And the Moral of the

Story is…
A Sociocultural Analysis of the Use
of Consequence to Warn against
Defiance of Societal Rules
Argument:

Members of society are limited

to a set of social rules of
conduct and those who refuse
to accept the limitation of their
professional station, gender,
and race face punishment for
their actions.
 Societal
rules and
limitations

Professio
Gende n
Race
r
Obey your
husband and
father…
 Obey your husband and
father
A women who attempts to defy the social
role of a subordinate and obedient female
cannot survive in a society that centers
around the dominance of the superior males
Peer Review
Evidence: “Come hither gentle “the greatest threat is
mistress. Do you perceive in the leveling of the
all this noble company Where status of men and
most you owe obedience?” women in relation to
(1.3.176) each other… it also
Desdemona dooms herself by would undermine the
betraying her father (a superior male), legitimacy of legal,
a social crime during the time period. social, and moral codes
The piece portrays society’s based upon these
disapproval of her action by showing previously established
how her actions lead to a marriage of assumptions about
Interpretation
Desdemona dooms herself by betraying her
father (a superior male), a social crime
during the time period. The piece portrays
society’s disapproval of her action by
showing how her actions lead to a
marriage of jealousy and murder.
A society which cannot accept the equality of
men and women is threatened when a
women attempts to defy set limitations.
Therefore it cannot allow this defiance to
occur
Remember your
Place…
 Remember your place
Society bars racial minorities from positions of
power and affluence. Defiance of these
conventions results in an inevitable downfall
caused by social pressure and the mental stress of
being treated as an outsider.

Peer Review:
“The established stage
“This alien within, once convention--that black(er)
Evidence: “You’ll precipitated, seeks characters can represent
have your daughter relief by the exercise of types of villainous
covered with a destructive power. This behaviour--is invoked to
malign power manifests explore political ideas
Barbary horse”
itself mainly through about rulership and
(1.1.109) the affected Venetian's treason that cannot be
intensified stereotyping explored in terms of
of others and the 'ourselves' because they
sadistic persecution are sensitive culturally and
that stereotyping politically” (Distiller 1).
Interpretation
Taking power, despite his race, Othello
challenges social convention. The piece
shows the error of this defiance as
Othello’s position leads to his downfall.
A person cannot simultaneously lead and
question his/her own race. The results are
self-destructive.
Society will inevitably find more faults in the
minority because they can separate this
alien from itself.
Respect your
Superiors…

Yes Sir
Respect your superiors

Society demands genuine loyalty to

one’s professional superiors. A
character who defies this command is
deemed guilty of betrayal, one of
society’s highest crimes.
“role-playing,
which exploits the
Evidence: “for now I shall reality of others,
have reason to show the results in
love and duty that I bear wholesale
you with franker spirit. destruction and a
Therefore, as I am bound, self-imposed
receive it from me” silence equivalent
(3.3.193)
Interpretation

Iago betrays Othello, a superior officer,

and fails to attain the position of
power for which he aimed. The piece
demonstrates the error Iago’s deceit
by denying him the goal of his actions.
A person who demonstrates false
loyalty will destroy others and
eventually his/herself
Synthesis

Society limits how citizens live

based on “defining” aspects of
their lives.
The strength of society makes it
impossible to defy.
No single person can live in
opposition to its rules without
eventually facing consequences.
Works cited: Thank
you to…
Distiller, Natasha. "'What signifies my deadly-standing eye': the politics of
difference on the Elizabethan stage." Shakespeare in Southern Africa. 14.
(Annual 2002): p11. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Franklin High School.
7 Dec. 2009 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?
p=LitRC&u=mlin_m_frnklnhs>
Hunt, Maurice. "Shakespeare's Venetian paradigm: stereotyping and Sadism in
The Merchant of Venice and Othello." Papers on Language & Literature. 39.2
(Spring 2003): p162. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Franklin High School.
7 Dec. 2009 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?
p=LitRC&u=mlin_m_frnklnhs>.
Ikegami, Robin. "Femmes-hommes, she-bishops, and hyenas in Petticoats:
women reformers and gender treason, 1789-1830." Women's Studies. 26.2
(Apr. 1997): p223. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Franklin High School. 7
Dec. 2009 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?
p=LitRC&u=mlin_m_frnklnhs>.
Melchior, Bonnie. "Gender and self-fashioning." Studies in the Humanities. 27.1
(June 2000): p35. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Franklin High School. 7
Dec. 2009 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?
p=LitRC&u=mlin_m_frnklnhs>.