feminism in othello

Feminist Role of Emilia Othello is often argued to be one of William Shakespeare’s most heart wrenching tragedies. A feminist reading of Othello centralises on analysing the female characters within the play – more specifically, Desdemona and Emilia. In Shakespeare’s time, men had particular views on women and Shakespeare shows … A strong current of misogyny flows through Othello, and many of the play’s tragic events emerge from this source. Your research paper is written by certified writers; Your requirements and targets are always met; You are able to control the progress of your writing assignment; You get a chance to become an excellent student! A feminist analysis of the play Othello allows us to judge the different social values and status of women in the Elizabethan society. Set in the later part of the sixteenth century Shakespeare explores symbolism, allegory, and imagery throughout this play. Othello serves as an example to demonstrate the expectations of the Elizabethan patriarchal society, the practice of privileges in patriarchal marriages, and the suppression and restriction of femininity. Emilia also shows courage and self-assurance in chastising Othello for doubting his wife’s virtue, scolding him “If you think other / Remove your thought” (4.2.). Considered one of Shakespeare’s masterworks, Othello takes on a variety of themes, but like many of Shakespeare’s plays, the portrayal of strong and complex female characters lend a feminist undertone to the story. Throughout Othello, Shakespeare tries to allude to the idea of existing feminism when in reality women’s rights and just treatment are completely withheld in Othello’s society. Feminist readings of the play explore the gender politics of Othello. Othello was crafted at the dawn of the 17th century, shaped by complex social and geopolitical issues that new historicist critics, who seek to place literary works within a historical framework, have recently sought to unravel. When Cassio shows courtesy to Emilia, Iago quickly adds his own criticisms to her character and shortly after begins his tirade: “Come on, come on. An analysis of women being victims in Othello: Othello is a play written by William Shakespeare in the 1600s, this essay is from a feminist perspective. Othello-Reflects on Jacobean beliefs that should a woman cheat or defy husband, masculinity is destroyed, Othello enraged at this slight. Thanks to the women's rights movement, females today enjoy rights and freedoms that are unprecedented in the history of Western civilization. A feminist analysis of the play Othello allows us to judge the different social values and status of women in the Elizabethan society. [A4S1] ‘Oh my fair warrior’ Feminism in Othello, an essay fiction | FictionPress The women of Shakespeare's Othello continuously end up falling into various roles; the part of the fraud, the part of the victim, and the part of the hero. Iago in particular serves as a mouthpiece for misogyny, frequently making offensive comments about women both in private asides and soliloquies and in public conversations. There are only three female characters in Othello, but each plays a critical role in the downfall of the tragic hero. A Feminist Perspective of Othello Throughout the length of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello there is a steady undercurrent of sexism. Here Iago tells Othello that the women in Venice are deceptive and they hide loose behaviour from their husbands. (This is a project for school) This video explains gender equality seen in the play othello. Othello is a play in which these unequal positions are clearly portrayed. There are several different forms of feminism represented in Othello, Desdemona is presented in Act 1 Scene 3 as a woman bound to her father and loyal to her husband (as men believe women should be). Though Desdemona and Emilia, the two main female figures in Othello, have horrific deaths, they advance the feminist cause by denying the female stereotypes set by their male counterparts. Photo by Carol Pratt. Desdemona, despite her intelligence and strength, is fierce in her loyalty to Othello. Othello serves as an example to demonstrate the expectations of the Elizabethan patriarchal society, the practice of privileges in patriarchal marriages, and the suppression and restriction of femininity. The feminist perspective challenges sexism and other beliefs and practices that result in the domination of women. When she realizes Othello has killed Desdemona, Emilia immediately lashes out at him, stating “Thou dost belie her and thou art a devil” (5.2. Feminist approaches to Othello usually focus on the character Desdemona who describes her own role as follows: DESDEMONA: "My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty: Perhaps it could be said that Bianca is also presented according to a man’s interpretation as she is a whore and is treated accordingly by Cassio. This dissertation provides a critical discussion of the issues of race in such William Shakespeare’s plays as The Tempest, Titus Andronicus and Othello. In this play there are only three women in the entire play. The way women behave and conduct themselves in Othello is linked to the abstract expectations of Shakespeare’s Elizabethan society and the patriarchal society that he creates by the lack of representation that is given to women in the story, the portrayal of female suffering and sexual possession. 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