Feminism in Othello Othello is a tragic play about an angry man, Iago, who does everything in his power to destroy the life of the hero, Othello, for promoting somebody else. In the play, there are only 2 major female characters and each of these characters embodies a completely different bias about women and feminism in the Elizabethan times. Desdemona, Othello’s wife and the more traditional character, believes in putting her husband first, and that love is all the matters. Emilia, on the other hand, is Iago’s wife and one of Desdemona’s dearest friends. She is the strong feminist in the play, and believes in women’s rights and the fact that women are physically no different to men.
He appears to be solely interested in women’s sexuality, shamelessly objectifying them. For instance, when Claudio asks whether the world could ‘buy such a jewel’ as Hero, Benedick replies ‘yea, and a case to put it into’. The objectification of Hero as something valuable and desirable (but with no human emotion) is taken further by Benedick; his play upon Claudio’s romantic metaphor is witty but deeply sexist, as he is calling Hero worthless. Whilst a modern audience might see this as derogatory, an Elizabethan audience would have potentially been indifferent; in that age, men were superior; they could be an eligible bachelor, but if they married they would look for a chaste and wealthy wife- talk of ‘buying’ Hero is in a sense quite literal as Claudio would be ‘buying’ into her wealth. On the other hand, Shakespeare hints that this is a façade.
Even though there are some similarities between the two writers, there are also many differences. For example ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is large scale and public whereas Philip Larkin’s poems are small scale and private in feeling. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is set in Verona which was a patriarchal society, one which was dominated by men, women were seen as feeble and inferior. Act One Scene One immediately highlights this, when Sampson and Gregory refer to women as 'the weaker vessels'. Men were expected to be powerful and control the women, who were expected to obey them.
Shakespeare sees rhetoric as one of the most powerful forces in the world; able to topple kings and crown them. The play, Julius Caesar, examines what gives rhetoric its power by putting Brutus's speech against Mark Antony's. Shakespeare shows Antony's rhetoric to be superior by the effect he has on the plebeians. To be sure, Antony does not have it easy. He is already a man distrusted by the conspirators for his friendship with Caesar.
William Shakespeare’s impeccable use of the dynamics to shape power play in ‘Othello’ is displayed through Iago’s jealousy, and the themes of manipulation and prejudice. Jealousy, referred to as the “green eyed monster,” by Iago, is present throughout this text and is a key aspect for the contribution to Iago’s devious plans succeeded by his power over others. As expressed in the play, Iago is jealous of Michael Cassio for being offered the promoted position of lieutenant, "One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, a fellow almost damned in a fair wife; that never set a squadron in the field, nor the devision of a battle knows more than a spinster… But he, sir, had the election: and I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof at Rhodes, at Cyprus and on other grounds Christian and heathen, must be lee'd and calmed by debitor and creditor: this counter-caster, he, in good time, must his lieutenant be,” here Iago is explaining that he deserved the position of lieutenant as he is far better than Michael Cassio in the battle field. This, as well as his hatred for Othello, is some of the main reasons that drive Iago to follow through his evil plotting. Shakespeare applies power play to heighten a person’s influence and control over others; the theme of manipulation is expressed in astonishing ways through Iago’s power in Othello.
Greg Watts 4/15/08 Professor De Young Antigone Essay Male vs. Female In the play “Antigone,” Creon and Antigone clearly conflict on their views of which a person should live their life, and Creon believes his views are correct because he is a dominant male figure while Antigone is an inferior female. Creon is Antigone’s uncle, and Creon is the newly crowned King of Thebes. Creon is well respected in the society, and Antigone knows that. Antigone’s beliefs are completely opposite the beliefs of Creon, and because of this she challenges his authority.
However, as the play progresses and Othello’s character is developed, it becomes clear that this is not a racist work, but rather the story of an honourable tragic hero who falls victim to the evil and conniving ways of a heinous villain. In multiple ways, Othello challenges conventional perceptions of race. During the period in which Shakespeare wrote Othello, it was unheard of for a black man to hold an authoritative military position such as Othello’s, and even more so that white men would greatly revere and readily report to him. Furthermore, the play’s villainous antagonist, Iago, is white, and he is ultimately to blame for the tragedies of the story. Racism is a concept that has pervaded human history, and it is important for modern readers to recognize the challenges Othello poses to prevailing racist perceptions in order to recognize the play’s timelessness and pertinence to modern society.
Appearance Vs. Reality At any given stage in a human’s life; one must lie, deceive, or simply hide emotions to further themselves toward a goal or protect an individual’s interests. Hamlet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare is by no means different, except for the fact that every lie and underlying truth is multiplied in severity tenfold. Virtually every central character in the play is guilty of this act on one or more occasions. This is simple to see at times, however the audience is often found questioning to themselves if aspects of the play are in fact truth in Hamlet’s universe or if they just appear that way.
The theme of deception in Shakespeare’s plays The typical themes of Shakespeare’s works, especially his plays, often reflect popular moods, problematic occurrences and typical traits of human nature from his time which are relevant even today. One such theme is deception. The idea of deception in Shakespeare’s plays has many different faces. In one instance, it is accidental, as in The Comedy of Errors. In another instance, it is used as defense against greater harm, as in Othello.
Humour at the expense of women is also prominent in ‘Much Ado’ through the use of ‘vulgar’ pre-marriage language, favoured by Margret – another arguably unconventional woman of the Elizabethan society, who participates in sex outside of wedlock purely for pleasure, creating controversy and humour. “Seventy-five percent of Shakespearian plays have oaths they can’t keep” correctly states Paul McDonald. This regular form feature of Shakespearian comedies generates humour at the expense of women in ‘Much Ado’; in the form of Beatrice ironically being ‘manoeuvred into wedlock despite proclaimed repugnance for matrimony’: Beatrice: “Adam’s sons are my brethren, and truly, I hold it a sin to match in my kinred”. Beatrice breaks her oath of “remaining a wild, unconventional woman who denounces marriage” by instead becoming a product of proper Elizabethan social convention - Beatrice: “It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you”. This submission to the patriarchal society is also a common form feature of