is an affair, Susie explains and hints throughout the novel as to why Len has the affair “If the case was still open – in his mind it was blank. There was nothing on the back of mine, there was nothing on the back of his wives.” Unlike Mrs Danvers and Iago, the reader can relate and sympathise with Lens situation as seen in the quote with the repetition of “Nothing” connoting a need for true love, making less of a Iago, Mrs Danvers antagonist and more of simply an obstacle with gets in the way of a relationship. One similarity however between Len and Mrs Danvers is that they have both lost the one that they loved, nonetheless in an attempt to cope with this they react in vastly different ways, though both destructive and emotionally scaring.
Another hindrance of true love as seen in The Lovely Bones, Othello and Rebecca is adultery. Third party characters are seen launching the plot and the act of adultery is seen driving the plot into motion leading to the story’s climax.
As we see in Othello, the women of Venice are portrayed in this era as sexually driven and untrustworthy. For example William Davis (1614) describes them as “Lude and wicked” It is this contextual knowledge that is the reason for the quick mistrust of Desdemona, unlike in Rebecca for example when the consensus at the time was one of a pure and perfect woman especially in Pre-war England and the Angel in the house concept at its near conclusion but still in force. The mention of adultery and seeds of
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
In the Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, Desdemona proves herself to be a well-spoken, intelligent and loyal woman. In the introduction, Desdemona proves much wit with her choice of words and explanations of her love for “the Moore.” In Act 1 Scene 3 lines 187-88 Desdemona makes her case in favor of her loyal marriage to Othello; “So much I challenge that I may profess/ Due to the Moor my lord,” (1.3.187-88). Women of this era were typically given away by their fathers, but it is seen in Othello that Desdemona created her own path and marries the Moor against her father’s wishes. In fact, Brabanzio states that Othello is a “foul thief” who has “enchanted her [Desdemona],” (1.1.63-4). This beginning deception leads to the demise of Desdemona by the end of the play. She proves to be loyal to Othello allowing his destructive path and personality shape her fate into what now
The society in which Othello takes place is a patriarchal one, where men had complete control over women. They were seen as possessions rather than being just as equally human and capable of duties performed by men. All women of the Elizabethan were to obey all men, fathers, brothers, husbands, etc. Which leads me to the most reliable and trustworthy character of Desdemona, whom goes through many trials just to satisfy her love. Shakespeare brings the thought of Desdemona into the play by Barbantio, her father, “It is too true an evil. Gone she is.\...Oh, she deceives me\ Past thought! …” (1.1.163)(1.1.168-169), whom has just found she has taken off with Othello and firstly suspects they have been hitched. Shakespeare gives reader the
“Othello” begins in middle of an argument between Roderigo and Iago. Desdemona and Othello’s wedding is the main topic of their argument. Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who is treated as a possession of her father, Brabantio, but by marrying an outsider Othello, she goes against the tradition of venetian custom which she is expected to marry a rich man to maintain her family’s honour. Iago reports Brabantio that his daughter is being stolen by Othello. “Awake! What ho, Brabantio! Thieves, thieves!” (1.1. 76). This quote depicts how unmarried women were treated back in 16’s century. However, while everyone in the play thinks that Othello has stolen Desdemona to marry him, Desdemona speaks herself to prove that she truly loves Othello. “That I love the Moor to love with him” (1.3. 246). Also, she even asks for her permission to go to Cyprus with Othello because she can’t stand the thought of remaining at home, which doesn’t have any adventure. There is a comparison between her social class and her
In Shakespeare’s Othello, the nominal character, an honorable Venetian general, is driven to madness through the deceptions of his honest right hand Iago. Iago plots to ruin Othello and through his deception, he drives Othello’s insecurities by implanting the idea of infidelity of his beloved wife Desdemona. Othello goes on to murder his wife, and after he discovers Iago’s plot, he kills himself. In a time when women were looked down upon, Shakespeare crafted a drama in which women took part in major roles. Modeled by Elizabethan England the women in Othello were portrayed in a light justified by society as in Othello, these women were nothing more to than objectified possessions, forced to submit to the ever dying will of their husbands. This is displayed by Desdemona and Emilia’s and relationships with their husbands.
Love is complicated due to the fact that there is a difference of opinion and perception and it is complicated because people see stuff in different ways and interpret things differently as well. In the 3 texts dissatisfaction or complication is shown. Firstly in Othello love is presented as ephemeral and transient while atonement love is presented as unrequited and finally in cat on a hot tin roof love is presented as painful and troublesome due to unreciprocated feelings.
Firstly, the patriarchal representation of women and sexuality throughout “Othello” effectively demonstrates the movement of cultural values through historical contexts. Desdemona and Emilia are character foils of weak and strong, and Desdemona is often subject to objectification. Desdemona’s husband, Othello, stated, “I won his [Brabantio’s] daughter” (1.2.94), which metaphorically objectifies Desdemona as an object to be “won”. Bianca, a Venetian mistress, is also degraded through her speech. She is often regarded as a “whore”, with no consequence for the men who say it. For the entire play, Bianca speaks in prose whereby there is an absence of iambic pentameter, separating her from the nobility who speak in verse. Bianca and Desdemona effectively reflect female isolation and dismissal within society simply because of their gender, thus emphasising the state of women in 16th century society.
In Othello, Act IV, scene ii and iii, Emilia, Iago’s wife, reveals her opinion about relationships to the reader as she attempts to comfort Desdemona. She indefinitely believes that many men, as well as women, are frequently guilty of deception and betrayal of their partner. By this part of the play, Othello’s suspicions of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness have greatly increased, and he begins to accuse her of cheating on him. When Desdemona persistently denies his accusations, Othello becomes enraged. He sarcastically asks for her pardon and claims that he took her to be the “cunning whore of Venice” (Act IV, scene ii, line 88). Desdemona is heartbroken by her
Desdemona was the daughter of a senator, a well regarded, upper class man. Othello was a General in the Venetian Military, and while that was a highly classed job, it was considered below Desdemona’s class. In the late sixteenth century, the man was generally from a higher class then the woman, hence why Desdemona and Othello’s relationship was objected to. Social position was an influence in Othello’s belief of Desdemona’s betrayal, as he thought that he wasn’t good enough for her.
Desdemona is shown as the most pure and proper of the women in Othello and is put into the center of all the drama. The men of the play manipulate her image of a naive lover to being a “ ...strumpet!” (V.ii.94). Desdemona is oblivious to what is going on around her and stays loyal to her morals but Iago’s rumours lure Othello to thinking otherwise. Desdemona’s true morals is her absolute devotion to her husband. She stayed loyal to her lover throughout the entire play and in the end it did her no good. “Nobody; I myself. Farewell! Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell!” Desdemona on her deathbed, still defends her Lord’s actions. She does not fight back nor call for help, Desdemona begs for her life asking to “Kill me (Desdemona) tomorrow; let me live tonight!” (V.ii.97). She is not as strong-willed like the other ladies and is Shakespeare’s example of the archetype of the innocence and has the bases of a flat character. After the
Brabantio showed a bellicose determination saying to Othello that if Desdemona deceived him her own father, then she would surely do the same to him ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see She has deceived her father, and may thee’ which meant that Brabantio was already blaming Desdemona in advance for anything that was going to go wrong regarding the two of them. Othello then assigned Iago to bring Desdemona to Cyprus so they could be together ‘Honest Iago, My Desdemona must I leave to thee: I prithee, let thy wife attend on her: And bring them after in the best advantage’. As Desdemona was in Cyprus she was thrown into trouble as Iago was plotting to imply to Othello that Cassio and Desdemona were lovers. The loss of Desdemona’s virginity is very important because female sexuality was dangerous because men couldn’t control themselves around attractive women this was dangerous because it endangered male control over society which shows discrimination to the female gender because it would be a danger for them to be in charge. A woman that talked a lot was considered to be open and Desdemona was a woman that spoke her mind
Desdemona’s action, instead of asking her father’s permission, eloped with the Moor, Othello, is another form of social transgressive action. It seems she denies her father any right in choosing or granting, instead she decides in her own, to marry Othello. This act of independence illustrates Desdemona’s transgression to perform her role as daughter, and reflects icons of masculine which is considered as “incorrect” gender performance. Marrying Othello has also proved that Desdemona breaks the social norms of women’s passivity during her time.
Women were viewed merely as possessions. After the Duke allows Desdemona to accompany Othello to Cyprus, Othello says 'To my conveyance I assign my wife' (I.3.283), this statement implies that Desdemona and a possession to be transported and guarded. The first Senators phrase 'use Desdemona well' (I.3.288) may suggest he hopes Othello will look after Desdemona, but is more likely to support the the expectations Venetian women had in the 1600s. They were
Looking at the play, all along Desdemona is a very feminine character. She most likely acts like a wife and daughter. So full of cares, Desdemona at a point of the play even neglected her house quarrels and goes out to spare fellings with Cassio to try to help with his situations with Othello. So faithful she was, even when she and Othello were not on the best terms, she was still trying to fixed everything even she knows that she was not cheating, which she explains, " Yes, faith, so humbled that he hath left parts of his grief with me to suffer with him. Good love call him
He searches for answers, clues, or anything else to prove her unfaithfulness. Feminist criticism focuses on the behaviors and power shown between male and female. Othello represents this because he changes the way he acts around Desdemona once he has heard of her wrongdoing. He is harsh, he doesn’t look at her, and he barely gives her conversation. In this day in age any man or boy would have acted this way because they are rarely the ones to get cheated on. The relationship between him and Desdemona changed his entire character of a man who trusted his wife with everything to a man who know doubted everything he knew about