Essay on Discrimination Against Women in Othello

Othello is a play that asks the reader to take a look at how women are viewed within society. Part of the fear of cuckoldry derives strongly from the play’s cultural influence. In the times of the play it was important for a woman to stay chaste which explains why one of the central issues in the play; adultery gives rise to anxiety on the part of Othello and also the female characters of the play. The Venetian and Cyprus societies has established through social conditioning of the sexual dominance of men. As it is often so in modern day society, men are positioned to be the initiator for an intimate relationship. Women who try to do so are often looked down upon and are reprimanded if they do not meet the ideal that befits a female of those times. An illustration of this particular type of act can be seen in the second setting of the play; the island of Cyprus. The reader will find in the first scene in Cyprus, Iago who most likely has the most hateful attitude towards women says to Desdemona and Emilia ‘You rise to play, and go to bed to work.’(Act 2.2.114). In this scene the reader sees that even royal daughters and wives are looked down upon as material objects and whores. The illustration of victimization of women is strongly depicted through the lack of representation of women. The play carries only three main female characters; Desdemona, Emilia, and Blanca when comparing to the number of male characters.The removal of minor female characters in the play show

The basis of Shakespeare’s plays appears to focus mainly around the dominant male character and his conflicts, which tend to deal with a woman. There are only three women in the play Othello; Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca. The way in which these women behave and present themselves strongly reflects the ideological expectations of women within Shakespeare’s imagined Venetian society as well as the Elizabethan society in which he lived. This patriarchal Venetian society presented in the play depicts women as possessions of men who should remain submissive and meek at all times. The women are expected to unselfishly and unreservedly devote their lives to serve their fathers until they are of age to do so, their husbands. All three women love

In ‘Othello’ Shakespeare portrays the main three female characters as being quite inferior to the other male characters such as Othello himself, Iago and Casto. Because during that time of which Shakespeare was writing these plays in the Elizabethan era. Society was in which religion was as at the very most top and after was men being the second part of the social ladder and later come women and rule justified women's subordination as the natural order because women were thought to be physiologically and psychologically inferior to men women were expected to be silent, chaste, and obedient to their husbands, fathers, brothers. Even education during the Elizabethan era was only for smart men, and not for women, the women were only allowed to work as cleaners and being mothers. Which makes them inferior to the male sex, we see this in

Feminist critical lens examines certain texts with a primary focus on both gender’s relationship with each other and how such relationships demonstrate effects towards beliefs, behaviors, and values. This critical lens also examines a patriarchal-centered society and how such society define and interact with women with an emphasis on stereotypes of both genders that are present and evident in the text being analyzed. William Shakespeare’s Othello can be scrutinized through the feminist critical lens. A deep analysis focused on feminism of the play Othello paves way for the judgement of different societal status of women in the period when the play took place, the Elizabethan society. Othello is a best fit that demonstrates how men were

Shakespeare mocks society’s extreme measures by suggesting death as the sole option for Othello when he fails to understand that Desdemona may not fit female stereotypes. Without the ability to label her, Othello fails to “assert Desdemona’s chastity and corruptibility simultaneously” and “murders Desdemona to redeem her from degradation” (Neely). The characters, like many people, struggle to alter views that have been so firmly pressed into their minds. In this way, Shakespeare negatively comments on humans’ inabilities to see beyond what society tells them and to comprehend truths unique to a specific person rather than his gender roles. Shakespeare uses the characters Desdemona and Othello to display how people become accustomed to the gender identities that society defines for them. Therefore, both characters, as depicted by their deaths, fail to understand each other personally as individuals instead of as the stereotypical man or woman that is being presented.

Othello is set during the Elizabethan era, where men were considered to be the leaders and women their inferiors. Women were often regarded as the ‘weaker sex’. This patriarchal society and theme of male superiority is portrayed throughout the play. These themes are depicted through the relationships between the characters. Brabantio and Desdemona’s relationship shows how he believed the traditional Elizabethan view, that men were to control and dominate their wife’s or daughters. He is furious at Othello for stealing his daughter from him. Also, Othello’s masculinity is destroyed through the poisoning of his mind against Desdemona, his wife. Iago also treats his wife

At the outset of the play Iago persuades the rejected suitor of Desdemona, Roderigo, to accompany him to the home of Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, in the middle of the night. Once there the two awaken the senator with loud shouts about his daughter’s elopement with Othello. This is the initial reference to the role of women in the play – the

In Shakespeare’s Othello, the role of women is greatly emphasized. The important characters of the play, Othello, Iago, and Cassio, each have a women that stands behind him. These women each have an obligation to remain loyal and respect their husband's wishes, especially Desdemona and Emilia.

Emilia is often dubbed as “the feminist of Othello” by a scholars and critics because of her, seemingly, fiery independence among a sea of submissive women (Caitlyn, Act Four: The Feminist of Othello). The characterization of a woman who speaks out for herself suggests that Shakespeare thought progressively as during that time women were mere objects rather than human beings. The plot of Othello revolves around the misgivings of poor communication and lack of trust among the characters. Tragedy ensues, as it does in all of Shakespeare's works, but could it have been prevented? Report after report applaud Shakespeare for developing a true feminist role model, however sometimes a character who has attitude gets mistaken for honorable. This poses the question, does Emilia truly deserve the title as of a feminist?

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

   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.

There is one person in the play able to overcome this divorce of intimacy between the sexes: Cassio. However, his two relationships in the play--his entreatment of Desdemona for help to regain Othello's favor and his lusty, physical intimacy with Bianca--contrast two wildly different views of women. On the one hand is his

   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.

In the book “Gender Trouble” (1990), feminist theorist Judith Butler explains “gender is not only a social construct, but also a kind of performance such as a show we put on, a costume or disguise we wear” (Butler). In other words, gender is a performance, an act, and costumes, not the main aspect of essential identity. By understanding this theory of gender as an act, performance, we can see how gender has greatly impacted the outcome of the play in William Shakespeare’s Othello. From a careful analysis of the story, tragedy in Othello is result of violating expected gender roles, gender performance by Desdemona and Othello, and the result of Iago’s inability to tolerate these violations.

In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello there are numerous instances of obvious sexism aimed at the three women in the drama -- Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca – and aimed at womankind generally. Let us delve into this subject in this paper.