Theme Of Masculinity In Othello

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The true tragedy of Othello is not the deaths or betrayals, but rather how each character was lost to Othello’s insecure masculinity driven by Iago’s hatred of feminine characteristics. Iago loathes Othello for giving into feminine characteristics, such as love, and despises Desdemona for being the cause of Othello’s loss of masculinity. Iago uses Othello’s trust in him as a way to bring out Othello’s masculinity. Iago is driven by his intense distaste for anything feminine.
The main symbol used to show Othello’s issues with masculinity is his story of a handkerchief. This handkerchief is bound in the patriarchal and masculine views of the time and is a symbol of fidelity in both Othello’s and his father’s marriage. The handkerchief was given …show more content…

Iago repeats what he heard Cassio say. “Sweet Desdemona,/Let us be wary, let us hide our loves!/…O sweet creature!” (3.3.434-437) then Cassio rolled over and kissed Iago believing him to be Desdemona. Iago says this may have just been a dream, but that is a reason for suspicion. The words Cassio use imply that he and Desdemona have shared a bed and are secretly lovers. He calls Desdemona “sweet” and wants to “hide (their) loves.” This gave Othello the proof he needed to believe that his wife, and by connection his masculinity, have been taken from …show more content…

Emilia states “I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,/ Lay down my soul at stake./ For if she be not honest, chaste, and true/There’s no man happy. The purest of their wives/Is foul as slander.” (4.2.13-20) Emilia swears on her soul that there is no one purer and if Desdemona is not pure and faithful then there is no hope for a happy husband and wife. Emilia is saying that if Desdemona is not faithful and honest that there is not a woman out there who

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