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Comparing Power In Othello And The Merchant's

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Shakespeare, Chaucer and Barnes present elements of power and control through unexpected power shifts that occur regardless of the protagonists’ representation within society. Power shifts within society can be presented within gender roles as patriarchal societies within Othello and The Merchant’s Tale viewed women to be possessions, submissive and meek to manipulate and mould them into their desired representations of spouses. This, therefore, presents the power that husbands demand over their wives and once this control is lost, feelings of helplessness and obsession irrupt, due to the fear of their reputation. Seemingly this could also be explored through the disturbing and dark tone of Before She Met Me as the reader receives a deep insight into the levels of obsession from which the protagonist suffers after believing that he is receiving ocular proof of his wife’s affairs. …show more content…

Overall, all three writers present power shifts within their work this control is primarily first in the hands of the protagonist but soon, the reader notices a shift where the power ultimately is in the hands of those who are seen as

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