.2.51). This behavior is what is considered normal for Shakespeare’s time; where women have no real opinion or input and rely on their husbands to think for them. While in Emilia’s case, because she cannot be held back by any man, she is able to see through deception and blindness. Even when threatened by her husband Iago, Desdemona’s loyal friend cries out, “’twill out, ‘twill out. —I peace? / No, I will speak as liberal as the north. / Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, / All, all cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak.” (5.2.231-234)
Emilia clearly proves her independence and free mind by shamelessly proclaiming how even the demons of hell and God in heaven cannot stop the passion inside of her that causes her to speak her mind, even to the point where it kills her. Iago's wife's death is because her world does not accept the free will of a woman. Although Emilia stands prominent throughout the play, she was not able to fully prevent the death of Desdemona; it is only natural because she is only human. The lady in waiting’s' knowledge is so vast she even realizes that there are limitations to being human. Emilia states that, “it is their husbands' faults/ if wives do fall...” (4.3.85-86), Shakespeare portrays women as highly intellectual and reasonable by allowing them to know their limitations. While he unravels that men are the reason for chaos because they believe that they are unstoppable. Desdemona's friend can almost be seen as having a special pair of glasses when looking at situations. Emilia is able to determine and identify what is important to humanity. The theme of Emilia's passion never alters, her love for honor and justice constantly prevails, while the men put no value onto these aspects because, “honor is an essence that's not seen.” (4.1.15). This is the crucial mistake that is made and what causes the men to be blind and loose their morals. Honor is like air, although it may be true that it is something that cannot be seen, it is one of the basic aspects that keeps us sane and alive.
The maiden is brought to be the true heroine, her boldness and undying passion for justice is what makes her the most inspirational character throughout the entirety of the play.

Emilia is the unraveller of truth. Her insight decodes the love between Othello and Desdemona and sheds light onto Othello's bestial side. Iago's wife constantly tries to convince Desdemona that the love between her and her husband was precarious. `She even says how, “He [Othello] lies to th'heart. / She [Desdemona] was too fond of her most filthy bargain.” (5.2.155-156). Desdemona’s friend says how their love is a “bargain” with no deep value or meaning and that the trust they have between each other is cheap and worthless. Earlier on Emilia states, “I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest, / lay down my soul at stake. If you think other, / remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.” (4.2.15-17). When the maiden speaks of a “wager” she again refers to the relationship between Desdemona and Othello, but Emilia puts such high value on the idea love, that she would even lay her life down for an honest relationship, as opposed to Othello who has so heedlessly thrown away the core values of what it means to trust your spouse.
The lady in waiting's passion for justice is what sets her apart from Othello, because of her great ability to express passion she is able to hold on to her humanity while Othello allows his passions to overtake him. Othello even admits that, “A horned man [Othello] is a monster and a beast” (4.1.63), which gives him the opportunity to unlawfully removes his conscious and by saying he he has no control, the Moor is not liable and that he is helpless to the fact that he has altered into an animal. Shakespeare adds an interesting perspective by specifically saying a horned man is a monster instead of stating that horned people are monsters. He gives us the powerful illusion that women are not capable of losing control and this is why he writes the men in this play to be a part of war affairs; because war is chaotic and engulfs our soul and often alters us. Shakespeare's final transition of Othello becoming a beast is how he proudly announces to Emilia how, “'twas I [Othello] that killed her [Desdemona].” (5.2.130), which, reveals his complete transformation into bestiality. Now he even shamelessly admits to murdering his own wife, which leaves Othello at the point of no return. Throughout the play, Emilia breaks down the complex organism, which is the bond between Othello and Desdemona. This brings us to the point of Othello's final act of mutiny. Emilia's presence always comes across as ornate and bold which leads her to be more brave then any man.

Emilia is resplendently inspirational. Her boldness sparks the fire that is the modern day woman and also causes us to look back into the Bible to reflect on the story of Esther. Shakespeare makes Emilia into a second pair of eyes to look through, giving us perspective and making sense of what is bestial in the play. The maiden proves to us she is stronger, more intelligent and far more in control than any male warrior, altering the play from a tragic love story into the story of a prevailing heroine. Iago's wife is not to be underestimated, her part is small, but her impact leaves an impression like a deafening clap of thunder.