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Compiled by Tshedza Thagwana

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Desdemona
Summary:

Desdemona is the daughter of the Venetian senator Brabantio. Amazed by Othello’s stories of his life,
she falls in love with him. She defends their secret marriage to her father when he finds out, but he
disowns her, and she follows her husband on his campaign to Cyprus. Iago manipulates Roderigo, Cassio
and Othello through their love for her and resulting jealousy. Her caring nature leads her to innocently
agree to help Cassio, as well as naively wonder as to the causes of Othello’s mistrust. She continues to
proclaim her innocence, even when publicly struck by Othello, and later her deathbed as he smothers
her.

Character:

Desdemona is a young, beautiful, bold, and independent woman. The love for Othello makes her take
many risks. She refuses to marry any of the rich Venetian men. Instead, she becomes Othello’s wife.
Even though he is a noble man, he is a Moor, an outsider. She rebels against her father and does not
marry a white man of choice. To add more, she rebels against Venetian society, where interracial
marriages were frowned upon.

Throughout the play, Othello and Desdemona’s relationship goes through some changes, and so does
she. In the beginning, they loved and respected each other. However, Iago’s evil plot and Othello’s
jealousy ruined it. Desdemona was an adventurous and independent woman, but after verbal and
physical abuse, she becomes passive. She insists on her innocence until the very end. With her dying
breath, she blames herself for the abuse from Othello’s side.

Desdemona is into her husband. She was madly in love with him. However, the reader could track some
naivety in the character of Desdemona when it came to marital relationships. She asked Emilia if it was
possible that a woman cheated on her husband. She is not aware that Othello suspects her of infidelity,
as the thought would have never crossed her mind. She is loyal to her husband, even on her deathbed,
as she finds it unbearable to think that her husband turned against her.

Emilia

Emilia is the wife of Iago and a handmaiden to Desdemona. Iago regularly mistreats and humiliates her.
He convinces her to take Desdemona’s handkerchief to win his good graces, spurring Othello’s jealousy.
When Othello questions her about Desdemona's guilt, she defends her and suspects that someone else
is manipulating him. When she finds Othello killing Desdemona and discovers her husband’s role in the
plotting, she refuses to stay silent – which results in Iago murdering her.
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Emilia Character Analysis:

At the beginning of the play, it might seem that Emilia is one of Iago’s puppets. She agrees to encourage
her mistress to advocate on behalf of Cassio and steal the handkerchief. These suggest that she might
have been aware of Iago’s plans and gladly helped him.

However, as the play progresses, Emilia provides an interesting perspective on womanhood. She claims
that men are usually to blame when their wives cheat on them. Men cheat all the time, so women
should have equal rights to do the same. Emilia’s monologue is a feminist manifesto. Or the closest thing
we can get, considering it was written in the 1600s.

Throughout the play, Emilia and Desdemona develop a strong relationship. Though different at first,
cynical and worldly, Emilia becomes good friends with young Desdemona. In fact, they bond thanks to
issues with their husbands. While Emilia was trapped in toxic relationships with Iago, Desdemona had
perfect, though temporary, relationships with Othello.

Emilia and Iago’s relationship is not something to describe as “perfect.” The ensign would constantly
embarrass and disrespect his wife. He would make terrible remarks about her lack of intelligence. She
steals the handkerchief in hopes that he would appreciate her at least a little bit. And yet, he does not.

One wrong action from Emilia’s side results in Desdemona’s death. When she realizes that Othello killed
his wife, she immediately lashes out at him. The man has just proven that he is capable of killing, and
she fearlessly promises to bring him justice. Then, she understands that Iago played an essential role in
Desdemona’s death. She insists on telling everyone the evil plots of her husband. He threatens her to be
quiet, but she does not listen. Iago stabs his wife in desperation. Though she could not undo
Desdemona’s death, she could shed light on the truth and die behind her mistress.

Bianca

Bianca is Cassio’s lover though she is very jealous after realizing what Iago has plotted for the man she
loves. Bianca is referred in the play as a harlot and a whore since she is poor and coming from a lower
class as compared to Emilia and Desdemona. She is used by Iago to make Othello jealous by dropping
Desdemona’s handkerchief at Cassio’s feet. This confirmed that Desdemona was committing adultery.
Othello’s suspicion is confirmed after Bianca conducts a good act with the handkerchief. Bianca allowed
Iago to use her which made her become disloyal to her lover Cassio causing the lives of Othello and
Desdemona.
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Bianca (Othello) is a courtesan. She is in love with Cassio, who treats her poorly throughout the story.
Yet, she can be viewed as the only truly independent woman.

Bianca Character Analysis:

Bianca is a Venetian courtesan who is in love with Cassio. He is affectionate about her, but she is not as
important to him as his career. It first reveals itself when Bianca finds Desdemona’s handkerchief in his
room. Cassio asks her to copy the pattern, and she does not take this lightly. Bianca suspects that he has
a new lover and becomes Cassio’s jealous lover in Othello. That plays well for Iago’s plan.

When the ensign (Iago) insinuates that there is a romance between Desdemona and Cassio, Bianca
enters with the handkerchief and refuses to copy it. This moment plays a crucial role in the play. Her
outburst convinces Othello that something is going on between his wife and the lieutenant. This
moment of jealousy also disproves Emilia’s theory that only men experience this feeling.

Bianca, in Othello, is a character that is being socially pressured. She was a prostitute. At that time,
married women were seen as ideal as their husbands ruled them. Meanwhile, prostitutes controlled
themselves. Society was petrified by those women, as they could be in perfect control of their lives.
Bianca is the perfect example of the fear of such power. She was not afraid to show her affection for
Cassio, though he would not accept it. He was scared to see himself under her control.

Even though Bianca fancied Cassio and received payments and gifts from him, she was a free woman.
No man owned her. Besides, Bianca’s character traits reveal that she is not a shallow prostitute. She is
an empowered woman who shatters beliefs about male superiority.

As Iago stabs Cassio, Bianca is accused of being part of the group which attacked the lieutenant. She is
led off to be questioned about the attack and not mentioned in the play anymore.

How women are perceived in the play:

A woman’s chastity and fidelity are held in high regard. When Desdemona is perceived to be unfaithful,
the consequences are integral in driving the action and ultimate tragedy of the play, although the
perception was an erroneous one. The men in the play appear to have different opinions on women.
Iago appears to despise them while Cassio and Othello assume a more conventional approach because
they idolize them. However, for the majority, a woman does not appear to have much value beyond her
femininity and beauty.

In fact, from a feminist viewpoint, it is a double tragedy since the actual tragedy of the needless death of
Othello and his wife would have been avoided if Emilia and Desdemona had previously been allowed a
voice. It is apparent, however, that in the play a man is judged by his actions. He also must answer for
his wife's. As a result, Othello passes fatal judgment on both himself and his wife, albeit based on a
misconception.

Women, on the other hand, are not allowed to prove or even defend themselves. Desdemona, for
instance, is judged not by virtue of her character, but what others think about her. This is self-evident in
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the fact that even when there is a dispute about her, she is ironically not called in to give her evidence.
Her father determines that she has been forced into marriage with Othello and starts planning to rescue
her without first attempting to consider the fact that she may want to have a say on the matter.

When she claims to love him, Brabantio is convinced she must have been bewitched. He does not
believe her capability of making an independent decision about loving Othello. It is apparent that when
the virtues and personalities of women are held in high esteem, their roles are restricted and diminished
by the inability of men to perceive them on an equal or objective basis.

Emilia, Iago’s wife, is another woman in the play who engenders the diminished role that has been
ascribed to the fairer sex by the dominant one. Her voice is constantly silenced by her husband, who has
made it abundantly clear that he does not respect her intellect. He speaks with such spitefulness and
rudeness to Emilia that Desdemona appears confused whether the woman had a right to express her
feelings. On several occasions, Iago puts Emilia down and rudely dismisses her.

When she gives him a handkerchief, he arrogantly refuses to tell her why he wants it. However, she is
still willing to lie for him, although she is ignorant of what he is plotting. The arrogance of men in the
face of their women is satirized by the fact that Othello has the answers that would have enabled him to
see reason, but he dismisses them because they were supplied by Emilia. , because she is a woman,
according to him, she is simple-minded and could be easily coerced to lying for Desdemona.

It appears that the primary role of women in the play is for them to act as a basis on which men are
evaluated. The chastity of the woman is used as a means through which men are measured in the eyes
of society. The promiscuity of a woman is seen not so much as a moral failure on her part, but
foolishness in her man that drives Othello into a murderous rage. In a way, women are also used to keep
score and determine the social class. For example, Othello is seen as undeserving of the white woman
because of his inferior race.

In conclusion, women have been diminished in the face of men. Even the main female character,
Desdemona, is introduced as intelligent and self-assured, but after she becomes Othello’s wife, her
independence and self-assurance diminish.

She is relegated to the role of a silent wife who dies due to her husband’s folly. Ironically, even when she
is killed, she does not dare to impugn his reputation. The honor of a man is far more important than the
life of a woman. Judging from the treatment and perception of women in the play, it is abundantly clear
that in the Elizabethan period, women are meant to be seen and not heard.

Gender roles in Othello:

Through Othello, we get to learn of privilege practices in patriarchal marriages and restrictions and
suppression of femininity in the play. According to the play, women were only meant to marry whereby
after marriage they were massively held responsible for child rearing and house management.
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In addition, Elizabethan society expected women to be obedient, silent, and chaste to their fathers,
husbands, and brothers; let’s say that the society expected women to obey men in general. The society
saw women to be psychologically and physiologically inferior to men. The following compares the
principal female characters in the play Othello: Desdemona, Bianca, and Emilia. It demonstrates the
restrictions placed on women during Elizabethan era.

Women as possessions:

The play Othello clearly demonstrates women as possession. After hearing Othello’s defense and
Brabantio’s complain, the Duke allows Desdemona to go with Othello to Cyprus. Her fate was thus
decided for by a man. Iago is assigned by Othello who ironically describes him as an honest and
trustworthy man to inform the Duke that “To his conveyance I assign my wife (Shakespeare 283).”
Following Othello’s comments, we can clearly get to know how he views his wife; he treats Desdemona
as his own possession.

Actually, Othello sees her as a commodity which should be transported and guided everywhere. The first
senator asks Othello just before they leave for Cyprus to take good care and look after Desdemona. On
the other hand, Desdemona’s father sees her as his property. Brabantio believes that Othello stole
Desdemona from him without his permission.

When Iago woke up Brabantio to inform him that Othello had eloped with his daughter Desdemona, he
called out, “Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! Thieves! Thieves! Look to your house, your daughter,
and your bags! Thieves! Thieves (Shakespeare 1.1.7)!” Iago is suggesting by his shouts that Othello has
stolen Brabantio’s property.

The role and occupation of women is also depicted in Othello’s loving words to his wife Desdemona
when he called her “Come, my dear love, /the purchase made, the fruits are to ensue (Shakespeare
II.3.8-9).” Thus, he portrays her as a commodity, as something that can be bought.

This clearly describes what marriage meant in Elizabethan society; it was an act of purchase whereby
women were bought by their husbands as a favor while they were expected to sexually fulfil men’s
desires since men considered it a return for the privilege done to them.

Iago also depicted the view of women possession by men in the society when he believed that Othello
had slept with Emilia his wife. Iago said, ‘it is thought abroad that “twixt my sheets/He’s done my office
(Shakespeare I.3.381-2).” Iago felt bad when he realized what Othello had used his possession and that
is what drove him to revenge by insulting Emilia in public before killing her.

Emilia never complained since she is expected to obey her husband, above all to remain silent and not
complain in any way. This shows that women were actually deprived of their humanity during
Elizabethan era. Iago had the intention of sleeping with Othello’s wife Desdemona as payment for what
he did to him. He wanted to use Othello’s possession just as Othello supposedly used his.

He clearly stated in act two of the play that “evened with him, wife for wife (Shakespeare II.1.290).” The
feelings of women are completely ignored in the play. For example, Desdemona and Emilia’s feelings
have completely been disregarded in the play. This clearly brings out the fact that women were merely
objects to be used by men to fulfil their own desires; they were perceived as possessions by men.
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Woman as submissive

Desdemona depicts women being submissive to their husbands and this can be seen when she
continually obeys orders from her husband Othello from the beginning of their relationship to later
stages of the play when Othello got jealous. Desdemona herself declared that “I am obedient
(Shakespeare III.3.89).”

Towards the end of the play, we still see Desdemona obeying Othello’s commands; she submissively
agreed to go to bed when Othello ordered her to do so. Even in her final breath, though full of grief, she
remains faithful and true to Othello and gives him an alibi which he does not use. This shows that
Desdemona has completely accepted and respected her role as a woman in the society; she is an
obedient wife to Othello.

Emilia being known as a strong character in the play also indicates her awareness of her proper roles as
a woman in the society. At the end of the play when she revealed Iago’s plans, she says that “Tis proper I
obey him, but not now’ (Shakespeare V.2.195).” Though Emilia decided to disobey her husband, she still
felt the urge to explain why she had deviated from her responsibility as a woman.

Bianca also expresses similar sentiments but consoles herself after Cassio spurned at her because he
wanted her to be circumstanced. Bianca is being forced by the laws of the society to get circumstanced,
actually she did not want to put up with the idea of being circumstanced which implies that Bianca had
no choice but to agree and embrace the laws of the society. She feels compelled by the laws of society
to be ‘circumstanced’ - to ‘put up with it’ - implying that she has no other choice.

Based on what the three characters went through, we can clearly see that society weighs heavily on
women’s shoulders. This has left them feel like they need to support men themselves even if the men’s
actions are not worth bearing with. Brabantio clearly expressed his thoughts concerning women as
being, “of spirit still and quiet’ and ‘A maiden never bold (Shakespeare I.3.95-97).”

Brabantio expresses his expectations of women through his words. Women are to obey men by
following all rules of nature. It was natural in Elizabethan society for females to do what their husbands,
fathers and brothers told them. This is what was termed as being natural; any other action was termed
as unnatural since society did not recognize it.

At the beginning of the play, Desdemona is featured as a confident, defiant, and strong woman;
however, she ended up becoming a victim of emotional and physical abuse which led to her death.
Despite being obedient and passive to her husband, she blames herself for his violent behavior.

Desdemona decides to take the blame for the harm; when Emilia asks her who was responsible for the
bruises on her face she replies “Nobody; I myself. Farewell (Shakespeare 5.2.29).” Desdemona exhibited
symptoms of a “battered woman syndrome.” However, she puts all the blame on herself and endured
all the abuses from Othello.
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Women as powerful

The play Othello also depicts that women can also be powerful. This statement means that women in
the play had the right to question men even though society was too harsh on them. At the end of the
play in Act IV, we see Emilia damming her opinions concerning men; she argues that women are not
physically different from men. She states, “Let husbands know, their wives have sense like them; they
see and smell and have their palates both for sweet and sour as husbands have” (Shakespeare IV.3.92-
5).

Emilia believes that women too undergo suffering just like men; they also have affections and desires.
However, she believes that men are weak mentally. Emilia suggests that men are simplistic and brutish
since they are not able to control their own desires with their own logical thought.

This is very evident in the play through Iago and Othello’s actions, which proves Emilia’s statement.
Desdemona exhibits the strength of a woman in public when she makes a powerful speech as she tries
to explain to her father her duties as a woman to Othello. She openly disagrees with her father.

Women in the play are depicted as a source of strength to women. When Othello mistakes his wife by
believing the bad rumor that she is cheating on him, he feels like he does not want to be a soldier
anymore. He is convinced that he has lost his masculinity and that is why he does not have any form of
desire for thrusting cannons, big wars, and military music.

Desdemona’s infidelity leaves him emasculated (deprived of male role or identity). This brings out the
biggest role women played in Elizabethan society; they acted as a source of strength to their husbands.
Othello totally loses pleasure in the things he loved and instead becomes filled with rage and anger and
seeks revenge for what Cassio has done to him not knowing that it was just a bad rumor.

Women being disloyal and promiscuous

Bianca is Cassio’s lover though she is very jealous after realizing what Iago has plotted for the man she
loves. Bianca is referred in the play as a harlot and a whore since she is poor and coming from a lower
class as compared to Emilia and Desdemona. She is used by Iago to make Othello jealous by dropping
Desdemona’s handkerchief at Cassio’s feet.

This confirmed that Desdemona was committing adultery. Othello’s suspicion is confirmed after Bianca
conducts a good act with the handkerchief. Bianca allowed Iago to use her which made her become
disloyal to her lover Cassio causing the lives of Othello and Desdemona.

Brabantio believes that since Desdemona had the strength to deceive her own father by eloping with
Othello, there is a great possibility that she can deceive her husband too by another man. The main idea
that Brabantio has is that “unruly daughter will make an unruly and promiscuous wife (Shakespeare
213).”
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Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him. He tells Othello that a woman who could
easily obey and deceive her father is capable of screwing around with other men. Othello does not think
twice or see that Desdemona’s decision to escape with him is a sign of love and loyalty to him. He,
however, sees it the way Iago had told him; a sign of infidelity and disloyalty.

This shows that most men in Venetian society believe that those women who stood strong to oppose
men were capable of doing worse things. They are considered disloyal and promiscuous. However,
often, in almost all the scenes in the play, we see that Othello is always preoccupied by matters of flesh
whenever he was talking with his wife. This also brings out the role of women in the society which is
objects for satisfaction.

The male society in the play, despite rating women as second citizens, also constructed them as evil for
luring them into sexual sin. Iago stereotypes women by suggesting that they are not always as they
appear; he believes that women are more of housewives and wild cats.

On the other hand, after Othello wrongly mistook Desdemona for cheating on him, he ceases to find any
form of sexual power. While speaking to Iago concerning his plan to murder Desdemona, he becomes
adamant and states that he will “not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind
again” (Shakespeare IV.1.203-5).

Generally, all the women in the play are accused of inappropriate sexual behaviors and prostitution yet
as we see it, none of the women appear guilty of what they are accused of. This shows how men
undermine women and how possessive they are such that if they get any form of information that they
are or have cheated on them; they do everything within their power to avenge it. This also shows that
men blame women for their failures instead of accepting that they are wrong, they put the full blame on
women.

In conclusion, the play Othello explores issues of power and the main difference that existed between
male and female roles and occupation during the Elizabethan period. Through the play, we get to learn
of privilege practices in patriarchal marriages and restrictions and suppression of femininity in the play.

Women are taken as possessions by their men, they should be submissive and to be blamed in cases
when men fail. Women are also considered as disloyal and promiscuous beings in the society. However,
despite the challenges women faced in Elizabethan period, we also see them standing out to be strong
and courageous as depicted by Desdemona and Emilia.

Women as temptresses
This is not to say, however, that women in Othello do not exhibit any signs of wielding power. Othello,
when talking of his wife, often seems pre-occupied with matters of the flesh. Bemoaning the fact that he
did not know earlier of his wife’s supposed infidelity, Othello argues that he would have been happier ‘If
the general camp, /Pioneers and all, had tasted her sweet body, /So I had nothing known’ (III.3.342-4).
He appears to be obsessed with Desdemona’s sexuality. On his way to murder his wife, he states that
‘Thy bed, lust-stained, shall with lust’s blood be spotted’ (V.1.36). The repetition of the word ‘lust’,
combined with the sexual associations of Desdemona’s bed and the violent plosives and sibilants of this
line, reflects and draws attention to Othello’s preoccupation with sensual matters.
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This preoccupation is partly driven by the fact that Desdemona wields so much sexual power over him.
Even Cassio refers, jokingly, to Desdemona as ‘Our great Captain’s Captain’ (II.1.75), implying that she is
the only individual capable of controlling and taming Othello. Desdemona uses this when attempting to
persuade Othello to reinstate Cassio: she tells the latter that ‘My lord shall never rest’ (III.3.22) until she
has changed his mind, an indication of the tenacity of the woman. Attempting to change his mind,
Desdemona is not frightened to use her position and sexuality:

‘Tell me, Othello. I wonder in my soul

What you would ask me that I should deny,

Or stand so mammering on?’ (III.3.68-70)

In this instance, she refers to her own unquestioning desire to please Othello, implying that he cannot
love her as she loves him if he is able to refuse her what she wants. Othello responds with the
interestingly oxymoronic term of endearment ‘Excellent wretch’ (III.3.90), suggesting that he is aware
that her manipulation of him is fairly ‘wretched’ yet finds it ‘excellently’ compelling.

Later in the play, however, Othello ceases to find Desdemona’s sexual power so entertaining. Speaking
to Iago about his planned murder of Desdemona, Othello is adamant that he will ‘not expostulate with
her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again’ (IV.1.203-5). As far is Othello is concerned, if he
is tempted into conversation and interaction with his wife, then her overpowering sexuality will deter
him from the right and inevitable course of action. He considers her to be a sexual hazard, a strumpet
intent on using her body to blind and deceive him. Male society, in addition to constructing women as
second-rate citizens, also constructs their sexual allure as evil.

Women in Othello
Shakespeare presents Iago as heightening the drama and offensiveness of his message by using mocking
language that mixes racist, animal and diabolical imagery. Female sexuality is presented as something
owned and controlled by men: ‘you’re robbed’ he exclaims, going on to speak in more abstract, yet
catastrophic terms — ‘Your heart is burst, you have lost your very soul’ — which underline the
seriousness of what has befallen Brabantio as well as build anticipation for the specific details he is
about to reveal. The dramatic revelation is made more immediate by a switch to the present tense, and
an insistent tripartite repetition of ‘now’: ‘Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/ Is tupping your
white ewe’. The vulgar language, using animal terms for both Othello and Desdemona, and the dialect
verb ‘tupping’ for copulation, is emotive and demeaning, particularly for Brabantio, a leading Venetian
senator proud of his status, and it casts Desdemona as passive or as succumbing to animal behavior
under the malign influence of Othello, who is presented in such a way as to make the loss of her chastity
three times worse, since he is ‘old’, an animal and ‘black’. The reference to color establishes Othello’s
race disparagingly: the implication in the ‘black’ and ‘white’ sheep contrast is that of interbreeding and,
by extension, that a wrong is being committed through interracial sex. Black also has connotations of
evil. Indeed, in early modern culture devils were often represented as taking on monstrous forms: this is
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in keeping with Iago’s earlier warning about half of Brabantio’s soul being ‘lost’ and his later command
that Brabantio should get up ‘Or else the devil will make a grandsire’ of him.

While Iago takes advantage of Brabantio’s fears of female weakness and their need of protection, he
does not engender these fears: together with Roderigo’s more measured and mannerly speech about
the elopement, he stokes them. Roderigo’s speech casts Desdemona’s elopement not as an act of love,
but as ‘a gross revolt’ against the authority of her father. His fears thus amplified; Brabantio admits ‘this
accident is not unlike my dream’. He already had suspicions of Desdemona and, in Brabantio’s speeches
after the extract, Shakespeare suggests that beliefs about female weakness and their need for paternal
protection is widespread. Brabantio generalizes from Desdemona’s elopement to instruct all fathers to
beware of their daughters:

‘Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters’ minds

By what you see them act. Is there not charms

By which the property of youth and maidhood

May be abused?’

Sexuality is presented not as a natural aspect of human behavior and something over which women
have any control or take pleasure from but as something that magic (‘charms’) incites or which is
provoked by deception (when maidhood is ‘abused’). In this type of patriarchal thought, women are
once more presented as passive and as the property of men.

Yet female sexuality is depicted as being more complex elsewhere. Through Emilia, female sexuality is
depicted as being both the butt of sexist humor and a strength. For example, in Act 2, Scene 1 Iago
mocks Emilia. Cassio has just kissed her with a courtly greeting, when Iago comments if she gave him ‘so
much of her lips/ As of her tongue she oft bestows on’ him, Cassio ‘would have enough’. Iago’s
comment is both sexist and crude since the talk of Emilia’s ‘tongue’ suggests both nagging and sex. In a
public place by the quayside, where there are several characters on stage, these and Iago’s later
comments about women being ‘wild-cats . . . devils’ and so on suggest a culture in which female
sexuality is a source of entertainment for men. Emilia’s actions on stage, however, might suggest
nonchalance, or that she rises above her husband’s gross humor. However, as the scene progresses,
Desdemona takes control of the conversation, having Iago invent praises while she and Emilia criticize
them. Indeed, while Emilia accepts the obedience that was expected from wives to husbands at the
time, there is little in her words or actions to suggest weakness. Furthermore, in the willow scene, she is
presented as being worldly wise compared to Desdemona, who, if not in need of protection, is perhaps
in need of experience. Desdemona’s diffidence in posing the question about women’s unfaithfulness
suggests naivety and awkwardness around sexuality. She prefaces the question with ‘dost thou in
conscience think’, an appeal to ‘tell me Emilia’ and uses the euphemism ‘In such gross kind’.
Desdemona’s uncertain tone contrasts with Emilia’s forthright response that finishes Desdemona’s line
with assuredness: ‘There be some, no question.’ Rather than seeming weak or needing protection,
Emilia’s speech, which is given greater prominence by being at the end of the act, suggests gender
equality: women have just the same sensual tastes as men — ‘they see, and smell, /And have their
palates both for sweet and sour’. While Emilia acknowledges male superiority in her culture, where men
are more active and women more passive — ‘let them use us well’ — the overriding message is of
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equality, which emerges all the more powerfully for having come as the conclusion to a logically ordered
speech that has added prominence and interest through it marking a shift from prose to verse.

Sexism as a Theme of Othello

In Shakespeare’s time, women did not possess the same type of freedom modern women have.
Elizabethan society was extremely patriarchal, meaning that men were considered superior to women in
all regards: intellectually, physically, emotionally. Women were born to be objectified by men, serve
them, and be treated as their subordinates or, even worse, their possessions. The Bible supported this
point of view, and disobedience was seen as a crime against God.

This belief was deeply ingrained into the fabric of Elizabethan society. Not surprisingly, Shakespeare’s
plays reflect this belief as well. The question of the gender roles in Othello becomes one of the most
important in the entire play.

There are only three female characters in Othello—Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. All of them are
maltreated by their partners. These three females have different socioeconomic statuses, and it dictates
the way male characters approach them and the level of freedom and respect they get.

In the play, men respect the boundaries of married women as they belong to their husbands. However,
Iago believes all women are “whores,” and there is no difference between a housewife and a street lady.
He claims:

“Come on, come on, you are pictures out of doors, Bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens, Saints
in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives in … Your beds!”

An analysis of the three women in Othello will allow readers to see that even though all three women in
Othello have strong personalities, they have been oppressed by culture and male dominance. This
systemic oppression made women content with their secondary status in society and their families. The
way Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca are portrayed in Othello could not be more contrasting. This
contrast between them forms the core of the female theme in Othello.

Desdemona
Desdemona is the first female character readers encounter in the play. From the first pages, readers see
that she has very little control over her destiny. She tries to resist her father’s authority, but not because
she wants to regain her freedom or find her voice. She fights it because she is in love. She wants to
marry Othello and live an adventurous life with him.

Desdemona’s first words in the play show the deep respect for her father and his dominant position in
her life:

“My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty. To you, I am bound for life and education. My life
and education both do teach me how to respect you. You are the lord of my duty, I am hitherto your
 13

daughter. But here’s my husband, and so much duty as my mother showed to you, preferring you before
her father, so much I challenge that I may profess due to the Moor my lord.”

This speech shows Desdemona’s intelligence, her emotionality, her eloquence. In fact, she sounds more
eloquent than her father or Othello himself. It is also peculiar that the issue of “duty” remains
unchallenged by Desdemona. She sees herself as a possession that should be transferred from one man
to another. Desdemona cannot imagine herself being alienated from men completely. She thinks that
she only exists in relation to them.

After she is approved to get married, she is treated as a possession by her husband, Othello. She must
ask for permission to go to Cyprus with him, but Othello views her as a commodity that needs
transportation and protection. A little bit later in the play, the Duke tells Othello to “use her well.” It can
be interpreted in two ways: the first one is to take care of Desdemona. Well, the second one is to take
advantage of her, to use her literally.

In Elizabethan times, marriages, especially in higher society, were strictly pre-arranged. Desdemona
breaks all the societal norms when she chooses her husband. Iago tells her father, “Hath made a gross
revolt, tying her beauty, wit, and fortunes in an extravagant and wheeling stranger.” As a result of her
actions, Brabantio disowns her.

Later in the play, Desdemona realizes her entrapped position, but it is already too late. She suffers abuse
in Othello’s hands, and he verbally abuses her by calling her “whore.” She has no place to go back as her
father does not want to see her again.

Desdemona realizes it, saying, “this is my wretched fortune.” She accepts her destiny, even if it is to die.

Emilia
Emilia, another woman in the play, is Desdemona’s only faithful supporter. She explicitly questions the
world’s injustice, “Hath she forsook . . . / Her father, and her country, all her friends, / To be called a
whore?”

Emilia does realize that the position women have in society is unjust. In their private conversation, she
tells Desdemona that all the problems are coming from men. She is the voice of feminism in Othello.
However, Emilia speaks her mind only in front of Desdemona. When it comes to speaking for herself or
defending herself, she is not able to do that.

Emilia is Iago’s wife. She obeys him and unknowingly helps him in his scheme. However, Iago does not
show any love or respect for her. He is jealous and upset with her as he thinks that Emilia and Othello
had an affair. Iago claims that Othello:

“Twixt my sheets
He’s done my office.”

Iago objectifies his wife and deprives her of humanity by calling her “seat,” “sheets,” or “office.”

The audience does not feel that Iago has any feelings for Emilia. She is merely a possession for him. He
kills her without hesitation because she reveals his evil plan and decides to stay loyal to Desdemona. In a
way, in this last scene, she behaved unfaithfully to her husband, and therefore she deserves to be killed.
 14

Her death is very spontaneous and symbolic at the same time. Once Emilia finds her voice and speaks
up, Iago uses violence to make sure she keeps silent. Most of the women are silenced in Othello.

Men, who are witnessing the argument between Emilia and Iago, are all armed. It would be reasonable
to take a stand and defend an unarmed woman. However, no one intervenes, and she has no means to
defend herself.

Bianca
At the beginning of the play, Iago tells the audience that Bianca is a whore. However, there is no
evidence in the text that supports this claim. After all, Iago is not the most reliable source of information
in the play.

Bianca is a crucial character because she creates a parallel with Othello, a parallel with Desdemona, and
a parallel with Emilia. She is not involved in scheming, Iago is not trying to use her in his plot, and she
has the authority of her own.

Besides Othello, Bianca is the only other character in the play who gets jealous. How she reacts proves
that Othello’s actions could have been prevented. Her love for Cassio does not change after she
suspects him of having an affair with another woman. She does not want revenge. She just wants to
know the truth.

The way Cassio and Bianca communicate does not look like they are in a prostitute and client
relationship. Cassio calls her “my most fair Bianca,” “my love.” They address one another so sweetly that
it sounds like two people that are in an equal power partnership.

Bianca is judged and accused by other characters for having an intimate relationship outside of
marriage. However, Cassio does not get the same type of judgment for having premarital sex. It proves
that there are double standards in Othello’s presentation of women.

For many years, critics and the audience were unfair to Bianca as well. However, she is simply a
financially and sexually independent woman. Her life belongs to her and not to her husband or her
father. She is aware of her sexuality and challenges the norms.

There are a lot of sexist remarks in Othello that penetrate the text. Iago is a misogynist, and throughout
the whole play, he keeps calling Bianca names. He calls her – “strumpet,” “trash,” “creature,” etc. All of
this harassment happens behind her back, so she cannot defend her dignity. Only when Emilia calls her
“strumpet” in her face, Bianca responds:

“I am no strumpet
but of life as honest as you, that thus
abuse me.”

Unlike Desdemona and Emilia, she can speak for herself.

 15

Female Sexuality
Alongside the female oppression in Othello and continuous female abuse in Othello, Desdemona has
power over her husband due to her sexuality. Desdemona is not afraid to use her sexuality to persuade
Othello. For instance, when she decides to talk about Cassio’s case, Desdemona knows how strong her
influence on Othello is. Otherwise, she would not agree to talk to Othello about that. She is beautiful,
she is young, and Othello desires her.

The sex theme and sexual remarks are present throughout the play. Mainly, Iago is the one who brings
these conversations up. However, even Othello himself talks about sex on multiple occasions.

At the beginning of the play, Othello tells Desdemona, “Come, my dear love, /The purchase made, the
fruits are to ensue.” This comment shows that Othello views marriage as a “purchase” and “the fruits”
as sex. A woman is expected to fulfill the sexual desires of her husband. However, a woman who shows
her sexuality is immediately labeled as a “whore.”

Throughout the play, the word “whore” has been used more than ten times and towards all three
female characters. However, most of the time, it is being used in regards to Bianca, the third heroine. All
women in Othello are innocent and, nevertheless, suffer verbal and physical abuse. The audience sees
these women through the prism of masculinity and male judgment, but it is evident that these women
have stories of their own. They have minds of their own, feelings of their own, and voices of their own.
Those women are not weak or passive, as many critics believe. They are simply oppressed.

Othello and Desdemona as emotional

strangers
In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, the main character is a man named Othello. He is a Moor, a man
with dark skin, who has earned his way to the rank of commanding general in Venice. The play opens
with Othello, appearing in nightclothes before an angry mob, trying to defend himself against the
accusation that he has shamed the daughter of a wealthy Venetian merchant by joining her in bed.

Iago, another character, helps to incite the mob, but Desdemona appears next to Othello, telling them
that she is absolutely devoted to Othello and the two of them are married. It is one of the things that
Shakespeare is praised for that these two characters are able to demonstrate such strong emotion.

Their love for each other is seen in their unwavering devotion in this first test of their relationship as
they face down the town. However, even this intense emotion, perhaps especially this sort of intense
emotion, can easily work against itself. This is demonstrated throughout the play as Iago carefully
manipulates Othello’s perceptions, playing off of his insecurities and enflaming his jealousies to the
point of violence.

Unaware of what is happening, Desdemona continues to show her fierce devotion to her husband which
both blinds her to the truth of Othello’s murderous emotions and feeds them. In the end, both
 16

Desdemona and Othello are blinded by their emotions, preventing them from seeing reality which leads
to their deaths.

Even before Desdemona appears in the play, it is clear to the audience that she loves Othello beyond all
reason. Although much of this idea is perhaps lost on a modern audience, Shakespeare’s audience
would have been shocked at the idea that a young girl of good breeding would think to marry someone
without her father’s approval or knowledge and that she would marry a man of a different race at a time
when that was rare.

She is not a bad girl, though, as she shows her father sincere devotion as soon as she comes on stage.
She tells him, “To you I am bound for life and education; / My life and education both do learn me / How
to respect you: you are the lord of duty; / I am hitherto your daughter” (I, iii, 182-85). In these lines, she
recognizes the care and devotion he has given her, acknowledges the gifts he has bestowed upon her
and admits that up to this point, she belonged entirely to him.

However, she then says that her duty has been transferred to Othello, who she has taken as her
husband. If it is thought that race did not mean anything to the people back then, Desdemona’s father’s
reaction to her marriage removes any doubt. This is something Desdemona doesn’t feel is important
even though it will limit her social circle. These considerations continue to illustrate the degree of
dedication Desdemona feels for Othello.

As Othello begins to express his jealousy, Desdemona does nothing to condemn his behavior. Instead,
she agonizes trying to figure out what she might have done to upset him. She never thinks perhaps he is
acting unjustly, irrationally, or improperly nor does she think that her promises to Cassio might have a
role in Othello’s strange behavior. Because her love for Othello is so strong, it does not occur to her to
consider he might suspect her intentions regarding Cassio.

Knowing him to be a just man and a capable leader, she cannot believe he would think such things of
her or of his once favorite. This strong emotion for him coupled with her puzzlement over his recent
behavior makes it impossible for her to realize the dangerous state of Othello’s emotions or their
nature. However, even in the final moments before she dies, Desdemona continues to express love for
her husband and satisfaction at her choice for marriage.

Unlike Desdemona, who has a pure and innocent nature, Othello allows jealousy and suspicion to rule
him throughout most of the play despite his own innate innocence. In the opening scene, Othello shows
why he was able to achieve his high rank even though he was a stranger to Venice society.

He is a strong adherent to the military code of honor. This code of honor meant strong adherence to a
specific set of expected behaviors which included honorable combat among matched foes, adherence to
home society laws, fundamental trust of fellow soldiers and an action-oriented approach to life.

In defending Desdemona and his marriage, Othello shows his appreciation for this code in his willingness
to argue and defend his position while refusing to take up arms against a man vastly inferior in fighting
ability and family by marriage. The higher a person’s rank, the more he is expected to honor the code
and, as seems the case with Othello, the harder it is for him to conceive of someone else breaking it.

Whereas Desdemona starts the play arguing for their love, Othello receives the first blow to his faith in
his wife. This blow comes from her father as he expresses his own fit of rage. He warns Othello, “Look to
 17

her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: / She has deceived her father, and may thee” (I, iii, 292-93). Iago
exploits Othello’s soldier’s code after hearing the father’s word as he talks about Othello’s “free and
open nature / That thinks men honest that but seem to be so; / And will as tenderly be led by th’ nose /
As asses are” (I, iii, 393-96). Thus, Iago uses this moment of doubt and suspicion and his own knowledge
of Othello’s inner beliefs and insecurities as a means of poisoning the newlyweds.

Rather than understanding Desdemona’s attempts to reunite him with his friend for what they were,
Othello hears the ideas that Iago has put in his head about a possible relationship between Desdemona
and Cassio. When he sees Desdemona talking earnestly with Cassio, he assumes the worst even though
her words, “Do not doubt, Cassio, / But I will have my lord and you again / As friendly as you were” (III,
iii, 5-7), reveal her pure intentions and Othello’s central role in their minds.

Despite the nobility and command Othello demonstrates at the beginning of the play, his emotions
regarding Desdemona are too overpowering for him to see clearly. Not until his rage is worked out in
action does Othello calm down enough to start thinking again. As he learns of her true innocence and his
own foolishness, he understands that he cannot live with the tremendous guilt at having killed his love
and he runs himself through with his sword.

Both Desdemona and Othello are too blinded by their emotions to be able to see the truth. Desdemona
tries to demonstrate through her words and actions that she loves Othello and only Othello, but she is
unable to see that her attempts at reassurance are only making the misunderstanding deeper. Othello,
because of the way in which Iago has painted the scene, is only capable of seeing the ugliness that Iago
has suggested.

He accepts it because he has survived by listening to his men before anyone and believing Iago has the
same fierce loyalty to his captain that Othello feels for his superior. Had Desdemona not been blind to
Othello’s doubts of her love, she might have found a way to reach him. Had Othello not been blinded by
his complicated emotions forcing him to fall back on his soldier’s code, he would not have reached the
point of violence.

Essay questions on women in Othello

from past papers
Note: the memorandums are only a guideline. The points still need to be peeled for you to have
excellent literary essays.

Tips for when writing the essay:

1. Always write in PRESENT TENSE.

2. Use linking words such as furthermore, moreover, however, although etc. to make the essay
more coherent.
3. Begin the essay like this: “In the drama Othello by William Shakespeare...’’
 18

4. Rephrase the question in the introduction and then expand on it. Summarize the content of
your essay in the introduction.
5. PEEL.
6. DO NOT NARRATE.
7. Restate your argument in your conclusion.
8. Use formal language (no slang, contractions, and made-up words)

Desdemona and Emilia contradict the idea that Venetian women are submissive and immoral. Critically
discuss the extent to which you agree with the above statement.

Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 400–450 words (2–2½ pages).

Memo

Venetian women are subject to a patriarchal society and are expected to be submissive. At times,
Desdemona and Emilia adhere to the stereotype, while at other times they challenge their society. The
perception of women as sexually immoral does not apply to Emilia and Desdemona.

• Brabantio expects Desdemona to be dutiful and obedient. However, she defies him by eloping with
Othello.

• Roderigo regards Desdemona as a prize; as someone whose affections can be bought. Desdemona
contradicts his view of women by rejecting him and the wealthy Venetian suitors, instead marrying for
love.

• Iago objectifies women of Desdemona's class as a means of improving one's status. He is a misogynist
with no respect for women. As Iago's unwitting tools in his plan for revenge, Desdemona and Emilia
passively accept his requests and advice. However, they both ultimately prove that he under-estimates
women.

• Initially, it is Desdemona's strength of character that Othello admires; he regards her as an equal.
However, Othello's perception of Desdemona and women in general is altered as a result of Iago's
manipulation and deception, and his (Othello's) jealousy. He now sees both Desdemona and Emilia as
immoral.

• At the beginning of the play, Desdemona is strong and determined. She asserts herself with her father
and at the Venetian Senate by courageously choosing Othello. She stubbornly disregards Othello's
wishes that she not pursue the matter of Cassio's reinstatement.

• Desdemona defiantly lies about the whereabouts of the handkerchief, thus reinforcing Othello's belief
in her immorality.

• Later, Desdemona appears passive and submissive, even blaming herself for Othello's unjust behavior
toward her. Despite Othello's public display of violence against her, she is dignified and justifies
Othello's altered behavior as his being stressed by 'matters of state'. She feels that she has accused him
unfairly. Her conversation with Emilia about men's insensitive treatment of women contradicts the
 19

stereotype that all women are immoral. She cannot even bring herself to say the words, let alone
commit adultery. Desdemona remains devoted and loyal to Othello, even defending him on her
deathbed.

• Emilia reveals her non-traditional views on marriage and gives Desdemona worldly advice. Despite her
inadvertently betraying Desdemona by giving Iago the handkerchief, she is courageous when she
exposes Iago by speaking against him, thus proving her loyalty to Desdemona. She clearly displays the
characteristics of a strong-minded woman by exposing her husband and denouncing Othello.

• Candidates might refer to the men's perception of Venetian women as adulterers. However, both
Desdemona and Emilia contradict this view as they are loyal to their husbands.

The female characters in Shakespeare's Othello are victims of male oppression.

Critically assess the validity of this statement in a well-constructed essay of 400–450 words (2–2½ pages).

memo

Candidates are expected to discuss all of the female characters; however, in their responses they might
choose to agree and/or disagree with the validity of the statement. Candidates might choose to discuss
some or all of the following points:

• In the Venice of the play, a male-dominated society thrives. Although Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca
are very different from one another, they are all victims to some extent of male oppression.

• To some men, women are possessions and described in sexist and derogatory terms. Roderigo's and
Iago's ribald descriptions bear testimony to this.

• When Desdemona speaks to her father about her 'obedience' and her 'divided duty', it becomes
apparent that men expect women to be dutiful and submissive.

• Desdemona is assertive and at times audacious, refusing to be oppressed by men. She speaks her mind
to her father and the Senate and insists on accompanying Othello to Cyprus. She is a strong-willed,
courageous woman who is prepared to defy the stereotypical attitudes of her time. Initially, Othello
regards Desdemona as an equal and she demands to be treated equally.

• Later, however, Desdemona fails to speak for herself with clarity and authority when Othello verbally
and physically abuses her. By defending his actions, she becomes a submissive and obedient wife.
Ultimately, she is a victim of Othello's overpowering strength and oppressive jealousy.

• Emilia is verbally abused by Iago and initially she obeys him without question. However, Emilia is not
simply passive. She is a realist who later displays great courage and defies her victimhood and her duties
 20

as a wife when she refuses to obey Iago. She is prepared to denounce him even though she realises she
might die in doing so.

• Because of her lower position in society, Bianca is treated with disdain by Michael Cassio, whom she
loves, because he does not regard her as a woman deserving of respect. In doing so, Cassio is guilty of a
form of oppression. He uses her sexually and laughs at her behind her back. She is an exploited
plaything. She becomes an easy target when Iago tries to implicate her in Cassio's attempted murder.

• Female suffering in Othello is caused by the oppression of men. Othello feels justified in killing
Desdemona because of her supposed infidelity. Iago kills Emilia to silence her. Despite her defiance, she
is still a victim.

• Not all men are guilty of the subjugation of women. Lodovico is horrified when Othello strikes
Desdemona and Gratiano is outraged when Iago draws his sword on Emilia.

Emilia and Desdemona can be held accountable for their own deaths.

memo

When Desdemona is first introduced (in Venice), she is assertive and bold.

• She is a woman who dares to go after what she wants and shows bravery. We see this when she
elopes and when she stands up to her father.

• This assertiveness is lost when she later becomes a passive victim of Othello’s anger.

• Desdemona is a sensitive woman who is easily moved to tears of compassion – this is what prompts
her falling in love with Othello in the first place (she pities the dangers he has experienced).

• Her compassion and sensitivity are traits that Iago uses for his own advantage. She readily falls into
Iago’s plans about speaking to Othello on Cassio’s behalf.

• Desdemona sees only the good and positive aspects of everyone’s character. This accounts for her
being easily manipulated.

• She views Othello as a flawless man despite his mistreatment of her: for example, when he calls her a
whore, she is devastated, but does not assertively object.

• Othello humiliates her in public when he slaps and ridicules her. Her only response is that she doesn’t
deserve this. She shows no anger whatsoever; instead, she weeps.

• Most of her actions reveal her love for Othello – these account for her spineless acceptance of his
abuse.

• The traditional subordination of women in Shakespeare’s society would in part also account for
Desdemona's failure to fight back in a way we would expect from a spirited woman of our own day.
 21

• She predicts her own demise by believing that she will have a fate similar to that of her mother’s maid,
Barbary. These approaches being a resigned acceptance of a dreadful fate she does not deserve.

• She orders Emilia to place her wedding sheets on the bed and sings the willow song – again, one would
prefer her to rebel against her impending death, but instead she passively accepts it.

• She does not blame Othello for her death.

• She tries to protect Othello from the consequences of his actions by telling Emilia that

she is responsible for her own death.

• She remains a loyal wife to the end, but her loyalty under the circumstances is misplaced because it
interferes with her taking responsibility for her own life.

• Emilia is not loved by Iago – yet she remains loyal to him.

• Her desperation for love and approval sees her giving Desdemona’s handkerchief to him. Her ready
compliance with his requests reveals that she readily accedes to his demands without
question/suspicion.

Both Iago and Desdemona are responsible for the downfall of

Othello. Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement.

memo

Othello, like most of us, has the potential for both good and evil.

• Desdemona can be seen as representing the finer possibilities of human nature (but not everybody
agrees that she is flawless morally – some have a problem with her deceiving of her father and/or her
lying about what has happened to the handkerchief).

• There are numerous references to her in terms of divinity and other ways of suggesting the
wonderfully excellent.

• As long as Othello is happy in his relationship and trusts Desdemona, his diction is suggestive of the
noble and refined.

• His behavior is in keeping with this diction.

• More astute (or better taught) candidates might go as far as asserting that the Desdemona in Othello
is dominant at the beginning of the play.

• However, Iago is evil.

• His words/imagery and his actions are devilish and bestial.

• Playing on Othello's insecurities, he poisons the general's mind against his wife.
 22

• Iago manipulates Othello into becoming more like him (Iago): a bloody-minded killer.

• Othello's imagery and other aspects of his diction change and become reminiscent of Iago's: he
increasingly uses imagery connected to the hellish and the disgustingly bestial.

• More astute (or better taught) candidates might go as far as asserting that the Iago in Othello is
dominant in the later stages of the play.

• At the end, Othello capitulates to Iago and kills Desdemona, in the process figuratively killing the good
in himself.

• However, he later tries to kill Iago. He fails: the significance of this failure is debatable in that some
might think that his failure to return to his former self is suggested.

• In the end he commits suicide, killing the 'Turk' in himself and executing Venetian justice.

• He dies upon a kiss, beside the body of Desdemona. Perhaps this signifies the final redemption of
Othello.

Desdemona and Emilia contradict the idea that Venetian women are submissive and immoral.

critically discuss the extent to which you agree with the above statement.

memo

Venetian women are subject to a patriarchal society and are expected to be submissive.

At times, Desdemona and Emilia adhere to the stereotype, while at other times they challenge their
society. The perception of women as immoral does not apply to Emilia and Desdemona.

• Brabantio expects Desdemona to be dutiful and obedient. However, she defies him by eloping with
Othello.

• Roderigo regards Desdemona as a prize; as someone whose affections can be bought. Desdemona
contradicts his view of women by rejecting him and the wealthy Venetian suitors, instead marrying for
love

• Iago objectifies women of Desdemona's class as a means of improving one's status. He is a misogynist
with no respect for women. As Iago's unwitting tools in his plan for revenge, Desdemona and Emilia
passively accept his requests and advice. However, they both ultimately prove that he under-estimates
women.

• Initially, it is Desdemona's strength of character that Othello admires; he regards her as an equal.
However, Othello's perception of Desdemona and women in general is altered as a result of Iago's
manipulation and deception, and his (Othello's) jealousy. He now sees both Desdemona and Emilia as
immoral.
 23

• At the beginning of the play, Desdemona is strong and determined. She asserts herself with her father
and at the Venetian Senate by courageously choosing Othello. She stubbornly disregards Othello's
wishes that she not pursue the matter of Cassio's reinstatement.

• Desdemona defiantly lies about the whereabouts of the handkerchief, thus, reinforcing Othello's belief
in her immorality.

• Later, Desdemona appears passive and submissive, even blaming herself for Othello's unjust behavior
toward her. Despite Othello's public display of violence against her, she is dignified and justifies
Othello's altered behavior as his being stressed by 'matters of state'. She feels that she has accused him
unfairly. Her conversation with Emilia about men's insensitive treatment of women contradicts the
stereotype that all women are immoral. She cannot even bring herself to say the words, let alone
commit adultery. Desdemona remains devoted and loyal to Othello, even defending him on her
deathbed.

• Emilia reveals her non-traditional views on marriage and gives Desdemona worldly advice. Despite her
inadvertently betraying Desdemona by giving Iago the handkerchief, she is courageous when she
exposes Iago by speaking against him, thus proving her loyalty to Desdemona. She clearly displays the
characteristics of a strong-minded woman by exposing her husband and denouncing Othello.

Candidates might refer to the men's perception of Venetian women as adulterers. However, both
Desdemona and Emilia contradict this view as they are loyal to their husbands.

THE END.