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Relationship Between Emalia And Desdemona

1027 Words5 Pages

The Emalia-Desdemona relationship is an interesting and complicated one. At first glance, it might seem that Emalia serves as the jaded foil to Desdemona’s innocent naivety about love. However, a closer, sympathetic look at Emalia shows she has plenty of reasons to be as hardened as she has become. The role of Iago’s wife can’t be an easy one, and he is usually too concerned with revenge to pay much attention to her. He’s arguably one of the cruelest Shakespearean villains, and Emalia is just trying to survive unscathed. Desdemona, a privileged girl from a genteel family, is used to skipping through life without a bump. Consumed with idealistic love and adventure, she does not understand how much danger she is in with the brooding Othello. Emalia and the younger Desdemona form an unlikely friendship. Initially, Emalia is Desdemona’s maid, but they grow closer as they bond over husband woes. Their relationship helps …show more content…

Desdemona is incredulous that anyone would actually cheat on a spouse. Her naivety becomes evident as she timidly avoids more graphic phrases. Emalia explains many people do, to Desdemona’s surprise. The fact that Desdemona is so loving towards Othello makes her death more tragic. She wants to follow his every order. “It was his bidding/Therefore, good Emilia/Give me my nightly wearing, and adieu./We must not now displease him” (4.3.5) Emalia wishes aloud that Desdemona had never met Othello, as it pains her to see her sweet friend mistreated. Desdemona replies “So would not I. My love doth so approve him/That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns.” (4.3.20) While Emalia is willing to be disloyal to Iago (and it is implied she has) Desdemona is unwilling to break holy matrimony. Both women are mistreated by their spouses, but each have a different approach to their

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Waking up Brabantio and immediately stating his daughter has been robbed from him by the Moor eliminates any other possibilities of why Desdemona would run away with Othello; even love. Iago says, “sir, you’re robbed. For shame, put on your /gown! /Your heart is burst. You have lost half your soul. /Even

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And if the woman is not satisfied by her husband, then who 's to say they can 't do the same? However, Desdemona does not share those same views. She repeatedly refers to Othello as her her “lord” and does everything he says. Plus she still does not fully comprehend why some women would cheat; after all, that is “such a wrong for the whole world!(4.3.87)” She believes that once you are married, you are blinded together, and that bond is not supposed to be

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810 Words | 4 Pages

It is comments like these that causes the fear in the people on the other side of the relationship. Desdemona starts to recognize behavioral changes in Othello and she is willing to do anything to save their relationship. Desdemona dropped and lost her handkerchief that Othello gave her as his first gift for her. Othello asks to see it and Desdemona responds “It is not lost, but what an if it were?” (III.

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815 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the play, Desdemona appears as abnormally kind and innocent, as well as obtaining multiple attributes of a Jesus-figure, these characteristics carry her through the journey from a young wife to a tragic victim. Throughout Othello, Shakespeare teachers his audience the reason bad things often happen to good people. Over the course of the play, Desdemona constantly acts with

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Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, a young Venetian, white woman, is seen as shocking by some characters which shows Othello as being an outsider

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“O, lay me by my mistress’ side” (5.2.284) . This plea of devotion, spoken by Emilia upon her deathbed in Shakespeare’s Othello, alludes to a bond that connects her and her mistress, Desdemona. The brilliant playwright took careful attention with every word, and so by closely examining the text and cross-scene references, it is possible to uncover his meaningful and intended relationship of these two prominent women. Despite contrasting social hierarchical positions and personalities between the characters of Emilia and Desdemona, a closer literary analysis exposes Shakespeare’s use of paralleled circumstances, most specifically as revealed and foreshadowed in the intimate bedroom scene moments before their death; these purposeful underlying

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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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1452 Words | 6 Pages

Desdemona is a white, Venetian debutante that chooses to marry a black man, a Moor, over the wishes of her father. At the beginning of the play, merely six hours after being married, Desdemona’s father attempts to stop her from accompanying Othello on military duty. He relents when Desdemona pledges her allegiance to Othello by telling her father, “But here’s my husband, And so much duty as my mother showed to you, preferring you before her father, so much I challenge that I may profess due to the Moor my Lord”

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Emilia and Desdemona do contrast in context. Emilia exhibits common sense by saying she would undermine her spouse, however, "I would not do a wonder such as this for a joint-ring...monarch." Her announcement demonstrates practicality as well as reliability and affection for Iago as she would render herself powerless against the outrage of corruption for the prosperity of her spouse. Desdemona, then again, is greatly optimistic in her perspectives of

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1121 Words | 5 Pages

Othello secretly marries Desdemona without telling anyone because he is afraid of the reactions he might get from the

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876 Words | 4 Pages

Due to the fact that there is not a single relationship in Othello that demonstrates true friendship, the tragedy unfolds and results in all characters ' demise. This can be seen when Othello vilifies Desdemona for being a disastrous wife and says, "I will withdraw, To furnish me with some swift means of death, For the fair devil [Desdemona]. Now art thou my lieutenant" (3.3 543-545). As a result, this shows how arguably the most sacred friendship is not even true in between Othello and Desdemona. Othello is notably naive in this instance due to the fact that he puts his wife on death row based on the suspicion Iago planted.

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1636 Words | 7 Pages

In Othello, Othello and Desdemona are both characters that are struggling with their identities. In the beginning of the play we find Othello as a respectful man that is successful, but then we get Iago that manipulates him to make him seem as the bad guy. We also find Desdemona that turns against her father and the Elizabethan society to marry Othello, but we also find that she is respectful and obedient to Othello.

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Consequently, implies Emilia is promiscuous by directly saying to her, “A thing for me? It is a common thing” (3.3.311), referring to her as sexually “common” among men. Furthermore, Iago creates a false immoral image of Desdemona to Othello base on simple interpretation concluding Desdemona is adulterous, however, Othello ultimately convinces himself and perceives Desdemona as adulterous. At first, Iago distorts the reality to make Othello think his wife is deceiving him, but Othello is not fully convinced until he starts misinterpreting Desdemona actions, implying he perceives her as adulterous. Othello at first holds that “Desdemona’s honest” (3.3.230), but something as simple as a lost handkerchief makes him see his wife as an adulterous and called

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844 Words | 4 Pages

I will a round unvarnish 'd tale deliver Of my whole course of love; what drugs, what charms, What conjuration and what mighty magic, For such proceeding I am charged withal, I won his daughter. (1.3.79-99) Othello’s actions in this scene show is undeniable love for his wife, he knows that he could be killed or fired for expressing his feelings for Desdemona. Othello also trusts his second in command, Cassio, very much. He admires him very much and thinks of him as a brother. Othello has a close relationship with Iago, as well.

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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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