In many stories from many different time periods, authors use the plot of women being mistrusted, deceived, and denigrated by men, and them falsely blamed for causing conflicts and even downfalls, in order to make the antagonists behind look more evil, or cruel. It is clearly illustrated in stories such as Othello, Oedipus, Catcher in the Rye, the Japanese Creational Myth, and the Story of Eden. All of them are in different genres, and are from many different time periods and places, but they all take the type of conflicts of either man vs man or man vs nature. Women could often be criminalized by men's deception, or get falsely accused of causing conflicts as a result of men's mistrust and denigration, even though what is …show more content…
This victimization of women makes the antagonists look more evil or cruel for to the readers. In Othello, there were various cases of those deception, mistrust and denigration of women by men, which all were caused by Iago. The most significant case in this story would be the denigration of Desdemona. In order to bring downfall to Othello, Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is being faithless. He uses Emilia, his wife, to steal the handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona, and uses it as an evidence to prove Desdemona's faithlessness to Othello. In the end of the story, Emilia reveals, "O thou dull Moor, that handkerchief thou speak'st of. I found by fortune, and give my husband- For often, with a solemn earnestness (More than indeed belonged to such a trifle), He begged me to steal 't." Emilia was deceived by her husband, Iago. As a result, she became a part of the cause of the death of Desdemona, who she was most royal to, and the downfall of Othello, even though she did not intended to be. This is one clear case of a man deceiving a woman and making her look an evil. When Othello finally reveals the reason of his anger to Desdemona and tells her that he
The role of the patriarchal society and its impact on the oppression of female characters
The oppression of women throughout the centuries can be seen in many literary sources. The system from which women experienced misogyny and oppression is a social structure known as patriarchy. Furthermore, in "A Jury of Her Peers", symbolism conveys the patriarchy of the Nineteenth Century.
Gender inequality will always affect the portrayal of women in society, the weaker, unnecessary, and other sex. It is not just a subject of the past, and still holds a name in society. However in the olden eras, the way women were treated and looked at was in a much harsher condition. In Shakespeare’s Othello and Shelley’s Frankenstein, women’s roles in the books are solely based on the way they are treated in their time period. The portrayal of women in these books demonstrate that they can never be in the same standing as men and therefore will never have the same respect as them. In both Othello and Frankenstein women are treated as property, used to better men’s social standards, and lack a voice, which demonstrates that in
The passivity that society expects women to possess is a major contributing factor in the deaths of females in both stories. Society’s silencing and oppression of the characters makes the audience feel remorse for their actions. Lastly, the authors depict female characters as more human than their male counterparts, challenging the ideal female stereotype. The female characters in Shakespeare’s Othello and Shelley’s Frankenstein reflect how society treats women. It is imperative to use literature as a means of correcting social beliefs as they truly represent society’s perspective. As a result, literature is a significant contributing factor in societal
Reading literature, at first, might seem like simple stories. However, in works like William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily,” Katherine Mansfield's “Miss Brill,” and Kate Chopin's “The Storm,” the female protagonists are examples of how society has oppressive expectations of women simply because of their gender.
Throughout the length of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello there is a steady undercurrent of sexism. It is originating from not one, but rather various male characters in the play, who manifest prejudicial, discriminatory attitudes toward women.
In the play ‘Othello’ written by William Shakespeare, we see not only the main male character leads. But we also see the female characters, Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. These three women were portrayed in ways that showed them being inferior to the other male roles as well as society during the Elizabethan Era. But Shakespeare made each of these individual ladies characteristics quite unique to one another having the traits of a feminist. Even though in the play we read how the male characters did somewhat control them and made them look weak compared to them, there were moments where Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca stood up for themselves.
In William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello, the wife of the protagonist, Desdemona, is the main female character. Secondly, there is the ancient’s wife, Emilia, who is morally ambivalent. Thirdly, there is the girlfriend of Michael Cassio, Bianca, who makes her appearance later in the drama. This essay will analyze the roles of these three women.
Stereotypes are commonly held generalized beliefs that most or all individuals sharing a given trait also should or do share other attributes assumed to be associated with aspects such as race, religion, and physical attribute. While stereotypes can erroneously shape people’s views of others, they can also influence the stereotyped individuals’ behavior as people often attempt to conform to these flawed images, especially in regards to gender stereotypes. Shakespeare’s great play Othello uses its main characters to embody the characteristics of the stereotypical females and males according to society’s liking. The stereotypical woman is loyal and faithful to her husband, while the male stereotype possesses strength, control, and dominance.
Othello, by William Shakespeare is well known for its richness in literary content and elements pertinent to societal ideas. Moreover, women are portrayed in Othello in ways that confirm, but also contradict their treatment in Shakespeare’s time. Both female action and language represent these ideas such as expectations for a wife and expectations for how a woman is to act. That said, there are many other lines spoken by these characters that defy the expectations placed on women at time. Overall, the feminist critical lens allows a reader to understand Othello and the manner in which it is slightly sexist and controversial. This lens allows the reader to observe both discrepancies of how women are treated, and common characteristics found
Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello features sexism as regular fare – initially from Brabantio and Iago, and finally from Othello. Let us in this essay explore the occurrences and severity of sexism in the drama.
Shakespeare’s play Othello is based on tragedy of Othello’s jealousy, which ironically leads Othello to kill Desdemona, his beloved (wife). Evil Iago is above all Shakespeare’s villains. Iago is a person with evil emotions, and as a result he deceives everybody, he also is exceptionally influential character who has taken in everyone, above all his own wife Emilia. His public face of bravery and honesty conceals a satanic delight in manipulation and destruction, and he will stop at nothing. Iago’s opinion on women is that he detests women in all kinds and shapes, and finds faults even when they have little or no faults.
To what extent do you agree that in “Othello” Shakespeare presents women as the tragic victims of men?
Desdemona frequently exhibits her own free will and independence. She holds power over his husband Othello and tries to use it to pardon Cassio
The women in Othello are synonymous with Venetian societal standards. Only three women are characters in Othello: Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca but the roles these women play give the reader an idea of how women were portrayed, not only in Shakespeare's Othello but in society in general.