The Deception Of Women In Shakespeare's Othello

     One may readily perceive the theme of Shakespeare’s “Othello” as deception. Deception appears many times in Othello, but in almost every incident the degree of deception is different. Deception is to “deceive another, illusion, or fraud” (Webster’s New World Pocket Dictionary 69), which is seen as a wrongful act. However, deception may be used to protect someone from getting hurt therefore being used with good intentions.

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.

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

William Shakespeare’s Othello reveals the disempowerment of women in the patriarchal society existing in the Elizabethan era. Though the female characters of Othello were subordinate to the men, the women pose a threat to the patriarchal society. This threat of women is that they are a weakness to the men of the play, their beliefs differ from the norm of their society and women are an unknowing source of havoc. Although modern day society is still patriarchal, women have been allowed more rights and authority.

One often has to pay need to the time period in which a novel or play takes place to fully grasp its deeper meaning. William Shakespeare’s Othello is no exception to this. The text is rife with misogyny and general cruelty to women, but this was common in Elizabethan-era literature. Cruelty to women and female characters in Othello does more than demonstrate gender inequality- it also highlights the shallow values of the male perpetrators like Othello, Iago, and Cassio, providing deeper insight into Shakespeare’s work.

Emilia, in the play Othello, is not a typical example of a female character during the time of William Shakespeare. When one contrasts the time of the Renaissance to the modern day, one must determine the context of the times. A forewarning is that Emilia would not be unusual if one assesses her character by contemporary standards; nevertheless, analyzing the time of Shakespeare, an argument can be made about whether or not Emilia is the embodiment of feminist values. To commence this thought, it is important to factor in that under what is considered feminism today, Emilia arguably would not be within that realm; however, a strong argument could be made that she was the prototype for what will be considered feminism in the future. Emilia’s character is important to the play because of how she responds to the other characters. In Othello, females are not viewed in the same light as males, as the men in the play refer to them as whores and witches. Emilia conveys a message of feminism throughout the play by speaking out when she needed to and by being critical of the horrific actions of the men in the play.

In Shakespeare’s plays Macbeth and Hamlet, Shakespeare gives a detailed examination of both Lady Macbeth and Gertrude. He determines if whether or not these particular characters were free from the boundaries of their society, or if they were content with its oppressive grasp. Notably, Lady Macbeth and Gertrude did not overstep the bounds of their gender, but, instead, ended up suppressing them. Their earnestness for equality and power disguised their future into a dreary downfall. Both of them lack remorse, which leads them to a blind future of deceit. Their inability to pull themselves out of their desired dreams has put stress on the other character’s lives. Lady Macbeth and Gertrude both want to obtain success, but

In Shakespeare’s Othello Emilia’s views on gender equality as well as Desdemona’s death at the hands of her husband are used to argue that while women and men should be held at a level equal to one another, the solution for the oppressed lays in the mercy of the hands of the oppressor, there can be no change in a society unless the groups of people who possess power are willing to defend the oppressed. In this case, while the women in Othello may have their own ideas and input on the differences they see between men and women, they are still at the mercy of their husbands, fathers and the rest of a male-dominated society who sees them as sexual objects or property.

The treatment of women in the early modern period is no secret, however the depth to which women were controlled and yet still abused is manifest in the many complex female characters of Othello. Desdemona defies the hierarchy of man through her actions of marrying in secret and disobeying her father, while still maintaining the cultural norm of obeying her husband. This revolt is subtle and overlooked, especially when the very man she ran away with begins to abuse

Women are looked over in Othello but end up being the downfall of their male counterparts; It was Desdemona that was Othello’s greatest weakness and Emilia was Iago’s. This is alluding to Shakespeare being incredibly progressive in a time where women were widely renowned as objects of men. By analyzing and comparing aspects of both Emilia and Desdemona in the William Shakespeare play Othello This is illustrated in Othello by comparing the difference in the opinions between Emilia’s and Desdemona’s on taking and following orders from men, the double standard between men and women when it comes to human impulses and urges, and how hard a fight they will put up against a man. Emilia exhibits the traits of a modern feminist for her time.

Objectified and Mistreated Analysis of Shakespeare’s Treatment of Women in the plays Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Lear, Much Ado about Nothing, and Tempest Women have always played a large role in society. It is arguable that without women, the world could not possibly exist. Well, humans would not exist. This ultimately suggests that women are needed very much.

In William Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece, Othello, which is set in the male dominated late 16th century during the war between Turkey and Venice, women are portrayed as possessions. During this time period there was a strong influence of the Elizabethan ideology where women were meant to obey all men or be subjected to punishment for disobedience. Therefore Shakespeare portrays the three leading women in the play—Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca—as submissive to which their identities are very limited and they are seen as dependant rather than individuals. Their social roles are depicted as wives and daughters rather than strong independent women. Though the women hold an ounce of power over the men is their sexuality, which is considered

All through history, the piece of women has been seriously talked about. Women have expected to fight for the rights they have today, paying little respect to the likelihood that a couple of us may regardless inquiry if women really do have an unclear appropriate from a man. Despite whether it was getting the benefit to vote or despite having the ability to join the workforce, women have earned their place in people in general eye today. There are various streets that you could take to see and grasp the piece of women all through history. William Shakespeare's Othello is one of the histories the interprets women. There are three women in this story. They are Desdemona, Bianca, and Emilia. As the story spreads out the parts of these women are

Set in the late sixteenth century among the wars between the Turks and the Venetians, Shakespeare’s Othello is one of the earliest works in history to explore topics such as interracial marriage and the dangers of jealousy. When compared to the traditions of its time period, many critics will argue that the play portrays modern, radical ideas about gender relations. However, this claim isn’t completely true. Although the strong women in Othello are well ahead of their times, the men of the play remain grounded in the traditional ideas about gender and marriage.

In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello, Emilia is a conflicted character and full of contradiction—On one hand she is represented as a typical woman figure during the 16th century who is expected to obey her husband everything. On the other hand, she is a strong woman who bravely speaks her mind up, and not wholly loyal to her husband as the play moves forward. Emilia is a key character since Shakespeare raises aspect of feminism through her action and words. In addition Emilia’s speech reveals the central issue of marriage commitment in this play.