Custom Written Term Papers: The Role of Women in Othello

The Role of Women in Othello At the beginning of Othello two men stand and discuss the fate of a woman. One contested for her and lost and the opposite willingly admits to her beauty, charm and worth. Both men wish to bring down the man who has won her, Desdemona, and slander her name nonetheless. This man, their rival and superior is none opposite than Othello. Othello has managed to obtain something they could not Desdemona. Throughout the play Desdemona is rargonly viewed as a human being, she is merely a prize, and from the very beginning Desdemona is an object of lust. Emilia and Bianca atomic number 18 also mistreated in this way. The three women in the play Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca contrast in class. Desdemona is born from a high-class Venetian family, Emilia is from a servant class and Bianca is a prostitute or whore, a word that Desdemona refuses to use. Despite this they are all abused by men and are objects of mens sexuality, and they all suffer under the cruel hand s of those whom they love. Each one is shown in relation to a particular man, (Othello, Iago and Cassio) and is contrasted with the other women, which reveal how the conventional version of womanhood impacts their lives, (in Desdemona and Emilias case, their deaths). The three womens eventual destinies are interlinked with the plays central symbol the handkerchief. Women are major characters in Shakespeares plays. In Othello women are ... ...e Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB University of Nebraska Press, 1993. Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare Othello. New York Penguin Books, 1968. Neely, Carol. Women and Men in Othello Critical Essays on Shakespeares Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 68-90) Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http//www.eiu.edu/multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Wayne, Valerie. Historical residues Misogyny and Othel lo. The Matter of Difference Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed Valerie Wayne. Ithaca, NY Cornell University Press, 1991.