| Ideas from the Text | Reactions/Connections |
|---|---|
| Ancient, what makes he here? Act 1 Scene 1 | Social class and its implications on the status of people are represented in Othello. Iago comes from the lower class as an ancient and thus isn’t picked to be lieutenant, despite having long military service. During the Elizabethan era, The Great Chain of Being was important to society. Hierarchy kept peace and when broken, pre-ordain chaos began which I believe Shakespear was getting across by Iago being unlawfully and unethically placed as lieutenant through his schemes. Once he is finally promoted, characters began to die. |
| Act 1 Scene 2 I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors. In honest plainness thou hast heard me say My daughter is not for thee | The common theme and persuasion is run by revenge, contempt spurred from rejection. Roderigo is seen being rejected from Brabantio as he isn’t worthy enough to marry his daughter. Iago uses Roderigo’s anger and manipulates him into his master plan. A parallel plot has taken place with Iago being rejected from lieutenant position and Roderigo being turned down in love by Barbantio. |
| Act 1 Scene 3 Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense— Sans witchcraft could not. | One connection I can make between Othello and the Elizabethan era is that witchcraft is a common role in the era. Just like during the Elizabethan era, the people in Venice were equally drawn towards witchcraft and magic in their culture. Barbantio accuses Othello of using potions and spells to gain Desdemona’s love which was highly looked down on as the Witchcraft act of 1563 was already made. So, it was extremely offensive to call Othello’s and Desdemona’s love based on a felony and sinister act. |
| Act 1 Scene 3 I say, put money in thy purse. | This phrase is repeated in the play by Iago to persuade Roderigo to give him more money. Greed runs through Iago’s blood, his desire for money and power are presented in his schemes from Iago and from Othello’s position. The great chain of being was what Iago was reaching for |
| Act 2 Scene 2 Desdemona is directly in love with him. | This part begins the rising action as Iago plants the seed in Roderigo’s heart that Desdemona is in love with Cassio. A fight with Cassio is the first scheme that Iago completes and benefits him. Roderigo’s disillusionment of love follows the theme of appearance vrs. realism. Roderigo heard lies from Iago and placed an appearance on Desdemona. |
| Act 2 Scene 2 And when she speaks, is it not an alarm to love? | As one can see, Iago is abusing Desdemona’s purity in a form of synecdoche. The Wheel of Fortune is represented by Desdemona’s fall as she never did anything wrong, yet has been attacked by the change in fortune. We learn time and time again that she is pure and trustworthy. Iago uses her purity as a way to get Cassio to believe he can convince her to plead on his behalf, which in result triggers Othello to kill Desdemona. Her good fortune comes to an end and although people perceive the Wheel of Fortune as a mystery, we can assume that evil people like Iago, can literally use one's goodness against them. Money and bribing is a parallel plot to win affection over a person during the Elizabethan era. Just as Cassio pays the musicians to charm Othello, Roderigo pay Iago to give Desdemona gifts from him. And one can draw the comparison of the messenger in these two relationships which are Iago and the messenger to have the same faint. Like the musicians, Iago ends up being cast away as his scheme doesn’t go as planned. Emilia advises Cassio that the man he has injured in battle is of great status and famous in Cyprus which plays into the importance of hierarchy in Othello. Othello is worried that by having Cassio on his staff that people can only look down on him. Hierarchy places a big part in Othello as we see the characters strive to do anything to climb the social pyramid as we see that it’s created a culture of worry for ones appearance. |
| Act 5 scene 2 Have you prayed tonight, Desdemon? | Because Othello lived through a time where Christianity played a big part in society, he asks Desdemona if she has prayed in order for her to forgive her sins before dying. This “mercy” can be evidence towards the argument that Othello truly loved Desdemona since he wants her to go to heaven after killing her. |
| Act 5 Scene 2 I will not. | This simple phrase perfects Emilia’s true self as she plays a part in Feminism literature. She is a realist of how relationships work during that era and how women are subjected to their husbands. She also admits that it’s easier to follow a man than have one’s own thought, so it’s crucial that she disobeys her husband's wishes to go home. Additionally, from what we know of her logic of loyalty, because Iago betrayed her using the handkerchief she stole to kill Desdemona, she finds her own betrayal of her husband equal. Home symbolizes security and safety, somewhere Emilia could hide from society that depends on men, but instead she spills out Iagos secrets. |
The three female characters in Othello play an important way to depict feminism and gender roles in Shakespear’s time. Despite having half the rights a man did, women played important roles in Shakespeare's play, further moving the plot. Desdemona, Biana and Emilia fall into 3 certain categories in the patriarchal society.
From the start, Desdemona is an example of how rich women were owned as possessions more than an individual person. The first time she is presented in Othello, her custody is debated. Although she was advocating for her love, Othello, she ultimately was switching her ownership from her father to Othello. This act of love was not honored upon and her father actually warns Othello, “She has deceived her father, and may thee,” (Act 1 Sc. 3) So, women like Desdemona are deemed virtuous and untrustworthy for not listening to their fathers, even though she submitted to her now husband. Additionally, in Act 4 Scene 3, Desdemona is cast away to her bedroom by Othello as a parent would to their child. She pleads with him to discuss her truth, but because he sees her to be deceptive. She was a daughter under the control of her father and now plays the role of a daughter to Othello. The lack of power she held depicted how loyal women during the Elizabethan era.
A similar story plays out with Bianca staying by Cassios side despite a pure love. Bianca is sexually objectified by her own lover to other men. Sexual harassment wasn’t uncommon during Shakespears time as he makes light of this as Cassio began to objectifies Bianca with Iago saying, “ So hangs and lolls and weeps upon me, so shakes, and pulls me! Ha, ha, ha!” Act 4 Scene 1. He has no intent to marry her and yet Bianca still sticks by his side. She represents the proverish women who depended on climbing up in hierarchy through the use of prostitution during the Elizabethan era. Bianca believes that Cassio isn’t truly in love with her, as she finds Desdemona’s handkerchief, however she allows Cassio to make it up to her. Although Iago calls Bianca a whore who ignorantly loves Cassio saying, “a housewife that is selling her desires…That dotes on Cassio,” ( Act 4, Sc. 1) She resists society’s expectations, and defies the stereotypical heartless prostitute that men portrayed them as. This is confirmed when Bianca’s love is tested when Cassio becomes injured. She defends Cassio and genuinely cries over his injuries in battle. Shakespear uses Bianca to show that strong women are still subjected to men, either by love or by loyalty.
On the other hand, Emilia is the most interesting and complex female in Othello. She is of lower class and is Desdemona’s maid. She acted as the typical housewife for Desdemona, running her baths and getting her ready for the day. She subverts the expectations of being a loyal maid for Desdemona as she steals her handkerchief, thus leading to her downfall. However, she does so to please Iago as she sees it to be her duty to do so, “What he will do with it/ Heaven knows, not I./I nothing but to please his fantasy,” ( Act 3 Sc.3) This loyalty towards her husband shifts as she finds the total truth about Iago’s evil intentions with the handkerchief. Instead of defending her husband like Bianca does for Cassio, she disobeys Iago’s order to go home and exposes Iago’s plan. With 3 clear and defiant words she says, “I will not.” This is the first time any women disobeys their husband in Othello and it’s even more revolutionary because she chooses the loyalty of her mistress, a women over a man.
All in all, these 3 women all play an important role throughout the play. Some show the injustices of women during Elizabethan time and others like Emilia resist the roles assigned to them. Othello depicts the parochial society for women