Othello

The role of women in Othello is a strong role. They are treated as though they are property, but yet are a man’s weakness. They are expected to follow, and worship their husband as if he is her master. “Women must think of themselves as ‘other’ and man as primary or ‘subject’” (Iyasere 70). Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca are all treated with this role in Othello, but in the end Desdemona is ultimately Othello’s weakness. The women in Othello were not treated as a man’s equal, but instead his property; these women were used against the heroes, and caused much commotion throughout the play.

In Othello’s day and age women were seen as a man’s property. They were assigned a man to marry and that’s how it was. Levenson states “A marriage which met parental opposition inevitably led to disaster” (Levenson 851). Although, in this play Desdemona and Othello got married without Desdemona’s father’s approval and this sparks quite a problem. Not only is Othello a colored man, he didn’t get Desdemona’s father’s approval before they got hitched. Even though Othello was a general he still was ridiculed because of his skin color. Desdemona’s father saw her as his property, she was his daughter, and he did not like the idea of a man stealing her from him. This all ties into the fact that women were not even listened to.

A woman’s opinion in these times did not matter until the men hit rock bottom and had no other choice than to listen to their woman. Women were not seen as equals to men so they were not trusted with information that a woman could leak to his enemy. They were told only what men wanted them to know. Men did not understand women, nor did they care to. So they did not know of the loyalty a woman could offer them. When Iago convince...

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...would not have played out as it did. The women stood by their husbands in times of darkness whether is was doing a task for them or pleading for their lives they stayed true to them. They caused the spark of conflict that lead to the downfall of a great tragic hero and a scheming villain. Even though women had little voice in this play they were still as important to the play as the men were. The women of this play had many traits and though they were unappreciated they were the glue that held society together.

Works Cited

Levenson, Jill L. "The Society Of Women In The History Of Othello From Shakespeare To Verdi." University Of Toronto Quarterly 81.4 (2012): 850-859. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

Iyasere, Solomon. "The Liberation Of Emilia." Shakespeare In Southern Africa

21.(2009): 69-72. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.