Emelia: Pivotal In Herself

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When we first begin Othello, we see the start of what we believe to be a beautiful marriage between Othello and Desdemona. However, at the end, we are faced with the tragic murder of Desdemona by her dear Othello, bringing this marriage to a gruesome end. We’re left with a sense of horror, sorrow, and bewilderment. How could this have happened? Why did Othello, how did Othello, go from a doting husband to a furious killer? The obvious answer is that Iago deceived him into thinking that Desdemona had been unfaithful to him. However, multiple factors contributed to this tragedy. One could say that Emelia is the pivotal point in the tragedy of Othello. It was due, in part, to her actions and motivations, as well as the jealousy that she caused in Iago, that Desdemona died.
Emelia contributes to Iago’s hate of Othello, unintentional as it may be. One of the main reasons that Iago is jealous of Othello and despises him is that he believes “that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office" (1.3.387-388). In other words, he believes that Othello has had sex with Emelia. Iago decides to take these suspicions and “will do as if for surety” (2.1.367). Later on he states “For that I do suspect the lusty Moor
Hath leap'd into my seat; the thought whereof/Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards;/And nothing can or shall content my soul/Till I am even'd with him, wife for wife,/Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor/At least into a jealousy so strong/That judgment cannot cure.” Emelia’s supposed affair with Othello has driven Iago to the edge, and he finally decides to repay Othello in like kind, “wife for wife.”
Though she doesn’t mean to, Emelia has already gotten the ball rolling for Othello’s downfall and Desdemona’s demise by makin...

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...ter goes on to reveal that it was she who stole the handkerchief at Iago’s bidding, sending Iago’s wall of secrecy tumbling down. If Emelia had been silent and had not revealed Iago’s plan, it is most likely that he would have gotten away with it, and would not have been brought to justice.
It is undeniable that Emelia played a huge part in the play “Othello.” It was partially she that motivated Iago to plot against Othello in the first place, she who stole the handkerchief, and she who, in the end, ultimately revealed Iago’s scheme. Without Emelia, the events in the play would never have come to pass. Emelia is a shining example of how one person can make or break a situation, even if at first they seem to play a small part. Individuals decide a series of events; the smallest choice can change a person’s fate, or, as in the case of Emelia, the fate of someone else.

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