Modesty And Obedience In Othello

Since the starting point of the human being, men have been ruling the world. In one way or another, the male was the dominant character in our particular evolution. It does not matter if they were right or not because they had the power and their rules have been oppressing women for ages. The early modern period was not an exception in this tyranny and women had suffered several troubles under the yoke of a strict society that forced them to follow three golden rules: chastity, modesty and obedience. Although women have been oppressed during the history, they have been trying to rise up several times and show up. That made them get in trouble in the past, but each act of rebellion count on and women are what they are thanks to these periodic

In the following paragraphs these behaviours will be analysed and to depict the consequences of following the rules or to lie, to rebel and to be honest had in each of them. To begin with, the protagonist of Othello, Desdemona, plays an important role in the works of Shakespeare. From the first moment, Desdemona shows an unbecoming behaviour in a period in which the three above values were indispensable to be worthy of social recognition. Even before the play begins, Desdemona has already violated one of the codes from the Elizabethan society: she has married Othello in secret and without the consent of her father. Marrying Othello without the consent of the parent could be considered an offence to the patriarchal figure, which, together with the figure of the king and god, it was compulsory to obey. Short after that, when Othello faces the consequences in front of the senate and explains the reasons for his secret

She is Iago’s wife and a worldly woman who plays a submissive role at the beginning of the play. Despite the villainous behaviour of her husband, she always obeys him and makes the mistake to give him Desdemona’s handkerchief. As we can see in Shakespeare’s play in Act III, scene iii, lines 294-303, Emilia’s speech makes clear her total submission to Iago. This act will provide him with the necessary prove to incriminate Cassio and to plunge Desdemona into misery. However, as the play is moving towards the end, Emilia, aware of her husband morbid plan, raises her voice and rebels against the strong patriarchal power of the Elizabethan society. At the conclusion of the play, Emilia contests her husband; she is positioned towards Desdemona and loses her modesty and obedience imposed by the Elizabethan society. As we can see Vaughan text, on page 72, “Both women are portrayed as victims of patriarchal marriage conventions”, they suffer this oppression and therefore they rebel in one way or another. Finally, in this play, we have Bianca, a courtesan who plays a secondary role in, at that time, a well-known city for the prostitution and the promiscuity. Her role in the play is reduced to few intermittent appearances, but her outbreak of jealousy in Act III, scene iv, lines - “O Cassio, whence came this? This is some token from a newer friend: To the felt absence now I feel a cause: Is 't come to this? Well,