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Othello Feminist Analysis

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“A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” ― Gloria Steinem. Anyone that reads the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare discovers that the story is anything but equal rights between men and women. The play showcases the patriarchal society that was prevalent in the era in which the story takes place. Shakespeare’s play does an excellent job of representing the era by showcasing the unequal balance of power between genders and the cultural expectations of women. As mentioned before the play “Othello”
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The 1600s is a period of great distinctions amongst gender, class, and intelligence. William Shakespeare wrote in a time where his language is baffling to much of the current culture. To ease the pain of struggling to comprehend his works, translations of his works are available, as well as movies portraying his plays in this era. Matters regarding gender are both depicted in Shakespeare’s creations and are now relevant in society. From homosexual’s acceptance to women’s roles, Shakespeare’s works still apply to the present day.

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Weekly Response: Othello Throughout Othello Shakespeare is able to pontificate about how it is often found that appearance is more highly valued than character, yet character is far more significant. This concept is epitomized when the Duke says to Brabantio, “And, noble signior / If virtue no delighted beauty lack / Your son-in-law is far more fair than black,” (1.3.284-286).

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The play “Othello” by William Shakespeare. Can best be examined through a cultural, historical and feminist perspectives. Othello can be viewed by using all of these different lenses. By looking into the dominate beliefs of Shakespeare time. By seeing “Othello through a feminist perspective.

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It’s no surprise, that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was clearly constructed as a rebellion against femininity roles of the time. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men since men obtained desired masculine qualities such as strength, and loyalty, whereas women were viewed as figures of hospitality (1; 6; 28-31). Obviously, not being tempted by the luxury of subservient women, William Shakespeare rebuked this twisted belief, applying that women deserve more respect than their kitchen tables.

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Shakespeare is often referred to as a man before his time, or even called a feminist. He revered amongst many audience members for his use of the woman in his plays. Others disagree, saying Ole Willy Shakes is a misogynist who hated women. Neither of the extremes is completely accurate, and neither have claims that could be taken very far. Shakespeare lives somewhere between being a feminist and being a misogynist, he uses female character radically; for his time at least.

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The Elizabethian period compared to our society today can be described as very Monocultural, dominated by the notion of women living in a world controlled by men,where women have little say in their own lives. Through his plays William Shakespeare tackels unyeilding issues of race, jealousy, cultural and gender roles. Romeo and Juliet (1597) and Othello (1604) are two of shakespeares plays which address issues with gender roles between men and women. In each play shakespeare attempts to engage his audience and forces them to approach the common themes in the two plays of gender oppression in different forms . Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story of two star crossed lovers who’s fate brings them to their death, after discovering they belong to the two house holds that are in a constant feud, that keeps them from being together, Romeo and Juliet arrange a secret marriage which later ends in the two taking their lives

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The following passage is significant to the play ‘Othello’ in retrospect to the plot progression, as it reiterates themes and introduces important facets to the plot development. Through Iago’s cunning manipulation and Shakespeare’s crafting of language, this passage is constructed as a pivotal point of the play, marking the transition of Othello’s personality and revealing his deepest insecurities that eventually lead to his downfall and tragic ending. Iago wields a lot of power over all the characters throughout the play, but in this passage in particular he is presented at his most powerful. The passage is riddled with subtle suggestions and insinuations by Iago to raise Othello’s suspicions of his wife’s fidelity, opening with the admonition to “beware, my lord, of jealousy!

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Hamlet the misogynist "When a man gives his opinion he is a man. When a woman gives her opinion she is a bitch. "- Bette Davis Throughout time society has used woman as a scapegoat for societal issues that have occurred.

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In today’s world, gender expectations and roles of men and women are a highly debated topic. However, the reconsidering of these expectations is not a new phenomenon. Set in Verona, Italy, the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare explores the reversal and fluidity of characteristics usually assigned to a specific gender. In this play, two young people fall in love and end up tragically taking their lives as a result of their forbidden love. Shakespeare suggests that men are not necessarily masculine, women are not necessarily feminine, and that when people are forced by society to act the way their gender is “supposed” to, problems will arise.

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Throughout history, patriarchies have plagued society and stripped women of necessary freedoms. This is evident in many literary works, such as Shakespeare’s Othello and Much Ado About Nothing, as well as “Pygmalion” by John Updike, and Robert Browning’s “My last Duchess.” In all of these pieces, the men view themselves as superior, and try to control every aspect of their female counterparts’ life. Also, they feel entitled to any women they want, and they hold women to unrealistic standards, which objectifies women and leads to them being treated as property.

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Shakespeare's Othello is set during the Renaissance period and therefore the roles of the women in Othello are supposedly bounded by the period when women are considered to be of low intellect. In Othello, most male characters assume that women are inherently promiscuous, which explains why all three women characters in the play are accused of sexual infidelity. Yet Shakespeare develops the women to speak the most sense throughout the play and able to trust other characters in the play. To the men in Othello, female sexuality is a threatening force more than it is an attractive one.

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When considering the time span of Othello it is comprehended why the women aren’t respected, nor are they treated fairly. None of the women in the play have a voice, they are altogether displayed to be the property of another person. In Act II, Scene II as Othello addressed Desdemona, he made it clear to her and to any listening ear that she was his property. “Come, my dear love, the purchase made, the fruits are to ensue; That profit 's yet to come 'tween me and you.” Although the way he said it was to not be taken out of context, but yet in a loving manner.

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As humans we all have been where rumors have been spread about us or where we do the opposite. They, however, all tend to do some harm to us and it can cause certain conflicts to occur during the process. Death can be the outcome of something like this because this did happen to three innocent people. They were all wrapped up in a bed of lies that ended their lives sooner than expected. Thesis statement: Othello Desdemona and Emilia ended up with unfortunate deaths because of Othello 's integrity towards Iago.

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Women’s Depiction in Shakespeare 's 'The Tempest ' William Shakespeare developed his work “The Tempest” in a time when a woman was the most powerful human in his society—the era of Queen Elizabeth. To rise to such a position in any culture, a woman is required to be very influential, respected and trusted in the community. In this regard, with Queen Elizabeth on the throne, any reader of the tempest would expect that a woman had a good reputation and important role in the society. However, in “The Tempest,” it is totally the opposite and one would even wonder seriously how Queen Elizabeth made it to the throne.

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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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