The play Othello by William Shakespeare is a tragedy which only includes three female characters: Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. Given that the play is written in Elizabethan time, the female is presented as being men’s possession and submissive. Interestingly, the female group is also seen to have power. By presenting woman in such a manner, Shakespeare may want to convey the idea of pursuing an egalitarian society.
Females as men’s possession is revealed through male character’s language. In the beginning of the play, Iago cries out, “Thieves, thieves!” to Brabantio. The word “Thieves” suggests that Desdemona is seen as property of the father Brabantio. When Duke approves the marriage between Othello and Desdemona, one Senator says to Othello,
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Even though she is powerful in the beginning when she rebels against her father, she still sees the respect to men as her “duty” in Act 1 Scene 3. The word “duty” indicates that she is completely conformed to the patriarchal society’s expectation on woman which is to respect men. Desdemona also declares, “I am obedient” in Act 3 Scene 3. Her obedience is shown throughout the play. Towards the end of Act 4, after being humiliated by Othello in the public, when Othello orders her to bed, Desdemona still follows his order as she says, “I will, my lord”. Even in her final breath, she remains sincere to her husband as she says, “Comment me to my kind lord”. Her unconditional obedience may evoke audience’s frustration which may then lead the audience to think about the issues in a patriarchal society and the consequences of the absence of individuality among female group. Her death could evoke audience’s empathy as she is such a pure and innocent character. However, her death is not inevitable. She died because of her inability to see the reality. In the beginning of the play, she says, “I saw Othello’s visage in his mind / and to his honours and his valiant parts”. But in the end, she knows too little about Othello. It is interesting to note Othello is also unable to see the reality. The message of equality may be embedded in this presentation in …show more content…
Female’s power is intertwined with the antithesis between public and private sphere. In the public, it is Desdemona who has the power. When she is in front of the duke, she expresses her ideas freely and bravely. When Cassio asks her for help, she says, “I give thee warrant of thy place,” which indicates that her personal friendships can help Cassio get back his military position. Despite that she is seen to have certain position and power in the public, she is extremely vulnerable as a wife in her private sphere. Whilst Emilia, a soldier’s wife, appears to be conform to the society in the public, but rebels against societal norms in the private sphere. When Emilia is alone with Desdemona in Act 4 Scene 3, she argues for equality and mutual respect in marriage. She also says, “It is their husbands’ faults / If wives do fall.” Her views on man and marriage could potentially provide a new perspective for the female audience in the Elizabethan time. Having the conversation occurred in the private, the societal constraints of woman are also emphasised. It is perhaps ironic how it is an ordinary wife who has the individuality but not a well-educated female. In addition to Emilia’s ideas, her language within the play is rather aggressive. She appears to be the only female character mentioning the imagery of monster and devil. It is worth mentioning that the only female
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.
At this point in our civilization the play’s fascination and its horror may be greater than ever before because we have been made so very sensitive to the issues of race, class, and gender that are woven into the texture of Othello. [. . .] The issue of gender is especially noticeable in the final scenes of the play – with the attacks on Bianca, Emilia, and Desdemona – which are vivid reminders of how terrible the power traditionally exerted by men over women can be. (xiii-xiv)
Othello is a play that asks us to examine the position of women in society. This play explores issues such as clandestine marriage, accusations of adultery, and it includes three different social classes of women. First, we have Desdemona, this is a woman from a noble family in Venice and has the least amount of freedom. Her behavior was watched very carefully. The perception of Desdemona is created by the language that other characters use to describe her. In Act 2, Scene 1, Cassio refers to Desdemona as ‘a maid/That paragons description and wild fame’; that she
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,
The definition of Renaissance women is fundamentally important in William Shakespeare's play Othello. One of the major causes of Othello's tragedy is his belief that Desdemona is not chaste. According to the men of the Renaissance, chastity, silence, and obedience are three attributes that define Renaissance women. Although Othello takes place during the Renaissance, the women in the play, Bianca, Desdemona and Emilia, defy traditional norms by lacking at least one of the major attributes defining women; Bianca's lack of chastity is clearly displayed when she unlawfully sleeps with Cassio; Desdemona's lack of silence is clearly displayed when she constantly urges Othello to give Cassio's position back. However, in the last two acts, Emilia displays the strongest challenge to the definition of Renaissance women as silent, chaste, and obedient, mainly to defend Desdemona.
At this point in our civilization the play’s fascination and its horror may be greater than ever before because we have been made so very sensitive to the issues of race, class, and gender that are woven into the texture of Othello. [. . .] The issue of gender is especially noticeable in the final scenes of the play – with the attacks on Bianca, Emilia, and Desdemona – which are vivid reminders of how terrible the power traditionally exerted by men over women can be. (xiii-xiv)
Many may say Emilia was not aware of how she is supposed to treat by her husband conversely, a comment made by her states otherwise. “Tis proper I obey him, but not now’ (Shakespeare V.ii.195). Towards the end of the story she explains to Othello how her husband asked her to steal the handkerchief from Desdemona She clearly states she know it is the right to obey her husband, but she was not going to support him in his wrong. She is one of the few in this time period to disobey their husband. Emilia is not the type of wife to support him in his wrong-doing. She stands up to her husband.
sax’s Othello, reflect the context and values of their times. Within Shakespeare’s Othello there is an analysis into the context of the female. Brabantio’s rhyming couplet “Look to her, Moor, If thou hast eyes to see/ She has deceived her father, and may thee,” demonstrates his domineering and patronising attitude, as the Elizabethan era was a patriarchal society and the role of the female was to be ‘obedient’ to their father or husband.
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.
During the Elizabethan era women had a status of subordination towards men. They had a role to marry and oblige to their husband’s wishes. Shakespearean literature, especially illustrates how a woman is psychologically and physically lesser to their male counterpart. The play, Othello, uses that aspect in many different ways. From a Feminist lens others are able to vividly examine how women were subjected to blatant inferiority. Being displayed as tools for men to abuse, women were characterized as possessions and submissive; only during the last portion of the play did the power of women take heed.
Since women are possessions and are supposed to obey their husbands every command, one could assume that women were also weak and submissive, Desdemona is seen as the epitome of the downtrodden woman by some modern day feminists, and there is a sufficient amount of evidence to support this claim. Desdemona herself states 'I am obedient' (III...
In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the male characters perceive women as adulterous and property, treating them as inferior that need to be submissive and obey. Iago creates a false perception of his wife thinking she is promiscuous. Also, Othello sees his wife as promiscuous, an impression created by his jealousy and one he has convinced himself of it. Furthermore, Iago and Othello perceive their wives as inferior, and by his words, the reader can see that they are both their wife and subordinate. At last, the male characters refer to Desdemona’s marriage as a “steal” and “purchase” of property, then, Iago and Othello end their wives’ lives because they see them as possessions of no good.
During the Shakespearean time women were treated as inferiors. The three women in Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca encountered many degrading and unfortunate situations. They were to be obedient. The women had to comply with the commands, orders, and the instructions of the men. Women were made to believe that they had no rights. The men would publicly humiliate the three women. It was difficult for the women to stand up for themselves due to that time in society. In Shakespeare’s play Othello, he portrayed the three women to be viewed as obedient, loyal, and submissive to their husbands.
Desdemona is portrayed as the highest class a female could accomplish. She is elegant, honest and loyal to her husband as any other good Elizabethan married woman would be. She is presented as the ideal woman. Desdemona symbolizes innocence and helplessness against men. Shakespeare presents Desdemona as a mature and knowledgeable woman for her age as she defends her love for Othello to her father, Brabantio. However this is seen differently in the eye's of the society. Brabantio declares her as "Against all rules of nature"(scene.. line...). This statement reveals what the society believes what is natural and what is unnatural. To the society, "natural" is when a women complies to their husbands and fathers wishes, but it's unnatural for a women to do anything else. Women are referred to as property, clearly stated when Desdemona's father angrily calls Othello a "theif" (scene...line..). Here, Brabantio addresses Desde...
In his novel, Othello, he uses the courage of the women in his literature to depict how women should be treated, and to contrast from how little respect they once obtained. The society in Shakespeare’s Othello is strongly dominated by men who were the political and military leaders of their homeland during the Elizabethan era. These men are expected to stay loyal to their reputations and to uphold the strong sense of character that earned them their positions in the first place. In contrast, during the Elizabethan period of time women were viewed as weak second-class citizens and inferior to males, with their only job being to serve their men.