OTHELLO
Women in Othello
Desdemona – Othello’s wife
Emillia – Iago’s wife
Bianca – Whore
Only two types of women shown are a product for men to buy or as
something to own (wife)
Extract from still harping on daughters
Jardine suggests drama of Shakespeare’s time is male dominated and that
Desdemona is punished for independence (going against her father and
what is considered the norm by marrying a black man) ultimately
becoming a positive victim
When disagreeing with a male character, female characters are called
degrading names, often revolving around being inferior. Iago to Emillia
“villainous whore, filth”
The female sharp tongue both entices and threatens – shrewdness of
Desdemona incompatible with her supposed innocence
It is unnatural how she engages in a long piece of cheap back chat with
Iago rather than going to find Othello on arriving at Cyprus, according to
MR Ridley
The confident too knowing, too independent tone and way of speaking on
Desdemona’s part is contradicted by passive, victim shown through
actions.
Desdemona’s sharp tongued involvement in an exchange about womanish
wiles (the feminine mystique) sets her up as active temptress “husband
beater” Iago’s own insidious tongue has only to play on these traditional
fears lurking beneath female mystery to rouse Othello to full jealousy and
finally murder
ACT 2 SCENE 1
Iago calls Emillia a whore “Players in your housewifery”, and
“housewives in your beds, bells in your parlours, wildcats in your
kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being offended”
This shows the angel/whore expectation on women. Specifically the first
quote. Its is an expectation to be a lovely house wife “skilful in the
kitchen” but also skilful in the bed “housewives in you beds”.
CRITICS
FR LEWIS – 1952
Othello is totally responsible for this tragedy
Iago is subordinate and overrated
Othello is egotistic
Iago is the mechanism necessary for precipitating tragedy in a dramatic
action
AC BRADLEY – 1904
Othello is free of blame noble glamorous romantic
Iago is wickedness incarnate
Othello decides and acts instantaneously, can be stirred easily into an
uncontrollable person
ST COLERIDGE – 1818
“The motive hunting of a motiveless malignity”
Iago uncontrollable hatred, evil personified, simply evil itself in a pure
form
Does evil only because he is evil
W EMPSON - 1951
Fifty two times the word honesty is used
Divergent uses of “honest” are found for all the main characters – clown,
Bianca, Iago, Cassio, Othello
The variety of use builds the irony on the word which mount up steadily,
the word honest when Othello was written was in the middle of a
complicated process of change from implying generous and faithful to
friends.
Ironically again honesty is maintained in Iago his emotions are always
expressed directly and it is only because they are clearly genuine that he
can mislead Othello to their cause.
MARTIN WINE – 1984
Iago continues to make other people see the world through his eyes by
forcing them to use his language
Iago understands the ability and nature of language to be manipulated –
social and cultural origin
Language enables us to create our sense of reality
Iago uses language to create chaos in Othello
POST COLONIAL READING OF OTHELLO
Venice – Britain
Cyprus - NZ
Importance of law, order and structured society (not necessarily
hierarchical) in order to maintain social order and harmony
Cyprus was at the fringe of Venetian society known for chaos and
disorder (16th century)
Similarly in early 19th century 182-1840 NZ war, also without social
order – Russell/Kororareka was known as the hell hole of the south
pacific due to lawlessness, violence, crime, prostitution
Shows the impact of colonialisation on societies
Although NZ is now a democratic separate country we still have colonial
ties Britain our education system, our courts
Although Othello and Iago break social laws they are both held to justice