Femininity In Othello: Comparison Of Desdemona And Emilia’s Characters

In most Shakespearean works, women characters are used in simple plots to gain power, revenge, glory. Desdemona, Othello’s wife, is the central female character. Emilia, Iago’s wife, is the other. They are subject to manipulation, objectification, and brutalization by Othello and Iago, which only furthers Iago’s evil agenda. Although Shakespeare might have seen their deaths, he didn’t paint them over with broad strokes. Desdemona, Emilia, and their thoughts and speech/dictions are all unique and distinct. Desdemona is a very different person than Emilia. However, they share a common loyalty to their husbands which allows Iago and Emilia to trap them in his webs. The men exploit the women, eventually leading to their destruction. Desdemona and Emilia have many similarities and differences. This juxtaposition also shows the variety of femininity of the play.

Desdemona is a foil to Emilia, because many of their traits are opposites. In the 16th century, beauty outside was believed to be a sign of goodness and virtue. Desdedomona’s description as “a maid so gentle, fair, happy” is Shakespeare commenting on her kind and gracious personality (Shakespeare 1.2.85). The beauty of Desdemona is explained before she steps on the stage. This gives the audience an idea of her goodness and makes them believe they know her. Emilia, however, does not give any details about her physical appearance. Iago says that “it’s thought abroad that ‘twixt me sheets / Has done mine office” in his first soliloquy. He says that Othello had slept with Emilia. While this information is not reliable, the audience subconsciously depicts Emilia as ugly and sinister. Desdemona was initially described as the “light” and Emilia as the “dark”. This implies that Desdemona might be more naive than Emilia. Their physical appearances (contextualized and not) are opposites. But so is their personality. Although Desdemona appears loud and confident at first, Emilia is more reserved and quiet. Desdemona, particularly during her testimony before a Venictian Senate, is independent, confident, and gracious.

My noble grandfather

I do perceive here a divided duty.

You are my only hope for education and life.

Both my education and life have taught me a lot.

How to treat you. You are the Lord of Duty.

Your daughter, I am. Here’s the thing:

Husband,

My mother did so much for me.

You are her preferred choice over her father.

I am so humbled by the challenge I have to profess

My lord, because of the Moor.

Desdemona’s division of duty is displayed in the lines that separate “My noble father” from “Husband”. It visually displays the switch of loyalties and also separates their titles to highlight their importance in Desdemona’s personal life. She owes her dad her education, and her husband his love. She demonstrated her ability to communicate her feelings and knowledge through her monologue. Prose is her language of logic and wit. Although she is addressing love and loyalty, which would normally require verse, her monologue is in prose, which hints at Desdemona’s logic and principled nature.

Desdemona describes Emilia as “she doesn’t speak!” Desdemona talks back even though Emilia takes verbal abuse from Iago in Act Two Scene. This isn’t necessarily a different personality, but more a difference on their social status. Both women are generally well-off. However, Emilia, Desdeoma’s attendant, is less wealthy than the other woman.

Both women become foils as they develop over the course of the play. Desdemona, Emilia both begin to change as Iago begins to implement his plot. Act 4 is when Othello suspects Desdemona to be infidelity. As her marriage to Othello becomes heavier, Desdemona, the ideology female, becomes meeker and more mild. Emilia, however, who is the “everywoman”, becomes more independent-minded and alert. Act 4, Scene 3, Desdemona & Emilia discuss the infidelity of a wife. Desdemona is unable to believe that a woman can ever cheat on her husband or be disloyal.

Emilia, tell me — That women abuse their husbands in such grotesque ways.” Desdemona’s reaction when some women cheat on husbands is a sign of her rigid principles and ideals of marriage. She said, “I am not further matured because she has a greater understanding of women’s desires and men’s desires over time in monogamous relationships. Emilia believes that cheating is possible for men, so why shouldn’t it be for women? Desdemona is Emilia’s friend.

Men should know about their wives

They have a sense of their wives. They can see and they speak the truth.

smell, …

If they make us change for the better? It is sport?

It is, I believe. Is it not affection that makes it so?

It does, I believe…

Are we not in love?

Wants to be as active and frailty-free as men?

Desdemona was the one who gave the lengthy, well-crafted monologues earlier in the play. Emilia adopts longer, more logical prose once Desdemona stops speaking in long, fragmented monologues. It is because her short monologue is so defining of her character. She transcends the role of the wife and attendant she was assigned.

The play’s women are all essentially the property of the men who live with them. Desdemona, her father’s property until she marries Othello becomes hers. Othello declares, “To my conveyance I will give my wife.” This means Desdemona must be transported and protected. This would have been common practice in the time because women were weaker than men and needed protection. Othello then leaves and the First senator exclaims, “Adieu Moor,” in which the emphasis on the word use replaces the phrase, “look after”. This is a reference to forced sexual relations. Othello has not only claimed Desdemona by accident, but also directly. Othello is adamant that the purpose of a woman’s marriage is to produce children. Iago manipulates Emilia to steal the handkerchief, making Emilia Iago’s possession. Act 3 Scene 3: Emilia, who accidentally dropped Desdemona’s handkerchief and takes it with her, says that Emilia “I only want to please his fantasy.” She then meets Iago. She fails to resist him and her tactful words support her fatigue. Desdemona was defeated by the handkerchief, and Iago managed to get it for him due to his control over his wife. The final exploit of the women was when “he killed his wife”, when Othello and Iago both murdered their wives. Their deaths were the final sacrifice for their abusive husbands. The play’s themes of betrayal or deceit are illustrated by the women’s emotional, mental, physical and sexual violence.

Shakespeare’s Othello juxtaposes 16th-century misogyny and feminism to bring out the theme betrayal. Literature today is prone to focus on the male characters while neglecting the female ones. Many female characters are a collection of archetypes and stereotypes that reflect their backstories, motivations, and feelings. While Othello, Desdemona or Emilia display many stereotypical behaviors and traits, the women are still very individual. Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello are very different in many ways. They paint a vivid picture of the feminism that was prevalent in England during this time. The men in the play show the complexity and interdependence of life at that time. Emilia may believe that women are more capable than men and she can’t enforce these views in her own life. Shakespeare reminds them that the patriarchal is an important force in their lives. Iago betrays everyone in the play by causing both women to feel betrayed about their husbands. Desdemona’s last words are, “Alas. He is betrayed. I undone”. She realizes that Othello and her lives have been destroyed by Iago’s deviance. Her complete feeling of defeat can be summed up simply by saying “I untoken”. Desdemona’s and Emilia’s misfortunes are only a small part of the overall plot.