The ideal nature of a women is solely constructed by society. Their treatment is continually based off of these societal views. It would be expected that this treatment of women is beneficial for society. However, the societal views of women in the Elizabethan and Victorian eras severely limited their freedoms and rights. The society at the time would be scarcely aware of how impactful their treatment of women is. Shakespeare’s Othello and Shelley’s Frankenstein depict most women in their typical roles. The authors of both stories attempt to show society how dangerous and unjust their treatment of women is and make them feel remorse for their actions through the passivity of women causing their death, the silencing of women in times of need …show more content…
In Othello, Desdemona is the embodiment of the perfect female: obedient and graceful. However, this obedience to marriage and to her husband is what causes her eventual death. She does not fight for her right to live because society dictates that she should be completely subservient to men. Because of how society views women, Desdemona has to shift the blame to herself rather than her husband. This is because she, as a woman, is in the wrong as she must only be a servant to man. Desdemona runs away whenever Othello hurts her, never retaliating: “I will not stay to offend you” (4.1.247). Desdemona has an opportunity to fight for her rights, but she chooses to remain passive. It will be unlike her character to protest. Her inability to protest in a small circumstance such as Othello slapping her causes her death later on. Society creates this passive women, only for men to stomp on. Similarly, Elizabeth must be completely obedient to men and passive in her marital rights. She cares too much for other people’s happiness rather than her own. Elizabeth is also a character who is completely submissive to Victor. She marries him despite her own doubts about their happiness. This marriage to Victor would serve to cause her death. There is no way that Elizabeth could know her fate if she married Victor. However, society dictates that a female’s sole …show more content…
Emilia, a more progressive woman, speaks under her own authority in Act 5 Scene 2. This would be an extremely progressive action in the Elizabethan times. However, Shakespeare shows how society treats women who speak freely. Her husband silences her, forever. This silencing of Emilia parallels society’s inability to accept societal changes and their inability to admit their mistakes. Societal changes occur only after years of aggressive social reconditioning. This silencing of Emilia is dreadful for the audience because Iago is finally about to get what he deserves, yet, Emilia must die for it. She dies breaking social boundaries. The male superiority complex wants to be better than females and the act of silencing prevents females from voicing their opinions. When Emilia refers to Iago as a “fool [...] with so good a wife,” he lashes at her (5.2.230). This act of silencing can be seen as a means of preventing people from knowing their flaws, as exhibited in this line. However, Shelley shows this inability to speak freely in another manner. She continually permits Elizabeth to continue with her marriage despite not ever sharing her own thoughts. The reader can clearly see that Elizabeth never voices her opinion about the marriage. Rather, she subtly suggests that she is discontent. Elizabeth
For centuries, women have been forced to live life on the outskirts of a male-dominated society. During the 1800’s, the opportunities for women were extremely limited and Mary Shelly does an excellent job portraying this in her gothic novel, Frankenstein. Furthermore, in this novel, Mary Shelly shows how society considers women to be possessions rather than independent human beings. In addition, the female characters rely heavily on men for support and survival, thus proving their inability to do it on their own. Lastly, the female characters in this novel are in many ways victimized by the male characters.
In equation with the Elizabethan era, Shakespeare offers us a male dominated society in his renowned tragedy, Othello. Consequently, this definitely persuades a negative attitude and demeanor towards the women of the times. The female characters in the play: Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca; play relevant roles in contributing to one’s understanding of this exhausted Elizabethan view. In contrast to the larger portion of the play, Emilia, spouse to the scandalous Iago, takes an opinionated stand for Desdemona in relation to her wholesome gone sour relationship with the Moor of Venice, Othello. I recognize Emilia’s “Betrayal lecture” as a justified outlook in accordance with today’s period and events surrounding Desdemona’s and Othello’s fatal misunderstanding.
Gender inequality will always affect the way women are portrayed in society, the weaker, unnecessary, and other sex. It is not just a subject of the past, but still holds a name in society, however in the olden eras the way women were treated and are looked at, in a much more harsh condition. In Shakespeare’s Othello and Shelley’s Frankenstein women’s roles in the books are solely based on the way they are treated in their time period. The way women are portrayed in these books, demonstrate that they can never be in the same standing as men, considered the second option, and therefore will never have the same respect as men. In both Othello and Frankenstein women are treated as property, used to better men’s social standards, and lack a voice,
Elizabeth's strength of character is emphasized by its contrast with the weak, naive acceptance of Jane's, the instability and excess of Mrs. Bennet's and the blind, weak-willed following of Kitty's. Her strength is also shown in her rejections of the proposals of Mr. Collins and Darcy. Unlike her mother, she does not base her choice of lovers on the financial security they will give her, and has the strength to reject them. This is especially evident in her rejection of Darcy's initial proposal, when she displays a passionate strength in her anger due to her belief that he has willfully prevented Jane and Bingley's marriage and wronged Wickham by refusing to grant him the property that the old Mr. Darcy bequeathed him. In both cases, the suitor is self-assured that his suit will be accepted, and as a result Elizabeth's rejections are amplified by the size of the blows that their egos receive. In Rosings, she does not let Lady Catherine tyrannize her as "the mere satellites of money and rank, she thought she could witness without trepidation." The Lucases and Collinses are submissive to Lady Catherine, with Maria being "frightened almost out of her senses", and it is probable that society as a whole behaves likewise, as Elizabeth suspects she is "the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with such dignified impertinence". She is again presented as a rebel against ideas of class when Lady Catherine pays a visit to her to ensure that ...
Pitt, Angela. “Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.” Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.
The society in which Othello takes place is a patriarchal one, where men had complete control over women. They were seen as possessions rather than being just as equally human and capable of duties performed by men. All women of the Elizabethan were to obey all men, fathers, brothers, husbands, etc. Which leads me to the most reliable and trustworthy character of Desdemona, whom goes through many trials just to satisfy her love. Shakespeare brings the thought of Desdemona into the play by Barbantio, her father, “It is too true an evil. Gone she is....Oh, she deceives me Past thought! …” (1.1.163)(1.1.168-169), whom has just found she has taken off with Othello and firstly suspects they have been hitched. Shakespeare gives reader the impression Desdemona is a devious imp full of disrespect towards her father. However, surpassing normal tradition of asking of her fathers’ permission to wed, Desdemona ran off and did marry the moor. This in a sense was her emancipation of her father’s possessiveness and oblivion of Othello’s dominance over her. Othello replies to Barbantio’s accusation, sedating or using black magic on his daughter, by saying, “My very noble and approved good masters, That I have ta’en away this old man’s daughter. It is most true.” (1.3.79-81), which brings me to the claim that Desdemona’s character in this tragedy, was only to become and to serve as Othello’s private possession rather than a typical beloved daughter or wife as in modern time. Shakespeare bases this tragedy on the foundation of Desdemona’s character by the symbol of the discrimination of women in the Shakespearean time era. Desdemona even for the first and only time within the play stands up and challenges her inferiority under her father’s aut...
In Greek, Desdemona means ‘the unfortunate’, perhaps reflecting an ideology that she is not meant to be liked, merely pitied for her misfortune as a tragic victim (commonly defined as someone who dies due to the faults of others). Throughout Othello, Desdemona is presented as pure and innocent – in regards to this, Auden’s comment is unusual as Desdemona is seldom criticised; indeed many critics are complementary, giving her titles such as ‘gentle Desdemona’.
...ps their characters to function with adjusted roles in culture. In his novel Othello, William Shakespeare reveals Desdemona and Emilia’s courage through situations involving conflict to portray the ability for women to stand up for themselves as he exhibits his idea of feminism through their actions. The courageous attitudes of these women and their passionate voice grew stronger throughout the play as they eventually died staying true to their beliefs. This transformation parallels the rights of women over history, as the female population progressed very slowly towards a more equal position in society. With Shakespeare being an advocate for women’s unheard voices during the Elizabethan period of time, he is able to use Desdemona and Emilia’s characteristics to contrast what the world was like during that era, and how he viewed and wished the world would function.
As the details of her recent marriage to Othello unfold, Desdemona appears to be a woman driven by emotions. She marries a man because he has shared his stories of grand adventure. In order to do so, she elopes from her loving father’s house in the middle of the night. These seem like actions of emotion stemming from her love – or possibly infatuation – for Othello. Contradictory to this, when asked to speak about her willingness to enter the marriage, she responds with a very clear and sensible reason for staying with Othello:
One who is independent and brave gets away from an abusive spouse. This was not the case with Desdemona, Othello abuses her vocally, “…[o] thou weed, / Who are so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet” (4.2.69-70). Any sane women would leave him at this point; but Desdemona is so naive and believes everything happens for a reason, so she stays with him. She also trusts him even as she is being murdered by him. As stated in the chapter “Othello” from the book Drama for Students written by Anne Marie Hacht who wrote Poetry for Students Vol 21, “[a]lthough she pleads for her life as she is being murdered, she continues to treat Othello with love” (140).
As the play proceeds, Emilia is a victim of her husband’s deception; however she also contributes to her own fate. Emilia’s relationship is a symbol of how women were mistreated. Her character starts off as docile and submissive to her husband; the way women in Shakespearean era were supposed to be however, she has so
Elizabeth deliberately sacrificed her chance at having a secure future because she values true love more. Elizabeth feels that marriage shouldn't be a business deal, and that if two people are going to be together it should be for love. This is a strange idea because at that time, that's all marriage really was. Society didn't allow for women to take care of themselves, therefore it was their duty to find someone who would take care of them.
Desdemona demonstrates weakness in her love for Othello and by taking his abuse. At the beginning of the play, Desdemona feels she must accompany Othello to Cyprus in war. This can be looked at as her being a strong woman, but she truly is not since the real reason she wants to go is because she can not be seperated from Othello. "If I be left behind A moth of peace and he go to the war, The rites for which I love him are bereft me,And I a heavy interim shall support by his dear absence. Let me go with him." (Act 1, scene 3, line 250) She feels that she loves him so much, she can not be alone or without him. This is a trait of the stereotypical damsel. When Othello hits her in public, she does not get angry with him but begins to cry. " 'Tis very much.Make her amends, she
Despite their current predicaments, Desdemona remains faithful to her husband while Emilia speaks the truth about her husband’s deception. Despite Othello’s attempt to murder Desdemona, Desdemona still professes her love for him and her guilt. On the verge of death, Desdemona claims guilt and says “[n]obody” but herself is to blame and to “[c]ommend me to [the] kind lord” (5.2.128-129). As Desdemona dies at the hands of Othello, she proclaims that she still loves Othello and that this is her fault. Desdemona’s guilty tone portrays her as a waif blaming herself for Othello’s actions.
Through the play, Desdemona and Emilia strayed off the course of what girls were anticipated To be conducive to the idea that Shakespeare's visions of women's rights are ahead of the time. Readers can perceive that Shakespeare's ideas were ahead of the time throughout the personality Desdemona, who went against her father's demands in addition to stood for other women. After