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Bias Against Women In William Shakespeare's Othello

554 Words3 Pages

he play, Othello, is placed during a time period when people weren't treated the same and it wasn’t considered a problem. In reality it was one of the biggest problems throughout that time period. One problem throughout the story was bias between the characters. Bias affects every character and is the biggest example on why you should walk through life with an open mind and bias free. The difference between our time and theirs is specifically the ability to identify discrimination.
Bias against women has been an issue throughout history, we’ve always compared women and men, which caused many problems. Women are often deemed as ignorant and unequal to men. Men are quick to believe they are superior and often treat women as so. In the play, Iago, desperately trying to ruin …show more content…

Othello, quick to have faith for Desdemona, turns around and eventually accuses her, himself. Eventually, Othello gets violent and jealous with
Desdemona, not believing a word she says. On his deathbed, Cassio said, “Dear general, I never gave you cause.(5.2.351 )” Implying he never had an affair with Desdemona, Othello quickly believed Cassio.
After she begged him until her last breath to believe her, she said, “And yet I fear you; for you are fatal then when your eyes roll so: why I should fear I know not, Since guiltiness I know not; but yet I feel I fear.(5.2.44)” He finally realized she was speaking the truth, knowing if he would’ve believed her from the beginning, she would’ve been alive. Later on, this thought drove him to suicide. The bias that took place was from a society view point, Othello listened to others’ biased opinions and assumptions, without any facts. This whole situation was preventable, many lives would have been saved.
During this time period, women were supposed to be pure and seen not heard in public, the men spoke and the women stayed silent. Men can’t believe a woman has her own opinions and desires. Earlier in

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Wouldn’t they just laugh!” (lines 349-350). Over time women came to accept that the men would treat them of lesser value because of their sex. Many times throughout the play such as the quote just stated, the men treat the women terribly and the women just stand there and take it. Their actions suggest women respected the men and in return didn’t always get respect back.

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Othello was so paranoid that he ignored reason and assumed the worst. Not only that, but Othello did become angrier the more Desdemona tried to convince him it wasn’t true, and Othello let this anger and paranoia control his actions. Othello verbally and physically abused Desdemona, by calling her disrespectful names which represented how Othello’s paranoia made him see people differently. Iago’s words and actions completely changed Othello’s mental state. Othello then plots to kill Desdemona and succeeds by strangling her to death (Othello).

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Othello didn’t want to believe it at first but Iago continued to tell Othello being repetitive with his lies. Othello gave into these lies then eventually wanted to kill Desdemona because she was cheating on him with Cassio.

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These examples relate to the essential question: “How do power and social status help to shape characters‘ interactions in Othello?” because they show how double standards give men power over women. Double standards play a huge role in the unfair treatment of women. In Othello, many of the male characters make sexual comments towards Desdemona, the play’s female protagonist. In act 2, scene 3, Iago makes

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To begin, the objectification of women can be seen through the language used throughout the play. There are three major female characters in Othello, they are; Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca. All three women are subjected to gender inequality a handful of times throughout the play, by their male friends, husbands, and even fathers. They sometimes do this discreetly, adding rude comments about women into their speeches, or being verbally abusive, right to their faces, no matter who is around, completely disregarding how their words may impact the women. This can be seen when Iago states; “...You are pictures out of doors, Bells in your parlours, wildcats in your kitchen, Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds.”

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In Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, women are portrayed as either pure angelic beings and jewels, or as whores who are impure. They are objectified and shown as something to be used. The only women in this play are Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca compared to the main 6 male characters, not to mention the minor characters, who are also all male. Their depicted purpose is to belong to a man; Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca’s lives revolve around being wives to Othello, Iago and Cassio. This fits into the idea of a perfect Elizabethan woman, who’s lives are subject to their husband’s rule across all aspects, to be disposed of as men wish.

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An Unjust Portrayal of Women The Elizabethan Era has an extremely prejudiced approach when representing the societal roles of women. In William Shakespeare’s renowned play, Othello, sexism is frequently demonstrated. The female characters of the play; Emilia, Bianca, and Desdemona, each play an impactful role in showing the hidden problem of sexism. These women live primarily through the lives of their male partners; Iago, Cassio, and Othello, who think little of women.

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Shakespeare having Othello say this shows that Othello does love Desdemona but at the same time is quite scared to lose her. In addition to this fear, Shakespeare displays Othello having another fear, the fear of losing his good reputation. Towards the end of the play, Othello begs Lodovico and Cassio that when they make the report of what happened to not forget all the good he has done for the state. He also asks them to not exaggerate the evils he has done but to describe him how he was (Othello 5.2.398-402). I think Shakespeare having Othello say this shows that Othello is fearful of what will happen to his good reputation when the people find out what he has done.

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The feminist perspective challenges sexism and other beliefs and practices that result in the domination of women. When we look at Othello from feminist point of view it is important to note how the women of this play are treated and stereotyped.

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Iago’s perplexities game Sexist language in Shakespeare's Othello exposes the insidious power dynamics between men and women in the play. Throughout the play, Iago’s use of sexist language and manipulation results in a dismantled relationship, trust issues, and the loss of innocent people, demonstrating devastating consequences that are rooted in prejudice and misogyny. This portrayal of Iago’s tactics reminds us that harmful remarks and stereotypes have a lasting effect on societies, emphasizing the need for inclusiveness and trustworthy companions. Iago's frequent use of sexist and derogatory language towards women not only reveals his own misogynistic beliefs but demonstrates the harmful impact of sexist language in perpetuating harmful

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1616 Words | 7 Pages

In a lot of Shakespeare’s work, the women are typically seen as only affections of a man’s love or lust, leaving them little gravitas in their characters. Some of Shakespeare’s arguably more misogynistic works were plays such as Othello, a play that idolises male friendships and includes a destructive path of sexual envy. In Othello, the only three female characters in the play are spoken to in an abusive manner and are portrayed as a ‘whore’, naïve and unintelligent or innocent, which correlates with the belief of how men in that time period believed women should be. Most of the men in Othello believe the women to be disloyal and promiscuous, thinking they will sleep around and be unfaithful to their husbands. For example, at the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Brabantio says ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see.

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In Shakespeare’s Othello and in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles women play an important role in the development of the plot. Shakespeare and Glaspell develop these women differently to enhance their message. In Othello, Emilia, Desdemona, and Bianca are all treated very poorly by their male counterparts.

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A Modern View of Feminist Criticism William Shakespeare 's "Othello” can be analyzed from a feminist perspective. This criticism focuses on relationships between genders, like the patterns of thoughts, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within sexes. A feminist examination of the play enables us to judge the distinctive social esteems and status of women and proposes that the male-female power connections that become an integral factor in scenes of Othello impact its comprehension. I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions

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While Desdemona is a remarkably strong character, Emilia also displays independence unmatched by any other female in Othello, and there are multiple details of Shakespeare and his time that may have prompted such a portrayal. In Elizabethan England, many women worked behind the scenes of productions, like Shakespeare’s, as uncredited authors and editors (Crowley). Due to their anonymity, nobody can be sure that women were involved in Shakespeare’s plays nor Othello in particular, but there is a genuine possibility that female writers did have leverage. This may have had to do with how Emilia was portrayed as resilient from the time of Desdemona’s death all the way until her own, standing up for herself regardless of the ridicule it caused her (Iyasere). In fact, it even killed her in the end.

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Society during that time, believed that women weren’t intelligent enough to take on such roles. Women in the Merchant of Venice go against their gender roles. Men did not think that women could ever be as smart as they were, and did not listen or take advice from women that is why Portia had to dress up as a man just to get the men to listen to her and Antonio was saved just because of her intelligence. Here is revealed the idea of love that women can do everything to see their husbands happy. Jessica also goes against the gender role of women, because she is making her own decision about her life.

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