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Othello, By William Shakespeare

Decent Essays
Both Desdemona and Daisy are repetitively referred to as objects by the male characters in the texts. From the offset Desdemona is continually objectified by the male characters. Both Rodrigo and Iago refer to her as belonging to Brabantio (her father) where she is aligned with his ‘bags’, Brabantio states that; ‘she is abused, stolen from me and corrupted’ (1.3.61). This highlights his patriarchal dominance, it seems that he is more concerned about his reputation, rather than his daughter. This would have been accurate and expected of a woman, as they were seen as the property of their fathers and husbands. Shakespeare structurally objectifies Desdemona through the symbolism of the handkerchief. The handkerchief in Othello and…show more content…
Although the ‘green light’ can be interpreted as a symbol of hope, it is further underlined with the same sense of doom as the ‘dark waters’ as it highlights the loss and tragedy of Gatsby. McMechan suggests that the ‘Hollowness of Daisy’s soul creates a vacuum into which Gatsby gets sucked into.’ Through the constant objectification, such as with the ‘greenlight’, Daisy is presented as a somewhat vacuous character as she is incapable of feeling desire due to her position in society. Daisy gave up her chance of love for wealth and status by marrying Tom; “she vanished into her rich house, full life, leaving Gatsby” (8.142). The use of listing emphasises Daisy’s shallowness and vacancy in a world which she has always been sheltered by wealth and prosperity. The use of symbolism results in Daisy’s character becoming unrealistic and ‘hollow’ diminishing the reader’s sympathy for her.

Both Desdemona and Daisy’s voices are used as lyrical, compelling symbols. Just before her death, in act 4, Desdemona begins to sing: ‘a poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore’ [...] ‘singing willow, willow, willow’ (4.3.39-44). The fact that Desdemona is singing a ballad right before her death emphasises the love and affection she has for Othello. However, this love is contrasted with the symbol of the ‘willow’, highlighting feelings of
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