Sedgwick’s Homosocial Continuum in William Shakespeare’s Othello Where does it end? Where did it begin? On a continuum, it is impossible to distinguish. Eve Sedgwick coined the idea of the “Homosocial continuum.” Her argument involves gender, class, and hierarchical relationships. In William Shakespeare’s, Othello, many character pairings can be analyzed in relation to Sedgwick’s theories. The relationships that most interestingly relate to the homosocial continuum are Desdemona and Emilia, Iago and Roderigo, and Iago and Othello. First, Desdemona and Emilia have a homosocial relationship that is easier to understand by today’s standards based on Sedgwick’s assertions. Sedgwick states, “The apparent simplicity...of the continuum, [for women], would not be so striking if it were not in strong contrast to the arrangement among males” (506). Emilia and Desdemona’s relationship, while certainly blurring the lines at points, would not be questioned even today based on Sedgwick’s claim that women are so much more free to move along the homosocial continuum. It is typical for women to care for one another and desire one another’s company, including physical touch and intimate dialogue. At Desdemona’s death bed, Emilia arrives to discover the situation and cries out,
Emilia. Out, and alas! that was my lady’s voice. Help, help, ho! help. O lady, speak again! Sweet Desdemona! O sweet mistress speak! (Act V, Scene III, Line 119) In this moment it is clear that Emilia
Human as the main body stream of the society, their spiritual world is extremely complex and rich, these varieties of human nature shape us unique and distinct from each other. Real human nature has both human creativity and limitations, the imperfections in a person’s characteristics sometimes will perform negatively but in some cases, it won’t harm the whole character’s image. The Shakespearean play Othello reflects the profound social contradictions of the Renaissance, and William Shakespeare develops the idea of one’s ruling passion would falsely leading to the tragic path and creating misunderstandings between loved ones which will act as a double-edged sword that not only harms other but later on will harm oneself. This idea is showing through three main characters of the play, Othello, Iago, and Desdemona; Othello’s ruling passion leading to his jealousy which blinds his logic and gentle nature, Iago’s cruelty in order accomplishes his intelligence which gives him a weapon of language to manipulate people with his ruling passion, Desdemona and her sweet kindness motivates her ruling passion for helping Cassio without noticing her husband's transformation which later caused her own death.
Fear of cuckoldry is widely known theme in medieval and Renaissance English literature. Fear of cuckoldry was also a widespread fear in English society during those eras. Men often treated their wives as possessions. Once men and women married, divorce was almost impossible, especially since it was almost impossible to prove that one had been cuckolded. If one were cuckolded and one’s wife had another man’s child, one might spend decades taking care of that child and passing on one’s money and belongings to that child without ever knowing that one had been deceived. Unmarried women are seen as their fathers ' property and the play 's two marriages are marked by jealousy and cruelty. Most
In Othello every character has their own personalities that makes them the person they are. In Othello there are characters that show true grit, a fixed mindset, and a growth mindset. Each characters are different which makes the book even more interesting. True grit means to endure and push through to do something better no matter what it takes. An example of grit is studying for a long period of time for a test and enduring the amount of work that must be completed. The definition of mindset is the established set of attitude held by someone. There are two other types of mindset as well. There is growth mindset and fixed mindset. Growth mindset is when the person isn 't
Othello, a play that was written in 1604 by William Shakespeare, is an example of a type of story called a “tragedy.” Throughout the course of the work, Othello proves himself to be very easily misled, despite his heroic status. This causes him to lose his ability to make good judgments and decisions. Even though Othello had a reputation as a hero, he ends up being one of the most gullible characters in the play when he completely falls into the evil trap that Iago set for him. As the story unfolds Othello’s character evolves in an extremely tragic way as Iago manipulates him and leaves him to rot in his misery. Eventually, this leads to Othello’s suicide.
Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’, set in early Venice, focuses on the key relationship between titular character Othello and his wife Desdemona, to comment on the human condition through the text. The relationship between the married couple allows us to understand Shakespeare’s commentary on human nature, particularly how humans are inherently selfish, prone to falling victim to jealousy, and are made both stronger and weaker by their emotions.
From the very beginning of the drama anyone can see the love Emilia has for Desdemona. Emilia is always there whenever Desdemona needed her the most. Emilia has shown her loyalty towards not only to Desdemona but to Othello as well. Desdemona and Emilia get closer when Desdemona starts to have issues with Othello. Emilia is always there to listen and to give advice to young Desdemona whenever she needs it the most. All though, Emilia does one act of dishonesty towards Desdemona by taking her handkerchief which Othello gave to her. Emilia does try to regain her loyalty by revealing her husband’s intentions towards Othello and everyone else. Once she did it was too late, Othello already had killed Desdemona for falsely accusing her of being a “whore.” Even though, Emilia finally cleaned her best friend’s name it was too late to bring Desdemona back to life. As any best friend would do she sacrificed her own life for Desdemona. Her husband, Lago, kills her by stabbing her in the back for revealing his true intentions. Emilia can finally rest in peace knowing that she cleaned her best friend’s name and that they will be together in the afterlife.
When pairs of texts are considered together, their universal themes and ideas lead to greater understanding, appreciation and insight of both the old and the new. The texts Othello, William Shakespeare (1600) and Othello, Geoffrey Sax (2001), ring true for this statement. Despite the differing contexts and ages, the universal themes of racism and betrayal bring new meaning to each of the texts. The primary meaning from the juxtaposition of the two is that of the human condition, and how the problems faced in the 17th century are faced in modern times.
Shakespeare is known for his use of recurring themes throughout his work, including love, death and betrayal. These themes are present in his work of Othello. However, the most fundamental issue is jealousy. The lives of the characthers in Othello are ruined by jealousy from the beginning to the end of the play. The telling of the story is carried out by passion, jealousy, and death. Shakespeare’s Othello reveals devastating tragic inevitability, stunning psychological depth, and compelling poetic depth; the fragility and mysterious power of love, as well as demons of doubt, and how suspicion can be triggered by manipulative villain (Barthelemy 12).
All humans are united in their imperfection. Everyone is inevitably flawed; this is human nature. How one rectifies their mistakes truly shapes who they are. Shakespeare’s Othello exemplifies the imperfection of human nature, focusing on what happens when each character’s fatal flaw takes control over their decisions, and eventually distorts their individual perspectives. Their actions consequently erupt in chaos by the end of the play. This play ultimately serves as a reminder of human nature. Though infinitely diverse and complex, humans are creatures of habit who ultimately share the same villainous tendencies. The evil in the world will always prevail through the manipulation of one’s imperfections, leading to the downfall of the
Literary works that explore core human experiences are able to retain their textual integrity through a range of contexts, despite the dynamic nature of prevalent social constructs and moral viewpoints. Playwright William Shakespeare whose works were originally composed during the Elizabethan era encompasses this idea, but they have been appropriated through different mediums, as the exploration of universal concepts is still relevant to contemporary responders. This is particularly evident in Shakespeare’s “Othello” (1603).
Women in the sixteenth century were commonly dominated by a patriarchal society. Meaning their loyalty and respect lay amongst the men in their lives with little choice for opposition. In Othello by William Shakespeare, he portrays the role of women in a way typical to their representation in Elizabethan and Venetian society. While the women may be presented as mentally stronger than their male counterparts, the language given to these female characters suggest that they have internalized society 's expectation of them. Apart from moments of private conversation and Emilia 's reaction to Desdemona 's death, the women behave in a submission that is expected of them, believing it to be the natural way, as the men continue to downgrade and treat them as secondary citizens. Shakespeare represents this status of women through the traditional views of the male characters, moments of submission from the females, and how the women internalize this society.
In the play, Othello, there are many different representations of characters and archetypes. The women of the play are seen as symbolic representations of how the men in Shakespeare’s generation saw women. The women of the play are all individual characters with different personalities. They are seen as objects but stray from the average mold. Shakespeare converts these women into the play with roles that represent the strong stereotypes of women and how they are not what the rumors portray them as.
Critics have debated the significance of Othello’s race in terms of portraying his identity for a long time. The negative connotations of “blackness” have led to the creation of many racial constructs associated with the “Moor”; this denigration has infused the opinions of many critics, such as Albert Gerard, proposing that Othello’s “negroid physiognomy” reaches down to the “deepest levels of personality” and that he is a “barbarian”. However, many other critics like Edward Berry and Martin Orkin believe that colour is merely a “surface indicator” compared to the outward virtue of beneficence, defining identity. Beneficence could be defined by the will to practice good acts, in conjunction with the aversion of practicing evil, and the prevention and removal of evil.
She professes her opinion that if the wife falls, it is her husband's fault (4.3.89) and asserts her belief that women have "some revenge" (4.3.96-97). Emilia provides the feminist voice of Othello, asserting her independence from her husband and even admitting that she would commit adultery if the price were right. Her attitude towards men is somewhat cynical, as she says "They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; They eat us hungerly, and when they are full They belch us" (3.4.106-108).
There are only three female characters in William Shakespeare's play Othello, Desdemona, Othello’s wife, Emilia, Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s lady-in-waiting, and Bianca, a courtesan. When first introduced to this limited number of representatives of the female gender, it is quickly assumed that they will not be very present or have an important role in story. In addition, the male characters of the play see women as submissive and promiscuous possessions that should be controlled by either their fathers or spouses. However Shakespeare’s female characters are shown to question male authority and to have the ability to speak for themselves, which could be seen as feminist statement during the Elizabethan time that Shakespeare lived in.