ipl-logo

Theme Of Women In Othello

1000 Words4 Pages

Over 400 years ago, Shakespeare was able to recognize the hardships women faced and allocated roles to exhibit them in a negative light. The sixteenth century tragedy, Othello, written by William Shakespeare, dwells a love story adulterated by multiple abhorrent lies. The main characters consist of: Othello, the tragic hero and main protagonist. He is the general of the Venetian army, and a moor. Next, Othello’s secret wife, Desdemona, a naive white Venetian noblewoman. Othello’s flag bearer in the war, Iago, is the main antagonist in the play. Iago’s wife, Emilia is witty and intelligent, she also is Desdemona’s attendant in Cyprus. Othello’s young lieutenant, Cassio has a close friendship with Desdemona. Next, Bianca, a prostitute who is fond of Cassio. Brabantio, Desdemona’s father and a Venetian senator. Lastly, Iago’s sidekick Roderigo. Roderigo, Othello’s enemy, who is in love with Desdemona, and is willing to do anything to get her hand in marriage. In addition, the conflicts are the secret marriage and Iago’s devious lies. Furthermore, Shakespeare utilizes only three women in the play; Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. These women contrast in terms of class, values, motivations, and freedoms. However, these women also share extremely similar qualities that Shakespeare uses to reveal his views on women and marriage. Indeed, the motif of the handkerchief reveals a woman’s fidelity. Because Shakespeare only uses three women in the play, it is certain that each women

Show More
Related

  • Women In Othello And Chaucer's Wife Of Bath

    975 Words  | 4 Pages

    The women in Othello and Chaucer's Wife of Bath differ, but in the end both want their husbands to love them. In Othello there are only three women displayed in the story, but the statements that were said about these three women were the belief that all women in that society were all the same- evil, whores who were temptress to the men. The three women; Desdemona, the wife of Othello, Emilia, the wife of Iago, and Bianca, perceived as a prostitute who is a “customer” (l. 138. 4.1) of Cassio. Iago is one of the main characters who degrades and slanders all women including his wife Emilia.

    Read More

  • Essay On Women In Othello And A Streetcar Named Desire

    1737 Words  | 7 Pages

    Although being written centuries apart, the limited expectations of women presented in ‘Othello’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ differ little from each other. The female characters are confined by society’s expectations of male dominance, female purity and virginity, and the many passive roles of women. Despite the differing legalities surrounding the position of women between the centuries in which the plays were written, both plays explore the impact of how societal conventions confine women and the ways they must comply to be safe in a patriarchal society. The behaviours and treatments of Desdemona, Blanche and Stella illustrate the attitudes enforced on and the behaviours of women throughout both periods in time and it is these attitudes and behaviours that impact the plays to the greatest extent. When characters in either plays defy their norms, or demonstrate a lack of compliance they induce negative consequences, such as the murder of Desdemona and the institutionalisation of Blanche.

    Read More

  • True Friendship In Othello

    876 Words  | 4 Pages

    The most influential, important, and critical relationship amongst humanity is a trusting and attentive friend. A friend is anyone who is supportive of one 's best and compassionate at one 's worst. A friend is an absolutely essential connection to maintain throughout a lifetime. According to the Huffington Post, lack of friendship has been associated with higher chances of a premature death than obesity. Consequently, friendships are required not only for mental health but for longevity.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Lies In Othello

    502 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iago is the antagonist in Othello who lies and manipulates every character within the play creating conflicts that ultimately leads to the death of each of them. Iago makes the main character Othello go through a jealous rage that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with his most trusted right-hand man, Cassio; because of Iago's lie, Desdemona is killed by Othello, the lie, however, was not a total lie. Iago tells Othello

    Read More

  • Feminist Criticism In Othello

    1360 Words  | 6 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • How Othello's Character Changes

    844 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nadia In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, the title character is a valiant hero who is in love with his beautiful bride, Desdemona. The play’s villain, Iago, destroys this love by feeding Othello vicious lies about Desdemona, causing Othello to slowly go mad. By the end of the play, Othello, in a fit of jealous rage, murders his wife. This significant change in Othello’s character is not sudden; rather, it is a gradual transformation that takes place after a series of events that occur throughout the play.

    Read More

  • Overt Racism In Othello

    1097 Words  | 5 Pages

    He expresses his jealousy for Cassio when he says that Othello “already chose [his] officer” who he calls “One Michael Cassio, a Florentine” who “never set a squadron in the field.” Iago believes he should have gotten the promotion because he had more military experience and training. After he gets Cassio drunk and dismissed from service, he devises a plan to manipulate Othello into believing he is cheating with Desdemona in order that Cassio never gets his position again or even killed. Iago also hears a rumor that Othello slept with his

    Read More

  • Example Of Mistrust In Othello

    773 Words  | 4 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s Othello the two main characters are Iago and Othello. The entire story centers around Iago 's plan to achieve revenge on Othello for not promoting him to lieutenant. Throughout the story Iago tries to convince Othello that his wife Desdemona has cheated on him with his lieutenant Cassio. Iago’s plan is successfully and easily executed. Othello is tricked into believing that desdemona has been unfaithful and in the end he kills her.

    Read More

  • Reoccurring Themes Of Jealousy In Shakespeare's Othello

    1581 Words  | 7 Pages

    Iago’s jealousy and rage of not being chosen for lieutenant is leading him to create a plan for revenge on Othello and the others. Iago is immediately portrayed as an antagonist because when he finds out that Roderigo is upset about Desdemona marrying Othello he uses that vulnerability. He then uses Roderigo to play a role in Othello’s downfall. Omer explains that “In his pain Roderigo cannot but take in avidly Iago’s loving reassurances. Anguish makes one ready to believe” (Omer,99).

    Read More

  • Theme Of Manipulation In Othello

    944 Words  | 4 Pages

    Using the character of Roderigo, Iago manipulates him into doing everything he wants. At the beginning of the tragedy, Iago and Roderigo are talking poorly about Othello. Roderigo, who is in love with Desdemona, is upset due to hearing that Othello and Desdemona have recently married. Iago, who just found out Othello did not give him

    Read More

  • Female Sexuality In Othello

    966 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Jealousy In Othello Essay

    514 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello by Shakespeare conveys the intricacies of human nature as well as the wrath of jealousy. The depiction of jealousy in Othello has two forms; jealousy that stems from fear of loss, and jealousy that stems from envy. In the play, the first sign of envy is through Iago, a soldier, and later Lieutenant of Othello, and Roderigo, A wealthy venetian nobleman who is in love with Desdemona, and would do anything to be with her. As the book goes on Iago becomes a master manipulator, filling people with envy, especially the character of Othello, A middle eastern man who rose in status and became governor of Cyprus, wed to Desdemona, a white noblewoman, and the man who ultimately kills his wife. Othello goes through all feelings of jealousy and betrayal later in the book.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Othello

    1010 Words  | 5 Pages

    For Shakespeare’s plays to contain enduring ideas, it must illustrate concepts that still remain relevant today, in modern society. Shakespeare utilises his tragic play Othello, to make an important social commentary on the common gender stereotypes. During early modern England, Shakespeare had to comply to the strict social expectations where women were viewed as tools, platonic and mellow, and where men were displayed as masculine, powerful, tempered, violent and manipulative. As distinct as this context is to the 21st century, the play exposes how women were victimised by the men who hold primary power in the community in which they compelled women to conform to the ideal world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation.

    Read More

  • Iago And Richard III Analysis

    1826 Words  | 8 Pages

    Kolin observes that Iago stands out among Shakespearean villains since he is the only one to survive his own monstrous acts (25). Unlike Richard III, apart from telling stories, Iago carries out a downright fraud through other means of manipulation, which makes him the most evil and intelligent character. To be exact, Iago is a puppeteer who sets up scenes to deceive the “credulous fools”—Othello, Cassio and Desdemona (4.1.45). Iago talks to Cassio about Bianca while telling Othello that the subject of their conversation is the Moor’s wife. He is so smart and careful that he even gestures Othello to come closer when Cassio is about to illustrate how Bianca entangles him.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Jealousy In Othello

    621 Words  | 3 Pages

    Also, each relationship in Othello provokes jealousy in one partner. In a typical Venetian society, a woman was considered to be a man’s property, so if a woman was disobedient, it negatively impacted the man, while also questioning his masculinity. The hyperbolic soliloquy as Othello expressed he would “rather be a toad” than “keep a corner of the thing I love” is Othello’s justification of killing his wife, as her untrustworthiness challenged his masculinity and reputation. Referring to Desdemona as a “thing” emphasises the idea of women being property. Iago’s jealousy of Desdemona and Othello’s relationship is emphasised through the degrading comment of Othello, “an old black ram” “tupping” Brabantio’s “white ewe”.

    Read More

More about Theme Of Women In Othello

Open Document