Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
Gender roles in shakespeare
Gender roles in shakespeare
Gender roles in shakespeare
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Gender roles in shakespeare
Gender roles in shakespeare
Gender roles in shakespeare
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Gender roles in shakespeare
For example, in Act 5, Scene 2, Emilia states, “' Twill out, ’twill out.—I peace? / No, I will speak as liberal as the North. / Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, / All, all cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak.” Emilia’s retaliation against Iago is a clear act of empowerment.
(3.) As Iago enters the scene of the murder, Emilia openly asks Iago if he told Othello that Desdemona was cheating on him; Iago responds thusly: “I told him what I thought, and told no more than what he found himself was apt and true” (V.II.212-213). (4.) Iago is stating that Iago just told Othello what he knew and what made sense (which is obviously not true). The fact that he could so blatantly lie about what had occurred when it resulted in the death of an innocent person goes to show how unremorseful he was about his actions and about taking an innocent life.
From his play, Othello, the character Emilia represents his skill well. Women in Shakespearean times were, for the most part, treated inferior to men. Emilia presented a women who followed society’s rules and submitted to her abusive husband. Not only was Emilia treated poorly by her husband, but also had a lot of secrets to keep from some of the people she was becoming very close with. Throughout the play she gains the courage to tell the truth, in Act V Scene ii Emilia reveals the truth about all of Iago’s villainous actions knowing that it could cost her her life, and it does.
In this quote Iago’s choice of words shows how he sees her, as his possession. This is why Marxist criticism is the criticism that best describes Iago, he is the true definition of a Marxist character. He likes that sense of power that he has over her and their marriage. Iago doesn’t care about the relationship that he and Emilia have but he cares about what come with the thought of marriage. Typically in a marriage the man is who pays the bills, runs the household, and makes the wife stay home.
Behind the Scene with Desdemona While people believe Desdemona can be portrayed in a variety of ways from a rash young woman to an independent, free-thinking woman who stands out for the time-period, I cannot wrap my head around her being anything less than a intensely independent, strong character. The film version of Othello inspired me to portray Desdemona as a strong woman with undying loyalty to her husband. Considering the film adaptation paired with the original storyline, I envision Desdemona as a fiercely strong female character. While I did not completely agree with the portrayal of Desdemona in the film, I felt it was a good foundation to start my own interpretation.
In secret, a Moor general and a lovely young daisy have been wed. The Moor, Othello, and the flower, Desdemona had fallen in love with each other during his visits with her father. It is true that Desdemona’s father had “oft invited… [Othello] over to his house to tell his stories of war. Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, had been informed of this news by the noble Roderigo.
Both Desdemona and Jesus have been associated with the idea of a pure mind and spirit. They are spotless in their behavior and actions and are untouchable. Each have pure innocent blood that was unnecessarily shed coincidently by people who were given wrong information about the characters. Desdemona’s wedding sheets was her ocular proof to Othello that she was innocent of adultery “…white sheets… “ Her sensual attraction to Othello, which she never even thinks of denying, enables her to seek the last, best means to dispel Othello’s wrath” (Cook 192). When Othello choked her to death, Desdemona’s blood was shed and stained the sheets.
In the one scene, Iago quickly shows his hatred for Othello while talking to Roderigo alone, “I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets has done my office. I know not if't be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety.” (1.3.329-433). Iago began to hear rumors that his wife Emilia and Othello had been sleeping together. Iago reasons that even though he has no proof of the incident to weather it happened or not, he doesn’t care for the mere rumor of it is enough for him to seek revenge.
“The Tragedy of Othello Written by William Shakespeare" highlights a variety of ways in which males and females reacted to intense situations.” Othello is a key component to the change of emotions. Othello's emotions did not control his will to do his job in Act 2. Previously in Act 1, Othello received the message that he was needed for the protection of Cyprus from the Turks attack and he was ready. Othello was in low spirits from the court incident occurring in Act 1 but no matter the problem, he was going to do his job.
He ends up uses all the money Rodrigo gave him, for himself. Not only that, but Iago ends up killing Roderigo, he says, “if Roderigo lives, he’ll expect me to give back all the gold and jewels I swindled him out of as gifts to Desdemona, that must not happen.” Iago stabs Roderigo, and puts all the charges on him. Emilia is Iago’s wife as well as Desdemona’s maid, he lacks attention and sympathy towards her. It is very obvious that he does not care about her.
Both characters show a level of obliviousness of the plots in play around them. Desdemona is neglectful of Iago's trap when she permits herself to be seen with Cassio as Iago uncovers the sight to attentive Othello; at the same time, Desdemona says of Iago, "I never knew/ A Florentine more kind and legit. " However, while Emilia is unconscious of the damage she got to be included in when Iago requested she give him Desdemona's cloth, she is befuddled by Othello's suspicions and says, "If any villain has placed this in your mind,/Let paradise compensate it with the serpent's condemnation!"
Although, Iago creates this immoral images of women to feed his revenge, while doing it by this mean he reveals his true perception of women. Iago perceives his wife as a promiscuous woman and without having any facts or proof convinces himself and takes as a fact the rumor that Emilia had an affair with Othello (1.3.324-27). Iago acknowledges his wife as an easy woman who has betrayed him more than once, murmuring: “For I fear Cassio with my
that 's fulsome.” Everything that Iago kept telling him kept building up anger in him until one day he had enough. He told Desdemona that she should confess her sins before he killed her and she said’ never did Offend you in my life; never loved Cassio’ however, he still didn 't believe her.
Nadia In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, the title character is a valiant hero who is in love with his beautiful bride, Desdemona. The play’s villain, Iago, destroys this love by feeding Othello vicious lies about Desdemona, causing Othello to slowly go mad. By the end of the play, Othello, in a fit of jealous rage, murders his wife. This significant change in Othello’s character is not sudden; rather, it is a gradual transformation that takes place after a series of events that occur throughout the play.
Olson, Rebecca. “ Too Gentle: Jealousy and Class in Othello.” Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, 2015, pp. 3–25.