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Representation of women in Shakespeare's Othello
The role of the woman in literature
Representation of women in Shakespeare's Othello
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A common goal among those of the fairer sex is one that unites and empowers all women: the goal to be strong and independent. Throughout the works of Shakespeare, we have encountered numerous weak-willed and foolish women. However, the reader seems to lack contact with women that stand up to the characters of men and fight for what they believe to be right and true. In the play Othello the character of Emilia can be represented as a blue lightning bolt through her intense loyalty, her knowledge and insight on major issues in society and her ambitious fight for justice and truth. Emilia is extremely loyal to both her husband and her mistress Desdemona, which leaves her almost conflicted. Emilia is devoted to Iago for the majority of the play, and wants to do …show more content…
Emilia’s loyalty to her mistress is shown when Emilia says to Othello, “I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest, lay down my soul at stake: if you think other, remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom. If any wretch have put this in your head, let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse! For if she be not honest, chaste and true, there’s no man happy; the purest of their wives is foul as slander,”(Oth.4.2.14-21). Emilia upholds the honour of her lady and sings Desdemona’s praises to Othello, which not only shows Emilia’s immense capability to remain unwavering in her belief that Desdemona is an honest woman even when the people around Emilia like Othello choose to believe otherwise, but also Emilia’s persistence to change the negative perception of Desdemona that is circulating. The colour of blue is illustrative of Emilia’s personality because blue is a colour that is widely associated with loyalty and faithfulness. The modern English language represents this association of the colour and the attribute through expressions like “true blue”
In the novel Othello, written by William Shakespeare, there are a variety of ways in which women are portrayed. There are strong willed women such as Emilia, who stands up to the men, especially to her husband. If he is wrong she would openly admit that he is incorrect. There are also women who are thought to be a possession as well as extremely submissive to their husbands such as Desdemona. She is the type of woman that will obey her husband to the day she dies. Desdemona believes that her husband is always right and he will never do anything that will lead her into the wrong direction. Many of the women in this time thought the same way. They are viewed as house workers, cooks, and teachers to the children. In addition to those qualities women obtain, having no authority in marriages is also added to the list. In this novel, there is judgment against women because they are “unequal” to men. They are not allowed to do the same as men for the reason that they do not possess the same qualities as men. Men were considered to be superior to women. Women were treated as their “slaves.” In contrast, today’s time women now have power. They have the right to vote, run for office, and even work outside their homes. Women now play the part as the male and female figure in the households. They are considered independent women, not relying on a male figure. Even if they are married now, they do not listen to everything that their husbands tell them to do. It states in the Bible that a male figure is the head of the households; however women today have strayed away from that view that they had back then. They want to be the dominate figure. Times have really changed from the past to the present. W...
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 the beginning of the action, the two ladies relationship furthers the plot by creating a circumstance in which Desdemona’s handkerchief goes missing. Desdemona’s most valued token of Othello’s love is a supposedly magic handkerchief that belonged to his mother and Desdemona keeps it with her at all times. When she drops it Emilia swipes it to try to please her husband, Iago. By stealing the handkerchief Emilia unwittingly sets in motion Iago’s scheme that will eventually lead to the death of herself, Othello, and her beloved Desdemona. Without this handkerchief Iago’s scheme would never work because it is the only piece of substantial proof of Desdemona's infidelity can use to convince Othello. Therefore, without Desdemona and Emilia's close friendship there would be no plot. Toward the end of the play, Emilia and Desdemona’s relationship becomes crucial to the plot again. After Othello kills Desdemona Emilia is the one who puts together the facts and unearths Iago’s scheme, risking her own life to do so. After witnessing Desdemona’s death Emilia says, “O thou dull Moor, that handkerchief thou speak’st of I found by fortune, and did give my husband- for often, with a solemn earnestness he begged of me to steal ‘t”(5.2.267-272). At the threat of her own death she revealed Iago’s treachery and concluded the plot by explaining how Iago’s scheming led to the death of four different people. Without Emilia’s proximity to Desdemona she would never have been able to take the handkerchief and her knowledge of Iago and Desdemona’s natures made her the only character able to uncover Iago’s scheme. Certainly, Desdemona’s close relationship and differing characters were essential to the plot of the
Emilia is not just in the play to be a simply friend. She is there to tell everyone the horrible acts that have happened. Once, Emilia realizes her mistress has died she starts asking questions which helps her put two and two together. Emilia finds out that Othello thinks Desdemona cheated on her something that Desdemona would never do. Emilia then asks Othello, why? The main reason is the handkerchief. Othello gave Desdemona handkerchief that represents their love and its precious. Because Othello finds out Cassio had it he thinks an affair was going on. Then is when, Emilia reveals that she gave the handkerchief to Iago because she found it. Quickly after that it’s revealed that Iago (her husband) is doing evil acts. Emilia “...That handkerchief thou speak’st of I found by fortune and did give my husband. For often, with a solemn earnestness—More than indeed belonged to such a trifle—He begged of me to steal it.” With that said, Emilia was much more than a
Emilia is a realistic woman. She does not always do what is right, but does things to make life easier for herself. When Emilia steals Desdemona’s handkerchief she says,
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
Emilia and Desdemona are very good friends and when Desdemona is saddened by Othello’s distance, Emilia explains that all men are like that sometimes saying, “'Tis not a year or two shows us a man./ They are all but stomachs, and we all but food./ To eat us hungerly, and when they are full,/ They belch us (III. iv. 100-105).” Emilia is showing her realness by trying to ease the pain of her friend, we do this to our friends. No one wants to see their friends emotionally pained. Emilia also tries to protect Desdemona from physical pain when Desdemona is preparing to go to bed. Emilia says, “I would you had never seen him” knowing that Othello wants to harm her. Emilia tries to convince Desdemona to not go to Othello (IV. iii. 18). Emilia is trying to protect her friend’s life, although Desdemona doesn’t listen. After Othello kills Desdemona, Emilia screams out in horror for the loss of her friend. Emilia is heartbroken by the death of her friend and exclaims to Othello, “Thou hast not half the power to do me harm/ As I have to be hurt” (V.ii.166-167). She is saying that her pain for the loss of her friend Desdemona is nothing compared to any physical pain possible. This is realistic because when humans are grieving someone close to them, they feel like nothing can be as bad as this
Emilia for example has no trust in Iago and sees him as a horrible person. Though she loves her husband, she is rebellious in efforts to show him that she is her own person and not all women do as they are told. Desdemona on the other hand is nothing like the other women. She “is neither jealous nor envious nor suspicious. She is not suspicious or possessive about Othello’s job, his intimacy with Iago, or his “love” for Cassio but supports all three” (Neely 145). The other women however, would feel uncomfortable or suspicious with how close their husbands may be to others, but Desdemona finds it pleasing. Neely mentions that she doesn’t have much sense or concern of class and rank like the men. She treats everyone with the same amount of respect as she would the Duke. Desdemona has no recognition of the secretive and tactful things going on around her or even involving her. When Othello confronts her in their chambers (V, ii, 23-83) Desdemona is startled and dumbstruck as to the accusations being brought upon her. Her passiveness comes into play at this particular time mainly because she has absolutely no clue that people could be so horrible as to lie about one another in a manner such as this one. She seems to believe that all men are honest and good. The absurd fact of her husband believing she betrayed him because of lies he has been told, is a complete shock to
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, 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.
Emilia without a doubt out smarts everyone, including her own brilliant husband, Iago, but little does he know that his loyal wife surprisingly ruins his plan. By gaining his trust, Emilia soon realizes Iago's conniving plan and uses that against him in the end. Considering Iago has no idea what Emilia knows about his plan, he ignores her underrated intelligence. To gain Iago's trust, Emilia obeys every order that he asks her to do. For example, as a part of Iago's plan, he needs to get a hold of Desdemona's beloved handkerchief, which soon he uses against her. Emilia finds the sought-after handkerchief, but instead of returning it back to her mistress, she gives it to her devious husband. When Emilia finds the handkerchief she states, "I am glad I have found this napkin, this was her first remembrance from the Moor. My wayward husband hath a hundred times."(Shakespeare III : iii, 335-336 ). Clearly Emilia wants to please her husband, so she obeys all of his orders just to avoid any trouble with him. Emilia proves her underrated intelligence by telling everyone about Iago's plan to ruin Othello's and Desdemona's marriage. Iago is oblivious to the fact that Emilia knows everything and is in total shock once she tells everyone. Revealing Iago's plan not only makes her the hero of the story, but it also allows her to prove her underrated intelligence. As a result of her action, ...
Emilia's role is more complex in Othello. Iago likes to dominate Emilia and in many respects uses her quite badly. However, she also proves that she can be strong and show control.[5]
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).
The portrayal of gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, demonstrates the inferior treatment of women and the certain stereotypes of men placed on them by society. Both the male and female characters in the play have these certain gender expectations placed on them. In a society dominated by men, it is understood that the women are to be seen rather than heard. The women are referred to and treated much like property. If indeed they do speak up, they are quickly silenced. One woman’s attempt to be the perfect wife is what ultimately led to her demise. The expectations of men are equally stereotypical. Men are to be leaders and to be in control and dominant especially over the women. The male characters compete for position and use the female characters in the play as leverage to manipulate each other. Shakespeare provides insight in understanding the outcomes of the men and women who are faced with the pressures of trying to live up to society’s expectations, not only in the workplace, but also in the home. The pressure creates jealousy issues amongst the men and they become blind to the voice of reason and are overtaken by jealous rage, leads to the death of many of the characters.
He first uses her as a pawn in his machinations against Cassio and Othello and then, in the final act, uses her as a scapegoat, directing the blame for Roderigo’s murder away from himself by casting it upon her. In having her stand beside Iago both literally and figuratively, Shakespeare emphasizes Bianca’s unaffected innocence; after all, although Iago fancies himself “Honest” (Othello 1.3.294), the audience sees him for what he truly is: a most malevolent character. It is perhaps also worth mentioning here as an aside that the name Iago is derived from the name Jacob, which belongs to a Biblical figure also known as “the supplanter,” whilst the name Bianca means “white,” a color traditionally associated with purity and innocence. In allowing her to protest her innocence vis-à-vis that last rebuttal to Emilia in which she avows that she is “honest” – mirroring Iago once again – before having her exit the scene with Iago never to be seen again, Shakespeare also creates a haunting image of Bianca as a martyr. He both showcases the notion that what Bianca has suffered is an injustice and suggests, accordingly, that when any woman is condemned and deceived by cruel men, she has suffered injustice. Bianca’s treatment at the hands of the other characters in Othello mimics the titular character’s own struggles with being “Other”-ized; only, in Bianca’s case, what separates
The play Othello is presented as a male-dominated society where women are only recognized as property; objects to own and to bear children. Women in the Elizabethan society and in Shakespeare society were not seen as equal to men and were expected to be loyal to their husbands, be respectful, and to not go against their husbands judgements or actions. Shakespeare presents Desdemona, Emilia , and Bianca as women in the Elizabethan time where they were judged based on their class, mortality, and intelligence. Shakespeare makes his female characters act the way they would be expected to act in an Elizabethan society. The role of these women in Othello is crucial because they show how women were treated and how unhealthy their relationships between men really were in both Elizabethan and Shakespeare's society.