Examples Of Double Standards Othello

Double standards in society are an ongoing issue. They’ve been affecting society for an extremely long time. Double standards often contribute to the mistreatment of women. In many cases, it is more socially acceptable for a man to do or say something than it is for a woman to do or say the same thing. There are examples of this in Shakespeare’s Othello. 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

In this scene, she says “And have not we affections, desires for sport, and frailty, as men have? Then let them use us well, else let them know, the ills we do, their ills instruct us so”. Essentially, she is saying that women have weaknesses and desires, just like men. If the men find that upsetting, it’s their fault for setting that example in the first place. This is significant because if Desdemona was a man, nobody would’ve cared that she had an affair, and her life would most likely be much easier because she would not be critiqued as heavily by society. This concept is also mentioned in Taylor Swift’s song, The Man. In this song, Taylor says, “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man”. What this means is that as a woman, she has to work much harder to achieve success than a man would. Moreover, this shows that men have it easier than women because their power is handed to them, while women have to work for their power. There are many similar examples of double standards between men and women in real life, as