William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello” remains all too relevant for a modern audience,

expressing the tragedies and injustices in society. The play sheds light on the dark side of

infidelity, frequently showing the male perspective, almost normalizing and excusing these

extreme behaviors, however unfair it may be towards the women. In this essay, I will be

specifically focusing on Desdemona and Emilia, how they combat misogyny and patriarchal

domination, and how it relates to my personal experiences. Through the characterization of

Desdemona and Emilia, Shakespeare conveys the double standards females encounter when

combating or submitting to the patriarchy’s subjugation of women.

The conversation between Desdemona and Emilia in Act IV, scene III highlights

adultery’s double standard and the difficult position of women in those situations. Desdemona,

woeful of her own predicament, sings “The Willow Song” taught to her by her mother’s maid,

who was abandoned by her crazed lover. She sings of a “poor soul” who laments her lost love,

saying “Let nobody blame him, his scorn I approve” (Act 4, Scene 3). This line foreshadows her

death later on in the play, but when taken out of context, suggests double standards at work. The

woman in the song accepts the blame for wrongs she did not commit, implying that whether who

cheats in the relationship, it is always the woman’s fault. Desdemona seems to agree with this

ideology when she does not try harder to defend her innocence and stand up for herself. She feels

confused by Othello’s anger but sees it as her duty as an obedient wife to not fight back and

passively accept her fate. Additionally, the singer of the Willow Song died “died singing it” (act

4, scene 3) suggesting that a woman should respond by being resigned and meek until she dies.

Even Desdemona’s final words reflect the singer’s self-blame when Emilia asks Desdemona who

has killed her, Desdemona replies, “Nobody; I myself. Farewell” (Act 5, scene 2). I found that I

can connect this ideology with my life experiences because I’ve had the people I respect and
look up to enforce these same double standards upon me. No matter what I’m doing it’s always

seen as the woman’s role to embody docility with unquestioning obedience and compliance. I

need to follow the rules and instructions of my family elders without a second thought, not being

able to have my own voice, while my male cousins possessed the freedom I always envied, like

Desdemona facing her husband. Similar to the woman in the song, I am expected to live like this

until the day I die because of how modern Asian society views women.

Shakespeare develops Desdemona and Emilia’s characters to emulate the double

standards wives face in abusive marriages. Desdemona fits the role of an obedient wife, and

Emilia endorses the idea that disobeying one’s husband is alright sometimes. Nevertheless, both

women are victims of utricide—the killing of a wife by her husband—therefore expressing that

society should rethink the way husbands treat their wives. However, Desdemona faces misogyny

not only from Othello but also from her own father. After Desdemona elopes with Othello, he is

confronted by Barbantio who demands, “O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my

daughter?” (Act 1, scene 2). In addition, Barbantio uses jargon to objectify Desdemona and

implies that she was previously his possession by describing her as “stolen” (Act 1, Scene 3).

Desdemona is regarded as mere property of her father, thus, her life is restricted by whoever

possesses her. Be that as it may, Desdemona defies that double standard when Othello tells

Barbantio that his accusations are false and it was Desdemona who accepted his love. The male

characters in the play commodify Desdemona, and her passive nature to Othello’s authoritative

one develops her as an obedient wife. Moreover, Desdemona is so devoted to Othello that she

does not try to escape to save herself when Othello intends to kill her. Actually, after that,

Desdemona tells Emilia, “All’s one. Good faith, how foolish are our minds! If I do die before

thee, prithee shroud me in one of these same sheets” (Act 4, scene 3). Consequently,
Desdemona’s tragic flaw to remain obedient to her husband is what ultimately leads her to her

death. She clings on to the idealistic, however unrealistic image she has of Othello as her

benevolent husband despite him striking her in public and accusing her of being a false and

promiscuous woman. In order to convince him of her innocence, she continues playing as the

obedient, loyal wife to the end as a statement to Othello. At this point, it is impossible to deter

Desdemona’s passivity because she is determined to maintain her innocence. I am able to relate

Desdemona’s determination to maintain her innocent appearance with my own experiences.

Furthermore, I also understand Desdemona having the male figures around her constantly

objectify and commodify her. In my family’s culture, it's common for the parents and elders to

decide on the child’s life without consulting, or listening to their opinions. Everything from the

type of clothes I wear, to the school I go to has been decided early on. I was a mere puppet

allowing the strings of the puppeteer to carry me to my next destination. I’m not saying that this

type of life is bad since it does provide me with the comfort of normality and routineness,

however, takes away valuable decision-making skills and personal freedom.

Emilia, a middle-class maid who is married to and constantly manipulated by Iago, is

Desdemona’s best friend and closest confidant. She firmly believes that if a wife commits

infidelity, then the fault lies in the husband for doing something to drive her away. Emilia teaches

Desdemona that not all unfaithful women are at fault, because some are victims too. Their

conversation illustrates the sacred bond the two female figures share as two women trapped in

unhealthy marriages, yet, they choose to deal with their situations in drastically contrasting ways.

Emilia demonstrates disobedience to her husband Iago by refusing to remain silent about his

trickery. Angered by Iago’s actions, Emilia says “Twill out, ‘twill out! I peace? No, I will speak

as liberal as the north. Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, All, all, cry shame against
me, yet I’ll speak” (Act 5 scene 2). Emilia remains loyal to Desdemona and gives up her life in

order to expose Iago’s deception. By choosing to speak and act as she wants, she possesses

psychological freedom, releasing herself from societal norms and from her self-imposed

restraints. Therefore, Emilia’s freedom refutes Iago’s authoritative position as her husband and

leaves him powerless to control her. After Iago stabs her, Emilia calls out, “Ay, ay. Oh, lay me by

my mistress’ side” (Act 5, scene 2), depicting not only her transformed self-sacrifice but also

both women’s solidarity stance against their abusive marriages. Desdemona and Emilia both die

in an effort to sustain their innocence while having contrasting ideologies and beliefs conveys the

message that women are victims of society’s double standards no matter whether they are

obedient or disobedient to their husbands. In China, historically, sons were given education,

material comforts, social status, and the major share of the family inheritance. Daughters were

brought up to meekly accept the inherent injustice and adapt to the cruel reality of the custom.

This practice is what created the mainstream expression “重男輕女” (Zhong Nan Qing Nu)

which is the tradition of preferring the male gender. The saying roughly translates to ‘value the

male, disdain the female.’ It is something I have experienced throughout my whole life, as a

Chinese-born female. I grew up with my conservative grandparents telling me that a woman’s

job in life is to get married, bear children and serve her family. To this day, they still tell my

parents they wish I was born the other gender. This toxic ideology is the lovechild of

preconceived and excessive generalization that became a kind of prejudice or even

discrimination. The stereotypical idea of ‘woman’ is something I have struggled with all my life.

It will always continue to be a struggle since the roles that men and women are supposed to have

been instilled in me since I was young, along with millions of other Asian youth.
 The tragic endings of Othello’s Desdemona and Emilia illustrate the fact that society’s

double standards and institutional misogyny only lead to the downfall of women despite their

efforts to live virtuous lives. The two women pursue various ways to fight back against the men

in power who seek to undermine them, however, they face grave consequences afterward. The

women’s situations are not only relatable to modern-day audiences but also reveal the

shortcomings women in society most confront, thereby driving a need for change.