The Abuse Of Emelia In Shakespeare's Othello

In Shakespeare’s Othello, diction, monologues, and soliloquies are used to convey that Iago’s relationship with Emelia is abusive yet dependent, which causes her relationship with Desdemona to take on a new meaning.

Throughout Othello, the emotional abuse Emelia suffers at the hands of Iago is conveyed through his aggressive and derogatory diction, as well as through their dialogues with each other and other characters. The first time the reader sees Iago’s aggressive diction towards Emelia is when he is conversing with her as well as Cassio and Desdemona and states “You don’t take your jobs as housewives seriously, and you’re shameless hussies in bed” (Shakespeare 2.1.120-121). From this initial impression of Iago, the reader can assume

Though Emelia’s dialogue with Iago often reflects humble responses to aggression, her monologues in the presence of Desdemona reveal a more vulnerable response to abuse. In the first instance, when talking about husbands, Emelia states, “They're like stomachs and we’re just the food. They eat us up hungrily, and when they’re full, they vomit us up” (shakespeare 3.4.99-101). By using stomachs to symbolize husbands, Emelia indirectly implies that Iago uses her for everything she has. Moreover, it could be inferred that Emelia is alluding to Iago using her to meet his sexual demands when talking about the stomachs vomiting them up after they are full. In a second instance, Emelia states it’s the husbands fault if their wives cheat on them, and follows by saying “For instance, our husbands may stop sleeping with us, and give it out to other women instead. Or they may get insanely jealous, and keep us from going anywhere…Husbands need to know that their wives are human beings too” (Shakespeare 4.3.82-85, 88-89). Based on the personal references Emilia uses, such as her reference to jealousy, as well as her use of first person pronouns, it can reasonably be deduced that she is referring to Iago and her

This dialogue shows the lack of praise Emelia receives, and points to why she may seek even the littlest bit of appreciation from Iago. After Emelia gains possession of Desdeoma’s scarf, her soliloquy reveals her internal battle over the morality of giving it to Iago, but in the end she decides to give it to him and states, “I only try to satisfy his whims” (Shakespeare 3.4.305-306). This line introduces Emelia’s need to please Iago, even if it means doing something immoral. After Emelia gives Iago the scarf, he expresses momentary appreciation for Emelia by saying “Good Girl, give it to me” (Shakespeare 3.3.322). Based on this line, it can be assumed that the only praise Iago gives Emelia is when she does something that benefits him. The theme of Emelia crossing moral ground for Iago is furthered later in the play during a dialogue between Emelia and Desdemona, when Emelia says, “It’s a big prize for such a small sin…Who wouldn’t cheat on her husband to make him king. I’d risk my soul for that” (Shakespeare 4.3.65, 70-72). These lines further develop the idea that Emelia thinks immoral actions are worth taking for the benefit of Iago, and provide more insight as to how she could give Desdemona’s handkerchief to Iago. Additionally, it can