I have to write an essay on the portrayal of women in Othello, and I would like some criticism on it before I turn it in, so if you would please give me some comments it would be appreciated.
How women were portrayed in Othello.
All three woman in the play are vital to the plot, yet at the same time they really don’t think for themselves, instead, letting their husbands( or in Bianca’s case, Cassio) control them. The women are usually the ones that speak the most sense much of the time.
Although Bianca is the least seen out of the three woman, she is one of the key points in the death of Desdemona. She is very jealous and berates Cassio upon finding Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room. Iago knew that Othello was hiding nearby and had a conversation with Cassio about Bianca, but didn’t use Bianca’s name, and instead left Othello under the impression that they were talking about Desdemona. This was one of the deciding factors of Othello becoming convinced that Desdemona was cheating on him.
Emilia was Iago’s wife, and Desdemona’s maid. She stole Desdemona’s handkerchief and gave it to Iago, which he then used to convince Othello of Desdemona’s cheating. She only briefly questions Iago about the handkerchief, showing that she had trust in him for no apparent reason. Even though she was portrayed as fairly intelligent, she did not figure out what Iago was doing until the very end, and when she discovered what Iago was doing, he killed her. It is shown that they did not have a very happy marriage, most likely due to their different personalities. She is very honest, and very loyal to Desdemona. It is interesting that Iago does not show much interest in her unless he needs something, thinking her little more than a prostitute.
Desdemona is portrayed as naïve and meek, even verging on helplessness. She is the key point to Iago’s plotting, as he seemingly twisted everyone’s actions by using her. Throughout the play, she does not seem to have a clue to what is going on around her. Her sympathy towards Cassio caused further deepening of Othello’s jealousy, made worse by the fact that Iago hinted that Cassio might be having an affair with her. She was complete loyal to Othello, even right before he killed her, she assumed that him killing her was just because he was doing it, and although she tried to argue with him, accepted the killing without much struggle. Iago’s plan would not have worked if this was not so, for she not of lied to Othello about losing the handkerchief, which she only did because she did not want to hurt his feelings. This further advances Othello’s believe that she is having an affair, for he assumed she was lying to cover up giving the handkerchief to Cassio.
Even though the women were the most logical thinkers, out of the three, only one managed to live through the entire play. Shakespeare portrayed the women as loyal and trusting, however misplaced that trust may have been. None of the men seemed to give much thought to what the women had to say, no matter how sensical. This may have been a reflection of the beliefs of society at the time Shakespeare wrote the play. Overall, the women in the play were mainly treated as tools, and the men viewed them as prized possesions more than people.
How women were portrayed in Othello.
All three woman in the play are vital to the plot, yet at the same time they really don’t think for themselves, instead, letting their husbands( or in Bianca’s case, Cassio) control them. The women are usually the ones that speak the most sense much of the time.
Although Bianca is the least seen out of the three woman, she is one of the key points in the death of Desdemona. She is very jealous and berates Cassio upon finding Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room. Iago knew that Othello was hiding nearby and had a conversation with Cassio about Bianca, but didn’t use Bianca’s name, and instead left Othello under the impression that they were talking about Desdemona. This was one of the deciding factors of Othello becoming convinced that Desdemona was cheating on him.
Emilia was Iago’s wife, and Desdemona’s maid. She stole Desdemona’s handkerchief and gave it to Iago, which he then used to convince Othello of Desdemona’s cheating. She only briefly questions Iago about the handkerchief, showing that she had trust in him for no apparent reason. Even though she was portrayed as fairly intelligent, she did not figure out what Iago was doing until the very end, and when she discovered what Iago was doing, he killed her. It is shown that they did not have a very happy marriage, most likely due to their different personalities. She is very honest, and very loyal to Desdemona. It is interesting that Iago does not show much interest in her unless he needs something, thinking her little more than a prostitute.
Desdemona is portrayed as naïve and meek, even verging on helplessness. She is the key point to Iago’s plotting, as he seemingly twisted everyone’s actions by using her. Throughout the play, she does not seem to have a clue to what is going on around her. Her sympathy towards Cassio caused further deepening of Othello’s jealousy, made worse by the fact that Iago hinted that Cassio might be having an affair with her. She was complete loyal to Othello, even right before he killed her, she assumed that him killing her was just because he was doing it, and although she tried to argue with him, accepted the killing without much struggle. Iago’s plan would not have worked if this was not so, for she not of lied to Othello about losing the handkerchief, which she only did because she did not want to hurt his feelings. This further advances Othello’s believe that she is having an affair, for he assumed she was lying to cover up giving the handkerchief to Cassio.
Even though the women were the most logical thinkers, out of the three, only one managed to live through the entire play. Shakespeare portrayed the women as loyal and trusting, however misplaced that trust may have been. None of the men seemed to give much thought to what the women had to say, no matter how sensical. This may have been a reflection of the beliefs of society at the time Shakespeare wrote the play. Overall, the women in the play were mainly treated as tools, and the men viewed them as prized possesions more than people.