First, a reader must understand the way gender was understood in Shakespeare’s time. “If we are going to insist in understanding the Elizabethan dramatic artifice, let us also insist in examining Othello according to the traditional values which Shakespeare has injected implicitly and explicitly into the play (Kirschbaum, 284).” This quote given by another author shows the importance of understanding the original texts. The original text, while maybe outdated, is still vital in understanding the culture and history behind the play. A student must understand the implications that Shakespeare originally intended to be understood by the audience. There are three main characters in the play. These women are Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. These women all show true, strong affection to the main men in their lives.…
In the tragedy ‘Othello’, written by William Shakespeare, he portrayed Othello as a sweet, honest, and trusting man. However, as soon as the smallest hint of doubt entered his thoughts, his personality reversed completely. Believing that Desdemona is unfaithful, Othello “intend(s) to do a murder, (which he sees)... as a sacrifice”(Othello pg.116 Lines 74- 76). Violence against women was apart of our history since before even Shakespeare’s time. Although the title of the crime has evolved, the means and the reason have remained constant throughout every culture and people.…
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…
Women have more rights and freedoms in today's society than in previous eras. The lines between social classes are more relaxed, expectations have been lowered, and a woman speaking out has become more accepted. Today, women are allowed to do whatever men are. This, however, was not always the case. Take, for example, William Shakespeare's play Othello. There are two main female characters in the play: Desdemona, Othello's wife; and Emilia, Iago's wife. Both of these women fit into a certain social category from the time, each category with its own specific expectations and requirements. Throughout Othello, whether or not these women take action to break through the societal expectations has a great effect on their ends.…
In "Othello", the expectations for women are one the most important theme that runs throughout the play. Even though, "Othello" is a play that revolves majorly around men, the way female characters in the play like Desdemona and Emilia behave, perceived…
In the play Othello by Shakespeare there are numerous various male and female roles, that between husband and wife, mater and servant relationships as well as the relationship between men and women in the set society which is patriarchally based. The male/female relationships have a large part to play in influencing the final outcome of this tragedy. Notably the relationships between Brabantio and Desdemona, the relationship between Roderigo and Desdemona, the relationship between Cassio and Desdemona, the relationship between Iago and Emila and finally as well as ultimately the relationship between Desdemona and Othello. These four associations impact in both a small and large way to the ending of this play, the death of Desdemona, Emila and Othello.…
In William Shakespeare’s drama “Othello” the vast differences in gender perception is highlighted in the characters of Othello and Desdemona. Being a moor Othello should be part of the lowest social class yet because of his position in the military his men need to show him respect while inwardly they despise him, this two faced behaviour can be seen in Iago. Desdemona on the other hand has been naturally born to high society but when she chooses to marry Othello she is ostracized and marked as a social outcast. Because of Desdemona’s gender she is abandoned by those in her own class while because he is a man Othello is given respect…
Finally, near the end of the play, Emilia realizes “we must think men are not gods” (3.4.144). Although she knows her correct role in society in order to be accepted, she has come to see the lack of equality between men and women. She understands that in order to be presented to society, they must put on an act for their husbands. They do not need to think of them as gods, but must treat them as they are. She now believes that a woman being referred to as “whore” (4.3.74) is not tolerable. When something goes wrong, the men should not have the power to put the blame on the women. Emilia comes to this realization when she speaks her mind to Desdemona and says “But I do think it is their husbands’ faults / If wives do fall” (4.3.87-88). This is foreshadowing the fate of both woman’s lives in the play. They both die by “faults” of their husbands. “The ultimate irony in the play’s representation of male-female relations is the fact that two women accused by their husbands of “falling” morally, actually fall not morally but physically, before [their] eyes” (Vanita 352). In a…
In Othello, the relationship between Iago and Emilia is an example of power in gender roles as they were prescribed in Renascence society which, ultimately destroys Emilia; the feminine persona. The definition of women as subservient to men is exemplified in their behavior towards each other. Emilia, hardened to cynicism about male - female relationships by years of marriage, has the view that women are 'food' for men who are 'all stomachs' and 'belch' women when full. Iago continually describes women as 'whores' by which he means only well for supplying the desires of men, in this case, the handkerchief. In contrast to Things Fall Apart, much of the traditional Ibo life presented in this novel revolves around structured gender roles. Essentially all of Ibo life is gendered, from the crops that men and women grow, to characterization of crimes. In Ibo culture, women are the weaker gender, but are also endowed with qualities that make them worthy of worship, like the ability to bear children. The dominant role for women is: first, to make a pure bride for an honorable man, second, to be a submissive wife, and third, to bear many children. The ideal man provides for his family materially and has prowess on the battlefield.…
A majority of Shakespeare’s plays include significant presence of female characters that reveal his views regarding woman’s role during the time period. Generally, women during the Shakespearean time period were obligated to suppress their opinions and were stripped from rights that women in the twenty-first century possess. They were expected to manage the household, as opposed to men, who were expected to be the decision makers. Additionally, the qualities of an ideal woman were mainly her virtue, beauty and youth. With that said, many of the female characters in Shakespeare’s plays oppose the societal norms of that time period in some form or another. For example in Twelfth Night, we observe opposition to these cultural assumptions in an…
The tragedy play, one that has captivated many for its effectiveness in understanding the human flaws and how they can lead to eventual downfall is one that Shakespeare’s plays embody. However, there is such a play that contains these elements, yet it manipulates the genre’s conventions for a new effect, the play Othello. This play is centered around a Moorish noble, a soldier who faces conflict regarding his beloved Venetian wife. The themes present in this play are that of trust, jealousy, honesty, love, stereotypes, friendship, and above all deception. Through the use of all of these themes, it sets the stage for how Shakespeare…
Weather the relationship is personal, public or rivalry; power is always present. Shakespeare demonstrates his thoughts on power in relationships in the tragic play, Othello. Throughout the play we see control and power struggles in three main relationships and the interaction between the main characters leads towards an inevitable tragedy. Iago’s manipulative ways are shown through the use of soliloquies and asides which let the audience understand vital aspects of a plan which impact on the remaining characters. From a feminist perspective, the play allows us to be reminds of the context of Elizabethan times and the unequal distribution of power between genders.…
The Elizabethan perception of women being inferior and being the possession of men is shown through Othello’s dominance. Similarly, Odin’s dominance is used to show the underlying inequality between men and women in our society.…
While the role of women in society is a very controversial topic, we can all agree that the theme of “a perfect wife” is one that goes back centuries, but over time it has changed a great deal. During William Shakespeare's time, also known as the 16th century, women did not have the same freedoms they do today. The “perfect wife” was one who was soft-spoken, obedient, and knew that their main purpose in life was to serve men. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Shakespeare criticizes the unjust standards that were set for women, and their devotion and perceived inferiority to men.…
Based on the situations that the three female characters of Othello endure it is clear that Shakespearean society viewed women as lesser beings who existed only to serve the men in their lives, and who were supposed to subservient, submissive, pure and above all else obedient. Obedient to their husbands, father, brothers and all men. Patriarchal rule justified women's subordination as the natural order because women were thought to be physiologically and psychologically inferior to men. Although the women in Othello are measured against these ideals and in this society. Shakespeare is not inviting the audience to accept these standards, but rather to assess them with a critical eye. This is shown through his representation of the women and…