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Gender Stereotypes In Shakespeare's Othello

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Statistics show that on average, 10 percent of men who have been in a relationship have reported that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their partner while an extensive 30 percent of women have experienced the same in their past relationship (thehotline.org). With this difference, it’s easy to conclude that gender equality is still a controversial topic due to the fact that women are still being treated differently than men. These differences are very relevant in Shakespeare's work Othello and have developed into stereotypes that classify men and women today. In the text, the men such as Othello and Iago follow the common stereotypes that come with the dominance of power in their marriages. Their wives, Desdemona …show more content…

This was a very common stereotype for marriages between men and women during the Shakespearean Era. Although this is true, Desdemona and Emilia let their significant others take control of them, thus proving that it is not entirely the men’s fault. The women do this by finding “foolish lovers” like Othello and Iago to engage with and later on submit to them when they become “sensible lovers”. Once this is done, they submit to them which lets the men do whatever they please (Neely). This ultimately leads to the downfall of the Desdemona and Emilia by having the Othello and Iago take control of whatever they want to do as Iago planned for Othello’s downfall and Othello becoming outraged against …show more content…

“Get you to bed on th’ instant. I will be returned forthwith. Dismiss your attendant there. Look ’t be done.” Othello ordered Desdemona after he spoke to Lodovico (IV.iii.7-9). She willingly followed his demands with no hesitation or complaints. Once it was complete, Othello enters the room alone ultimately dooming Desdemona to her murder since Othello was angered of her “betrayal” towards him. Although she was unaware of his feelings and mindset, her lack of questioning and objection to Othello’s wishes kills her chances of living. In the text, Desdemona immediately complies to Othello without any argument. This is ultimately due to her submission to follow any directions Othello gave, which is the same stereotype that was common during the era. Without rebellion towards Othello, he was able to take out his anger on Desdemona and she would never be close to stopping his

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666 Words | 3 Pages

If Othello had directly questioned Desdemona about her relationship with Cassio or told her about his insecurities about her faithfulness, their fate could have been avoided; however, Othello’s ignorance of Desdemona’s loyalty and Iago’s deceitfulness prevents him from reasoning and intensifies his rage towards Desdemona. Similarly, Desdemona’s failure to speak out against Othello’s unjust behavior or to tell the truth about the lost handkerchief enables Othello to believe Iago’s slanderous opinions, for there is no verbal evidence to say otherwise. The possibility of redemption for the couple is most possible in the end when had Othello not have been consumed by anger or had Desdemona not been overwhelmed by grief and despair, their conflicts could have been

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Therefore, William Shakespeare shows how the feminist perspective is not the best lens to view modern literature in his play “Othello”, when Shakespeare shared through Othello in Act 3 when he speaks to Iago that “The man whose wife has been unfaithful lives happily as long as he does not love his wife” (Shakespeare, 127). Likewise, this quote shows how the feminist perspective might not show us how women were treated in the 1600s; this scene explains how men were not expected to love their wife and not expected to care. He is allowed to be happy as long as he didn’t love his wife. This is absorbing because we can see in modern days that men expect women to love them even if they don’t. Lastly, women then and now are expected to love their husbands even if they aren’t being treated right whereas men don’t need to love their wife if they don’t want

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1490 Words | 6 Pages

By having Brabantio describe Desdemona in comparison to an abject, Shakespeare sets the story up for a theme as women as property. She is further described as being ‘stolen/robbed’ from Brabantio. Using this description, Shakespeare expresses how the men of the play view Desdemona as a trophy, because she is a perfect wife, and has all the qualities that a wife should possess. This vision of Desdemona continues until her honor is at risk, and suddenly all of her positive qualities are. After Iago convinces Othello of a false affair between Desdemona and Cassio, all of Othello's previous love for Desdemona dissipates.

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542 Words | 3 Pages

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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1133 Words | 5 Pages

Disappointingly, this treatment of women is not unique to the villain of the play, but also to the hero. Othello strongly believes that he must kill Desdemona or “else she’ll betray more men” (5.2.6). He believes the illusion that he controls Desdemona, and that her life is disposable if it is no longer pleasing to him. Furthermore, he kills her upon false charges of adultery because he is consumed with thoughts that she is his and not her own person who loves him. In every instance of men and women interacting, the women always are dominated by the men.

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1624 Words | 7 Pages

Instead of fighting for Desdemona and pushing for her, he beings to believe in this illusion of her that Iago is portraying. Slowly but surely Othello’s mindset changes throughout the play and he beings to develop a sort of “fixed mindset”. In the article written by Duckworth the following is stated, “…every human quality that has been studied has proven to be affected by a person's environment”, this quotes proves how we as humans are affected by the environment we find ourselves in. Therefore, knowing Othello was around Iago so much it is not that hard to picture why Othello began believing in Iago’s made up lies. In act 5 scene 2 Othello states, “I would not kill thy unprepared spirit.

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575 Words | 3 Pages

Men are premeditated as the heroes, whereas women are characterized as anemic souls. In Othello, we see that women are considered their father’s property until marriage. Desdemona’s marriage was filled with despotism and jealousy. “ Sir, you’re robbed. For shame, put on your gown!

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1031 Words | 5 Pages

The way these women act and conduct themselves is unquestionably related to the ideological expectations of Elizabethan and patriarchal society. Desdemona, Othello 's wife and Brabantio 's daughter, is represented as the ideal woman. So she would never be disloyal to her husband. On many occasions, Desdemona obeys her husband firmly and calls herself obedient even after Othello hits her. She was loving and loyal to Othello and wishes a long marriage of prosperity and commitment that would lead to her ultimate happiness.

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463 Words | 2 Pages

“ Let husbands know, their wives have sense like them : they see and smell, and have their palates for both sweet and sour, as husbands have.” She implies that men are weak minded which is very true, “They eat us hungrely, and when they are full they blech us. She exclaims they are unable to control their desires with logical thoughts. It is “natural” for women to be feminine and to do as their fathers and husbands tell them, Desdemona breaks her honor to her father by marrying Othello. Desdemona however only expresses her beliefs of men in private, but she shows power in

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168 Words | 1 Pages

 Othello 's actions are restricted when in the presence of his wife, Desdemona and her friend Emilia. Desdemona 's character is

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1010 Words | 5 Pages

For Shakespeare’s plays to contain enduring ideas, it must illustrate concepts that still remain relevant today, in modern society. Shakespeare utilises his tragic play Othello, to make an important social commentary on the common gender stereotypes. During early modern England, Shakespeare had to comply to the strict social expectations where women were viewed as tools, platonic and mellow, and where men were displayed as masculine, powerful, tempered, violent and manipulative. As distinct as this context is to the 21st century, the play exposes how women were victimised by the men who hold primary power in the community in which they compelled women to conform to the ideal world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation.

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1073 Words | 5 Pages

"But I do think it is their husbands' faults If wives do fall: say that they slack their duties, and pour our treasures into foreign laps, Or else break out in peevish jealousies, Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us, Or scant our former having in despite;"(4.3.90-102). The conversation between Emilia and Desdemona reveals that Emilia is beginning to see how men perceive women. Desdemona could play a role in changing Emilia view on reality, even if Desdemona doesn't realize it. Desdemona's inexperience in her relationship with Othello opens Emilia eyes when Othello goes from loving his wife to cursing her. Emilia realizes that she's in a similar position.

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1360 Words | 6 Pages

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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457 Words | 2 Pages

He gets so angry that he smothers Desdemona, he soon realizes that this was a mistake. This is a very weak point for Othello, because he has let the world get between he and his love. He was not strong enough to carry the both of them

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1592 Words | 7 Pages

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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