Othello Character Analysis

Emilia acts similarly when she defies her husband in the final Act of the play. She is of a middle class and serves as a maid and a loyal friend to Desdemona. Her character is somewhat different as she follows her husband, Iago, diligently but speaks disparagingly of men and believes them to be foolish and perverse. This is particularly evident in Act 4 Scene 3 “let husbands know their wives have sense like them: they see, and smell, and have palates both for sweet and sour” and “what is it that they do when they change us for others? Is it sport? I think it is”. She expresses the inequality between men and women living in this time

    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.

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.

In Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, Iago is uncharacteristically honest when he says "I am not what I am". However, he is not the only character whose appearance differs from the reality. Nonetheless, he is possibly the only person who intends this duplicity. Unfortunately everyone is under the impression that Iago is "honest and just". Once alone, Iago reveals "when devils will the blackest sins put on, they do suggest at first with heavenly shows as I do now". Iago is two-faced in his relationships, even in the language he uses. After referring to Othello as a "black ram", he then tells him "my lord, you know I love you". Iago has no shame in appealing to heaven and godly images in

In addition, Emilia proves her underrated intelligence by standing up for what she believes is right. Desdemona, Othello's wife, and Emilia's relationship grows because of her great loyalty towards her. At the end of the play Emilia stands up for Desdemona because Othello kills her. She explains Desdemona's true love for him and would never do anything to hurt him, which proves Desdemona's innocence. Not only does Emilia stand up for Desdemona, but she also voices her opinion to Othello. Emilia shows no fear standing up to Othello to prove to him that his wife has always been faithful. At first Othello finds it implausible but then Emilia says, "Thou art rash as fire, to say that she was false. O, she was heavenly true!" (Shakespeare V: ii, 165-166).Women are looked at in Othello as unintelligent and unfaithful, but Emilia changes that stereotype by standing up to the men. From the start Emilia and Iago's relationship always seemed rocky. Emilia's confidence in herself shows that she is not afraid to stand up to her husband. Emilia realizes the danger she puts herself in when she stands up to Iago. In order to make things right, she does whatever it takes, even if that means ruining their marriage or taking her life.

Bianca will do anything that Baptista says. Bianca wants others to think she is a good person in general. so, she becomes this submissive bimbo and makes people think that she does whatever she is told to make them like her more. Bianca doesn’t want others to know that she isn’t just like everyone else in padua, bianca hides her true identy away from people to make them like her more. Bianca can seem like a good person to some people but underneath all the layers and tricks she has set around her, she is a devilish, self-centered

To begin, Cassio portrays how superior he is to Bianca through his actions and words. Bianca is a prostitute, and is considered to be Cassio’s lover. Bianca is repeatedly degraded not only because of her sexual status, but also because she is a women. Cassio jokes around with Iago telling him that he will never marry her. They converse,

n Shakespeare's play Othello many issues are undertaken and explored. The three women play a vital role in this. Only one of the women in this play survives. All the women have no separate identity within the play; all three are married or associated with a male character. Bianca is the mistress of Cassio, Emilia is married to Iago and Desdemona is married with Othello. According to the time that the play was written in and the general hierarchy within Venetian society men hold all the power and women are considered to be of low intellect. Yet it is the women that speak the most sense throughout the play and it is also the women that are able to trust other characters in the play. Each woman represents a different social level, Desdemona

Iago knows that Cassio considers Bianca to be nothing but a joke because whenever Cassio speaks of her, he laughs. When Iago mentions her name to Cassio, Cassio laughs and calls her "the poor thing" (4.1.105). In fact, Cassio refers to her with this phrase twice, stating the second time that he suspects that she really does love him. Nevertheless, he laughs at the thought of marrying her and considers the very notion to be ludicrous. Cassio regards Bianca with this same blatant disrespect that Iago displays for all women

“Good ancient, you are welcome. Welcome, mistress./ Let it not gall your patience, good Iago/That I extend my manners: 'Tis my breeding/ That gives me this bold show of courtesy” (2.1.98-101). Iago is not a winner in any case; he is not handsome nor authoritative than Cassio does. Instead of being humiliated, Iago act to rehabilitate his own inadequacy by slandering on the female body; he leverages distaste and accuse the duality in Emilia, and female characters in general: “Come on, come on. You are pictures out of doors,/ bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being offended,/ players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds” (2.1.112-115). Iago is essentially implementing an attack on male insecurity, and establish a male bond between him and Cassio. His tactic to expose women’s disorderly nature is transferring male’s social anxiety to sexual anxiety: “Cassio fantasizes that he had the same access to Desdemona that he now has to Iago…in courting Desdemona, Cassio is really courting his general. That this dream indeed figures Cassio’s desire for Othello’s love is suggested too by the male- male eroticism realized in Cassio’s sighing, his passionate kissing of Iago and his laying of his leg on Iago’s thigh” (Matz). Matz’s critic demonstrated that male

In Othello by William Shakespeare, the villainous Iago devises a plot with the hopes that Othello and his wife, Desdemona, will be separated so that he can take Othello’s position as head of the Venetian Military. Iago’s scheme consists of him convincing Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him with his lieutenant, Cassio. Iago has told no one else about his ploy so while everyone else’s actions remain true, he manipulates their every move for his benefit. While their actions may not lead to results that they expected, exploring the reasoning behind everyone’s actions, can give insight to their values since the actions were based on what they believed was the best thing to do. To the characters of Othello, honor is more important than

Undoubtedly a stronger character, Emilia has also accepted her role in society. At the end of the play while revealing Iago's plan she states 'Tis proper I obey him, but not now' (V.2.195). Although she has just betrayed Iago,she still feels the need to explains her reasoning for not obeying him. Bianca is also a victim of the role society has set for women. She feels obligated by the standards of society to be circumstanced or to' put up with'. It was natural for women to be feminine and to obey the men of the society and it was unnatural for them to do anything of the contrary. this concept was widely believed and understood by Shakespeare's audience. Modern feminist disagree and say it is not natural for a woman to be feminine, however the women in Othello are pre-feminism and only seem to compound the ideologies of 'feminism' through their actions and behavior.

When Bianca walks in on Cassio and Iago's conversation, which Othello is spying on, she is holding the handkerchief, which thus causes Othello's ravenous thirst for revenge. Thus, it plays an important part in leading to the tragedy of the Moor and to Desdemona;s death. In Act 5 Emilia revelas that she stole the

Bianca, like Desdemona and Emilia, is seen by men who are above her class and think they can control her. She is known as the prostitute of the play and is also known for having relations with Cassio. In Elizabethan society it is required for a woman to be married in order for society to grant her any sort of power. Bianca works hard to proclaim herself as Cassio's mistress, even though she is not because she treats her “baubles” (4.1.134) as the affection that Cassio grants her is the best gift.

Bianca is Cassio’s mistress and is referred to as a prostitute throughout Othello. The audience starts to feel sympathy for her when Iago and Cassio were being rude to her in Act 5. “O notable strumpet!” (5.1.78). She denies it with “I am no strumpet but of life as honest / As you that thus abuse me (5.1.121). She is in love with Cassio who pays her for sex, buys her gifts and promises to marry her. She believes Cassio loves her, but he only sees her as good for sex. “I marry her! What? A customer? Prithee bear some charity to my wit: do not think it so unwholesome. Ha, ha, ha!”(4.1.118-120). He talks badly about her to others but is always nice to her face. Bianca accepts her role as being subservient to men but seems to hold the most power