As one of Shakespeare's famous tragedies, “Othello”, is a play that not only shows the love and the humanistic ideal destroyed, but also shows the tragic fortune of women in the era of the patriarchal society. (Snow 384) This play includes several main themes of love tragedies delivered through some contrasting values and characters such as love and jealousy, trust and breach of trust etc. Desdemona, a representative of the perfect embodiment of a faithful loving wife, eventually killed by her suspecting husband. Emilia, an analytical woman that knew to obey the social norms but still carried a sense of inherent moral compass and compassion. How do the characters perceive what is proper and moral in the society they were in? This essay will …show more content…
She was initially loyal to Iago, which made her an unsuspecting link in Iago’s plot, Desdemona. Iago was a selfish and insidious character, he was a manipulative and deceptive figure that for lack of any good reasons was bent on destroying the people around him. As close as husband and wife, Iago never revealed his true intention to Emilia, he distrusted Emilia. At first, Emilia believed that a loving wife should obey to her husband that is why she respond to her husband's request to ask Desdemona to help Cassio. However Emilia’s compliant behaviors to Iago were different from Desdemona’s unconditional and endless obedience to Othello. On the one hand, Emilia obeyed Iago, did what Iago asked of her; on the other hand, when Iago wanted to destroy her image in front of other people, she dared to condemn Iago. She thought he have no reason to mistreat her in such fashion. It can be seen that Emilia’s compliant actions were selective and she remained fairly independent minded. Emilia still had her own thoughts, feelings, and independent personality. When Emilia overheard Othello and Desdemona’s confrontation she tried her best to support Desdemona in favor of the truth. When came under the threat of her husband, Emilia still chose to uncover the truth instead of taking the side to cover her husband's crimes. Her actions showed a sense of justice and morals. Before dying, due to her guilt and adoration of Desdemona, she demanded people took her to …show more content…
Othello scolded Desdemona as a prostitute, Desdemona accepted her fate without murmuring; in support Desdemona, Emilia said that nobody can tolerate these words. Compared to Desdemona’s naivety, Emilia is a more grown and worldly-wise woman. “I did not give him any reason to doubt me”, Desdemona said to Emilia innocently. (Shakespear) Emilia pointed out it doesn’t need a reason for a man to be
In Act IV, scene ii and iii, Emilia shows her contemporary views about relationships to the audience and talks to Desdemona while doing so. She believes that many men and women are commonly guilty of cheating and betrayal of their partner. At this point, Othello’s worries of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness have wholly increased, and he begins to accuse her of cheating on him. Desdemona then hopes Othello sees to her honesty and truthfulness of the matter. “I hope my noble lord esteems me honest” (Act IV, scene II line 67). Othello counters her begging by beginning his sarcasm and request for her to never have been born. He says, “O, ay. As summer flies are in the shambles,that quicken even with blowing. O Thou weed, Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne’er been born!”(Act IV scene II lines 68-70)
At first Emilia's character is the ideal submissive wife. Iago treats Emilia rather badly during the first scenes of the play. He refers to her as a nagging housewife and Emilia is submissively unresponsive to his harsh allegation...
She is the only one who is involved but not counted in Iago's scheme. Desdemona shall die, Cassio shall die, but Iago does not plan anything to prevent Emilia from speaking, because he does not anticipate Emilia will abandon her husband for Desdemona. Yet Emilia speaks, and speaks an extremely defenseless thus courageous speech. When Othello tries to stab Iago, he is disarmed twice, once even after everybody has realized what a villain Iago is (Othello 5.2 242&292). But nobody disarms Iago either when he threatens Emilia with his sword or when he stabs Emilia (Othello 4.2 228&242). She is armless but not powerless. The truth she speaks brings justice in, wins the audience's respect, and shows the potential power of a female
Desdemona has a different view of men after the unpredicted change of Othello’s persona. She denounces, “Nay, we must think men are not gods, / Nor of them look for such observances / As fit the bridal" (3.4.148-150). Desdemona rules that men should not be look to as gods if they cannot act as they did before. Emilia feels that men and women are justified equally and are entitled to the same rights as men. She lectures, “Let husbands know, their wives have sense like them; they see and smell, and have their palates both for sweet and sour as husbands have” (4. 3.70-74). The physical traits of male and female are of no difference. In addition, she says, “And have not we affections, Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have? Then let them use us well, else let them know, the ills we do, their ills instruct us so” (4.3.78-81). How men think they have sexual desire, Emilia believes that women have the same, however men are intellectually weaker: “Is’t frailty that thus errs/ It is so too” (4.3.77-78). Though these two have very opinionated thoughts about men’s authority, they have the conversation privately because still, women are used to society’s expectations. The intimate conversation depicts the different views that Desdemona and Emilia have on men and women’s social
Emilia represents another aspect of female strength, less logical character, which relies on her sense of instinct. She understands her role as a wife (act 4, scene 3) Emilia is talking to Desdemona about husbands. " Yet we have some revenge. Let husbands know Their wives have sense like them. They see, and smell, and have their palates both for sweet and sour, As husbands have. What is it they do When they change us for others? Is it sport? I think it is. And doth affection breed it? I think it doth. Is't fraility that thus errs? It is so too. And have not we affections, Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?"(page 217 line 104-113). Emilia and her husband Iago have different affiliation than Desdemona and Othello. Desdemona and Othello truly love each other, while Emilia, having no common sense of hatred towards Othello, has never actually loved Iago. She educate Desdemona, she is ignorant of Iago's evil nature and is also unsuspecting of his plot against Othello.
Emilia has a fierce sense of loyalty. After Desdemona’s death she catches wind of Iago’s malicious scheme, and swears that, “I’ll make [Iago’s scheme] known,/ Though I lost twenty lives” (V.ii.87). Emilia had been a close friend of Desdemona’s throughout the play, and her death had a large impact on Emilia, who thought nothing but kindness and virtue of her late friend. Even when Othello tries convincing Emilia that “[Desdemona] turn’d to folly, and she was a whore” (V.ii.85), Emilia stays adamant on the fact that Desdemona would never cheat. Up until the point that Iago murders her, Emilia fights for the truth and defends her friend with a sense of loyalty unfathomable
The basis of Shakespeare’s plays appears to focus mainly around the dominant male character and his conflicts, which tend to deal with a woman. There are only three women in the play Othello; Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca. The way in which these women behave and present themselves strongly reflects the ideological expectations of women within Shakespeare’s imagined Venetian society as well as the Elizabethan society in which he lived. This patriarchal Venetian society presented in the play depicts women as possessions of men who should remain submissive and meek at all times. The women are expected to unselfishly and unreservedly devote their lives to serve their fathers until they are of age to do so, their husbands. All three women love their respective partners; however, all three are also rejected by them because they each devote more to their men than their men are capable of returning. Desdemona and Emilia display genuine emotions toward each other that are not reflected in any of the male to male associations.
Statement of intent: The role of women in William Shakespeare’s play Othello is portrayed through the behaviors and actions of Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. William Shakespeare integrates his Elizabethan society to create the patriarchal Venetian society in the play. Women in his society were seen as inferior to the men. The three women play a significant role in different social stratification. How are women submissive, possessions, bold, and degraded to sex objects and whores? How have they displayed unconventional acts and boldness?
What is love? Love is the pinnacle of all emotions, it is the epicenter for life, what is the point of living if there is no love, ironically love is the cause of many a down fall. William Shakespeare has single handedly captured and embraced this necessary feeling and has allowed us to view in on it through the characters in his two masterpieces, Othello and King Lear. Three different kinds of loves explored in both Othello and King Lear, sharing both similarities and differences are a love for a significant other, the love a father holds to his children, and the love a daughter holds for her father. By looking at the outcomes of these loves one may draw a sense of loves negative and positive effects, and how the different traits of loves play into the outcomes in the fate of Shakespeare's characters. Through the analysis of love in these two plays one will become a more knowledgeable student of literature.
When Othello summons Desdemona and dismisses Emilia, “Leave procreants alone . . .; / Cough or cry hem if anybody come. / Your mystery, your mystery! . . .” (IV.2.28-30), he not only dismisses Emilia, accuses Desdemona of infidelity, and betrays his own insane bitterness, but he converts the marriage into a brothel arrangement in which all three are involved, and by so doing establishes imaginative lines of connection with the role of Bianca and particularly with the Iago philosophy of sexual conduct. (331)
Othello being a soldier had only ever had formal relationships based mostly around work until he met Desdemona who he formed his first relationship controlled only by emotion and love that they held for each other. The fact this was his first personal relationship with a woman made him naive in this new experience. Othello's lack of experience made him vulnerable to Iago's falsehoods "In Venice they do let God see the pranks they dare not show their husbands; their best conscience, Is not to leave't undone, but keep't unknown." Iago says to Othello planting a false idea of Venetian woman in Othello's mind. Othello having little knowledge of Venetian woman is easily persuaded to believe Desdemona is unfaithful to him. If Othello had of been a little wiser in lo...
Emilia, while lying next to her best friend on her deathbed, began to suppress her passive nature and attempts persecute the murderer. Nonetheless, the only woman who stood up for herself got killed in the end by her own husband. Othello and Iago’s wives were thought to be disloyal to their husband, while only one of them was correct in this accusation, Desdemona and Emilia were both murdered by the people they pledged their allegiance to. But, Emilia was the only woman who denounced the authority men had over women and compares the qualities of both men and women. She is fully aware of the gender
First, in order to defend Desdemona's chastity, Emilia challenges the societal norm of silence. Recall the incident when Othello calls Desdemona a "whore" for cheating. In response, Emilia protests loudly against Othello and attempts to disprove his belief that Desdemona is not chaste: "A halter pardon him [Othello]! And hell gnaw his bones! / Why should he call her [Desdemona] whore? (4.2. 143,144). Instead of Emilia conforming to the attribute of Renaissance women as silent, she condemns Othello for his false accusations against her mistress, Desdemona. Later in the play, after finding Desdemona killed, Emilia challenges silence again: "As ignorant as dirt! Thou hast done a deed-... / The Moor hath killed my mistress!" (5.2. 171,174). Although Othello tells Emilia that it would be "best" for her to remain silent, she ignores his request and ridicules him for killing "sweet" Desdemona (5.2. 169).
Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 34, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama (Spring, 1994), pp. 341-356 Published by: Rice University http://www.jstor.org/stable/450905
Iago controls Emilia and treats her as less when she does not act as a submissive wife. Therefore, Emilia follows to keep Iago satisfy. Further, Iago tells Emilia to steal the handkerchief; which she follows without knowing his intentions, to then be insulted by Iago calling her a “foolish wife” (3.3.313), and demanding her, “Go, leave me” (3.3.330). Apparently, Iago makes Emilia lesser, and she accepts her role as a submissive wife. Moreover, although Othello proclaims loving Desdemona, he perceives her as inferior as a result of jealousy. As in Act 5, Scene 2 where Othello says to Desdemona, “Down, strumpet!” (89), suggesting that he puts her in an inferior position to kill her reflecting his true perception of Desdemona. And likewise Emilia, Desdemona accepts the role of an obedient wife by using her last breath to take the fault off Othello