othello presents girls as the victims of men essay

To what level do you concur that in “Othello” Shakespeare presents females as the tragic victims of guys?

Throughout ‘Othello’, Shakespeare uses the treatment of the leading part, by the antagonist, Iago, to provide a enjoy controlled by men. In this male completely outclassed society, Shakespeare presents the ladies in the perform as tragic victims as a result of their partners, in particular Desdemona and Emilia. Throughout this kind of essay Let me relate to the Aristotelian and Senecan points of disaster to come to a conclusion showing how in ‘Othello’ Shakespeare gives women while tragic subjects of men.

Firstly, during ‘Othello’ Shakespeare presents men as the dominant character types of the play, whereas the ladies are pictured as personas to always be suspicious of. No feminine character has as many lines in the perform as any male character, particularly Iago. This is reflective of Iago’s dominance in ‘Othello’, therefore appointment one of the Senecan definitions of tragedy showing women since tragic victims of males. Furthermore Othello’s suspicious character towards his wife, Desdemona, is fake, and though the ladies are regularly thought of cheating, they under no circumstances do. In act a few scene 5 of the play Desdemona says that Othello is “true of mind”.

The dramatic irony of this statement yet again implies that Desdemona is a character who comes after social events, yet her husband’s phony accusations connect with the Aristotelian definition of disaster in the Desdemona is pitied by the market due to her pure thoughts of love toward Othello. The adjective “true” further reveals Desdemona as being a tragic sufferer of Othello as she is unaware of Othello’s beliefs that she is cheating on him with Cassio, which is fake. Though ladies may be pictured as tragic victims in ‘Othello’, Emilia gives the viewers reason to think that women is much from tragic victims inside the play. The girl challenges interpersonal convention in that women ought to be passive for their husbands. In defiance of Iago’s “Be wise, and get you home”, Emilia here opposes the type of a “good” wife, who have should be quiet and marginalised. Though Emilia is undoubtedly ultimately a tragic victim with the play, the lady reveals how corrupted a male completely outclassed society is definitely when the girl clears Desdemona’s “reputation”. Her death opposes an wrong conviction against her sex, exonerating her part inside the tragedy.

In act 4 scene 3 of the play, Emilia signifies that she is corresponding to men, which implies to the reader further that she’s a character who also once again flies in the face of society’s anticipations of women. Emilia criticises the way in which men react, in which the lady asks “have we not affections/desires to get sport-and frailty-as men have? ” claiming that women’s requirements are just similar to men, even though it is satisfactory for men to cheat on their wives. This really is supported earlier in the play when Emilia likens men’s behaviour to that particular of belching, which alone is a vulgar activity. “they are all nevertheless stomachs, and all but food/they eat all of us hungerly, then when they are full/they belch us” this damaged truth is as well reflective showing how men cared for women, and that it was alright for men to cheat on the wives, yet had ladies done precisely the same, it would have been considered a sin. On the other hand, Emilia could be interpreted like a tragic patient at the hands of males in ‘Othello’. As oppose to Desdemona’s marriage to Othello, Emilia’s marriage to Iago provides lost all signs of romantic endeavors and passion, and her victimisation could possibly be interpreted through her satirical attitude toward men.

Her death as a result of Iago, her manipulator, demonstrates Iago was truly to blame for Othello’s killing of Desdemona, as it was him whom Emilia stole Desdemona’s handkerchief to get. Her death is for that reason her punishment, furthermore producing Emilia a tragic patient as she gets died through no fault of her own. Like Emilia, Desdemona is likewise a tragic victim of the men in ‘Othello’. Her murder, like Emilia’s, is through no-fault of her own is a result of Othello’s envy and Iago’s interference. What makes Desdemona a lot more tragic towards the audience is the fact that that actually in loss of life she tries to protect her husband, sharing with Emilia that she has wiped out herself, “nobody, I myself”, this further describes to the market that Desdemona is a good and pure personality. Her devotion to her hubby makes her a tragic victim in the play because she cannot be blamed on her behalf death. Contextually it is important to comprehend how girls are presented as tragic victims of men in ‘Othello’.

Modern-day views of women were, according to Friend Thomas Elyot “to be mild, timorous, tractable, not cancerous, of sure remembrance, and shamefast. ” Conversely males were seen to be “fierce, strong in thoughts and opinions, covetous of glory, desirous of knowledge, appetiting by generation to bring intended for his semblable. ” Elyot’s views from the contemporary gentleman, though much grander than patients of women, could prove to be their problem in ‘Othello’. Shakespeare’s protagonist’s downfall could possibly be based on the fact that he’s desirous expertise, and Iago’s manipulation of Othello’s trustworthy nature suggests that not merely are females the tragic victims of men, but it really is men who can also be victims of men. The usage of derogatory dialect and rough sexual images is used by Shakespeare showing the male character’s misogynistic behaviour towards girls, and this is usually evident anytime Iago addresses of the reverse sex. His lamenting of Desdemona, a personality who is natural and good throughout the play, particularly portrays how ladies are offered as tragic victims of men. This individual tells Brabantio that “a black memory is tupping your white colored ewe”, referring to Othello and Desdemona’s romance.

The distinction of grayscale white shows that Iago landscapes Desdemona and females in general since guilty beings, which additional suggests towards the audience that women are tragic victims of men in ‘Othello’ as it is the men who have are guilt ridden, not the women. Desdemona’s daddy, Brabantio, keeps a highly misogynistic view towards his little girl upon experiencing of her affection pertaining to Othello, if he answers the question “is the girl dead? ” with “aye to me”. Iago also views ladies as objects- “look to your residence, your little girl and your bags”, his materialistic view of women, in which equating Desdemona to material very good, suggests that Iago is a misogynist as he will not hold females in substantial regard by any means. In conclusion, females are undoubtedly presented simply by Shakespeare while tragic subjects in ‘Othello’, however it can be not totally at the hands of the male characters. Yes, both Emilia and Desdemona die as a result of their husbands, but it is usually through society’s expectations of ladies that they are killed, as well as Iago’s evil treatment of The Moor.

Desdemona drops dead through no fault of her own, this making her a tragic victim at the hands of Othello, because she has not really committed any sin, and she is only murdered through Iago telling Othello that she was cheating on Cassio. Desdemona is also a tragic sufferer as not merely has the girl done nothing wrong, nevertheless throughout the perform she is pictured by William shakespeare as a truly good and pure personality. Emilia is known as a tragic patient as eventually she dies from understanding that Desdemona’s homicide was due to the actions of her hubby. Finally it was the women who had been tragic victims at the hands of a society the place that the man is usually judge, court and executioner, as well as exploit them to satisfy their selfish needs.

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