Examples Of Masculinity In Othello

The true tragedy of Othello is not the deaths or betrayals, but rather how each character is lost to Othello’s insecure masculinity driven by Iago’s twisted motives. He is driven by his masculine wants. He longs for Othello’s wife and is insulted by being outranked by Cassio, a man he views as less of a man since he has no solider or violence experience. Othello stands no chance against a man so secure in his masculinity.

Othello’s issues with masculinity stem from his young adult experiences. The main symbol used to show this is 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 to his mother by an

One of the clearest examples of this end is during his farewell to my occupation speech. (3.3.362-347) Using words such as “plumed”, “spirit-stirring”, “pride”, and “glorious” helps to create the feeling that war was where Othello found his place. War was his source of masculinity. The use of military sounds and visuals, such as “th’ear-piercing fife” and “royal banner,” creates an almost halo-like glow around Othello. All that he believes himself to be is his career and the love of his wife, but without her love, he cannot be himself, he cannot be a man. It is not the fact that Desdemona cheated, rather it is his knowledge about it that affects him. He states that he would have been happy if had never known about any affair, even if it had been with “the general camp, Pioneers and all.” (3.3.363) His use of military imagery creates a crutch preventing him from seeing life outside his occupation. The repeated use of “farewell” (3.3.365-374) points towards his feelings of the end. He views this as the end of his relationship, his career, and of his own sense of self. He ends his speech with “Othello’s occupation’s gone,” (3.3.374) which is a very clear statement that he believes that his military career is over, but also his life as his husband. His connection between his military duty and his duty as a husband stem directly from what he feels he must do as a

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 more pure and if Desdemona is not pure and faithful then there is no hope for a happy husband and wife. Othello sends her off to get Desdemona and says to the audience “She says enough, yet she’s a simple bawd/That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,/A closet, lock and key, of villainous secrets./And yet she’ll kneel and pray, I have seen her do ’t.” (4.2.21-24) Othello is dismissing her statement under the principle that any woman would say the same story and the only truth he can trust would be what he is told by a man. If he had listened to Emilia, the closest friend Desdemona has, he may not have killed his wife. He may have saved many lives, but instead, he let himself be lead astray by falsehoods since they were spoken by a man. While Desdemona is begging for her life and saying she never had sex, Othello states that “Honest Iago” is taking care of Cassio. Even into the final moments, Othello takes the word of a man over his wife’s dying