Connor Sullivan
Help Received: Work Cited
And spark notes
Women in Marriages and Households
In early modern England women were defined based on their relationships
to men. Due to this women were always being watched and commented on. Women
were supposed to be loyal to their fathers first until they were married, and then
they were expected to be loyal to their husbands first. The transition between the
two was expected to be perfect and seamless because the way women behaved
affected not just them but their husbands as well. Even though this was the age of
the Renaissance women’s rights were not advancing like the rest of society (Hall,
262-263).
Women were seen as property of men and when a woman married she lost
all her legal and economic status because she belonged to her husband and he took
care of all of that. Women were not able to own property or herself even when she
was not married, she belonged to her father. There are a few instances in the play of
Othello that shows instances where these ideas of the early modern England were
not followed. Lena Orlin says that patriarchy “assets possession and finds
possession always uncertain” (Hall, 263).
Craig Muldrew said that when a woman lost her reputation due to
misconduct they ended up in shame, isolation or economic damage. A women’s
reputation was defined by her chastity. Women took allegations of being a whore
seriously because they knew that their reputation would affect their entire family
not just them (Hall, 264).
The English had extreme fears of female sexuality and infidelity was blamed
on her. Adultery, during the Renaissance period, was focused on women and not on
men. If a woman committed adultery it was a far more serious crime that resulted in
death due to England’s Adultery Act of 1650. This act provided a double standard
where women were committing a capital offense while men served a few months in
jail (Hall, 264). This fear of women’s sexuality also shaped how people felt about
love, romantic love was not looked upon favorably and was never celebrated even in
a companionate marriage. Women’s sexuality was something that men tried to
control because it was “powerful,” “potentially disruptive,” and “could ensnare the
married man.” This was seen as a bad thing because if any man, married or not,
surrendered to this it would emasculate them (Hall, 265).
The aspect that truly drives the plot of Othello is the disobedience of women.
Books on how women should act say that a woman is not allowed to act against her
husbands’ wishes. This is seen in the play from the beginning and the disobedience
allows for suspicions to fester. Women were not even allowed to defy their
husbands in domestic abuse situations and if she went about to seek out help from
the law she was scrutinized by everyone (Hall, 266). Women were also expected to
stay at home because they could be chaste there and for that reason many people
waited to get married until they could get a house. In Othello we see that he does not
follow this practice (Hall, 267).
In the play Othello we meet Desdemona as she is transitioning from daughter
to wife. She does this without her fathers’ permission and Barbantio says that
Desdemona was stolen from her (I.iii.60). It is not surprising that Barbantio is very
upset when his daughter marries Othello in secret because not only is she his
daughter but she is also his property because she does not legally own herself (Hall,
263). This action of defying her father’s wishes also casts doubt over her for the rest
of the play.
The handkerchief in the play can be seen as a symbol of Desdemona’s honor
and reputation. Iago uses the handkerchief to make Othello think that Desdemona is
not being chaste by placing the handkerchief in Cassio’s house. After a fight between
Cassio and Bianca that Othello witnesses Bianca throws Desdemona’s handkerchief
at Cassio (III.iv.121). This incident leads Othello to believe that Desdemona is not
being honorable because she is giving her handkerchief to anyone. Iago say to
Othello that the handerkerchief is hers to give to anyone she wants. Othello
responds asking about her honor, “She is protectress of her honor too. May she give
that?” (IV.i.123). Here it is seen that Desdemona’s honor is tied to the handkerchief
and it upsets Othello greatly because the passing of the handkerchief symbolizes her
fluidity in sexuality in his mind.
How angry Othello gets over the suspicion of his wife’s adultery drives him to
be insanely jealous. This is not surprising considering that during the time in which
Othello was written it was a capital offense for women to sleep around. His extreme
jealous depicts the fears the English had about a woman’s sexuality (Hall, 264). Even
romantic love between a man and wife was not looked upon favorably; this shows in
Barbantio when he thinks that the two of them have a romantic love. Romantic love
creates suspicion of desire, which is a sin and can lead to uncertainty of a person
(Hall, 265).
The driving force of Othello is the disobedience of two women, Desdemona
and Emilia. The first act of disobedience is when Desdemona married Othello
without her father’s permission. This later creates the doubt of her intentions
because if she is willing to defy her father she may be willing to defy her husband.
This act is the driving force for the play because Desdemona’s actions allow Iago to
undermine her honor since she so willingly disobeyed her father, she must be
capable of doing it again. The second act of disobedience is from Emilia, Iago’s wife.
No one would have found out what Iago did if Emilia did not reveal what she knew.
In early modern England it was the wife’s duty to put up with her husband and to
not betray him so when Emilia tells everyone what she knew, it reveals that Iago
created this entire plot to destroy Othello. He would have gotten away with it too if
it weren’t for her act of defiance.
Some critics say that Othello and Desdemona were doomed from the start
because he did not establish a home for them before they married. After Desdemona
and Othello married they stayed at an inn called the Sagittary. Critics say that
because they started their marriage there, there would be murderous jealousy,
which is seen in the play by Othello (Hall, 267-268).
Women were also not allowed to talk about sexual situations about the
husband. It was seen as a type of insubordination and Desdemona and Emilia
partake in this insubordination. Also, the relationship between Emilia and
Desdemona was unusual for the time period. Servants and mistresses were not to be
as good of friends as the two women did because it went against the relentless
loyalty that women were supposed to have towards their husbands (Hall, 268).
The play Othello challenges the ideals of how women should behave in a
marriage. The wives were supposed to be quiet, obedient, and chaste in their
marriage and were constantly scrutinized by all. If the wife earned a bad reputation
for any reason it would affect the husband or father so accusations of bad behavior,
sexual or otherwise, was always taken seriously. The plot of Othello is driven by
female disobedience, sexuality, and male jealousy. Even though Desdemona defied
her father in an act of love for Othello it gives Iago an opening to ruin her honor and
reputation and cast doubt upon her chastity. This disobedience from Desdemona led
to three deaths in the play due to jealousy and by creating more defiance.
Work Cited
Hall, Kim F. Othello. By William Shakespeare. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.
Print.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Kim F. Hall. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.
Print.