Theme Of Masculinity In Othello

1553 Words7 Pages

What is it that men work toward in life? Is it the most lucrative career, the nicest house, the most beautiful wife? All those possibilities represent achievement and aptitude. In other words, you 're not a man until you have a particular status or possession that proves it. Furthermore, that motivation persists as a powerful character aspect in fiction. Besides, with any story, you invest in someone based on their goals. And seeing the action progress as they work toward them is what engages you. But we can 't deny that a male-perspective dominates our understanding of that progression. And it 's the reason we see more men as main characters in fiction than women. The broad set of capabilities and values that add dimensions to a character …show more content…

When you look at the plot, each event is a response to Iago 's provocation. But a lack of self-control underlies the actions of Othello and Cassio. And the irony comes from how they both have high standings as authority figures. So it would be reasonable to assume that no one could penetrate their pride or morality. Nonetheless, Iago does so by getting Cassio into a fight and making Othello jealous. And those responses represent male insecurity at its finest. Even with their social power and prominence, a threat to their manhood is still enough to damage them. And many people see that fragile layer of masculinity in Donald Trump. Not only did this man make a blatant reference to the size of his penis during the Republican primaries. That comment brings up another pressure guys face: peak sexual performance. But he also doesn 't shy away from lashing out against personal attacks. These defenses include members of the press whom he labels as perpetrators of "fake news." Hence, he shows an incapability of owning up to his actions or mistakes. But he even called out Melissa McCarthy 's portrayal of his spokesman, Sean Spicer. And let 's not forget how he emasculated Ted Cruz during the presidential race by calling him a pussy. That low level of male humiliation is like a mirror image of Iago. But here 's my greater point. Trump is like any other insecure man with how he looks at other people or circumstances he can blame. Most of the time he 'll …show more content…

So Othello explores the element of male bravado in the vicinity of other men. Meanwhile, Measure for Measure comments on the dangers of objectifying women. Now, this play is another exception to the rule that female characters can 't be prominent. For it involves a soon-to-be nun convent, Isabella, and if she should forgo her virginity. This central conflict starts when the Duke of Vienna steps down. Thus, he appoints Angelo to be the new leader. And his first act as new leader is to outlaw sexual activity. Now, he does so under a law that the Duke hadn 't enforced in almost two decades. So the first perpetrator is Claudio, who impregnated his lover, Juliet. Now, this storyline is a gender reversal of the "damsel in distress" plot device. Since Claudio is Isabella 's brother, the next part of the story is her appealing on his behalf. And yet, we don 't encounter many