Use this blog post to either reflect on a specific passage from the article about women in Othello that we didn't discuss in class, or to further explore an idea, a connection, a question, or a passage from our discussion of either "Othello's Alienation" or "Iago the Psychopath."
A good blog post will have an angle or a focus that will be hinted at in the title. This angle will be the driving focus of the blog post. The post will discuss only a few really important specific ideas, connections, or passages from the play and the article, but it will discuss them deeply. Rather than just repeat what's already been said, the writer will strive to explore a new insight or perspective, or will connect ideas from the discussion to passages in the play and/or the article that weren't examined carefully yet. The writing will be clear, effective, and have a sense of voice. Length: approx. 300 words.
One thing I find kind of interesting about the article on the female characters is what the author says about Desdemona. The author claims that Desdemona’s influence on Othello makes her a strong character. I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that though. Sure she has power over her husband, but she is not using it intentionally. So if she has power, but is not using it consciously, does that still make her a strong character? While she is stronger than many other female characters at the time, she is not the strongest female character in the play. That honor goes to Emilia. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself, speaks her mind, and doesn’t let men push her around. I think her strongest moment has to be the monologue she gives where she talks about how women should be seen as equal to their husbands. I suppose she’s ahead of her time in many ways. Although I did notice something. The author says that Emilia’s words at the end of the play break Iago, and that he will have to live the rest of his life in shame. Clearly, the author has never read “Iago the Psychopath”! Iago doesn’t feel remorse, he’s a psychopath! Contradictions and inconsistencies aside however, I believe that Emilia is a great example of a strong female character.
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ReplyDeleteShakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in Othello: An Exaggeration, but it Begs Some Interesting Questions About the Relevance of Shakespeare’s Views
ReplyDeleteBefore my real analysis begins, can I just say that this article is definitely an exaggeration. While the role of women does play prominently into Othello it is hardly as important as the author makes it out to be. Yes, it is there, and yes the play would feel less complete without it, but this is an exaggeration if I ever saw one. If Othello existed as an “ode to the wonders of the female sex” the play would need to be exclusively based around the idea of women’s power over men, and it isn’t. Keep in mind that yes, Othello does go mad because of Desdemona, but this can be considered simply to be a result of his place in Venetian society or Iago’s manipulation; it speaks more of Othello than Desdemona. While it is definitely more prominent as far as Emilia is concerned, she still only revealed one half of Iago’s scheming to the other characters; Roderigo did the other half. Also the author is one of those people who characterizes women as practically being a different species(“Women can be great allies, but maybe far greater foes”). But, if we take the author’s views as being fairly accurate, which I believe they are, to an extent (Emilia is certainly an example of progressive feminist power, Iago’s hatred of women seems to run parallel with him being the most calm and rational when females are concerned as he’s immune to their “sexual power”, and, of course, Roderigo), we can look at how Shakespeare’s views match up with our views today.
In our culture the strong female character is usually the independent, strong woman who is limited by the structure of a patriarchal society that she is out of place in. It is common in popular literature nowadays, especially young adult novels, for these females to be “warriors” for their gender or experts at combat who show up men in battles. Rarely are they satisfied with their place in society, and rarely should they be. If we believe that Shakespeare’s views were in line with what the blog post states, there is a divide between modern views and his. In the play Desdemona might be somewhat outspoken for a woman from the time period, but she is still relatively passive, and even the blog post admits that she does nothing to change her place in society, although she does exhibit some power over Othello. Emilia, meanwhile, has a role that more closely resembles a modern female character, but she ultimately has her outburst at the end in what the author of the blog post describes as a “man’s punishment if he ever takes his woman for granted.” While Emilia desires equality and “calls out men as equals” she does not seem to care too much about the other social injustices of the time. She also (in what is refreshingly different from the overused tropes of today) gains her strength from strong belief and outspoken views rather than an ability to actually fight, and a refusal to be seen as a female by others. While she is undoubtedly a strong female character, she is still different from most of what we see today. She is not as progressive, but in many ways she is far more realistic. Ultimately it is Iago’s treatment of her that leads to his defeat; in this the author is correct. Strong female characters these days are less likely to to serve a punishment for men who would otherwise be far less likely to fight back. Shakespeare’s views are actually somewhat modern, and, although they still are less concerned about the women overthrowing injustice and claiming their place in society, they acknowledge equality. It might be behind today’s views of total social equality, but it was still very progressive for its time.
Does Edward Berry Play the “Race Card” Too Often?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree Othello’s being black did have an effect on the play, possibly for shock value, it is my opinion that the author of the article Othello’s Alienation, Edward Berry, gave too much importance to the fact that Othello was from another race than the Venetians. Berry blames every negative aspect of Othello’s life on his being black. Back then, anyone that didn’t fit the perfect Elizabethan mold would have been viewed as different and there would have been some prejudice. Yes, some of the characters used racial slurs, but they (Iago and Roderigo) had expressed their hatred of Othello for reasons other than race. His being black gave them something to insult and incite anger in others. If Othello had been white but had big ears and a peg leg, they probably would have used that against him, as well. My feeling was that there was generally a great deal of respect for Othello, regardless of his color. How else would he have achieved such a high rank in the military? Also, when he told Desdemona that he came from royalty, he seemed humble yet proud of his heritage. I don’t believe Shakespeare was calling out Othello’s “blackness”, but more so his flawed humanity, irrational emotions, jealousy and gullibility, something that we all carry.
Berry makes two statements that seemed incredulous. The first statement is that Othello projects his self-loathing upon Desdemona because he’s black. Berry states, “In the murder scene, what Othello tries to kill is thus in some sense his own blackness”. It had nothing to do with his “blackness”, but his jealousy and humiliation, beside his heartbreak, his reputation was at risk.
The second ludicrous statement, “His immediate reaction to the murder thus reflects his divided image of himself: he is either doomed like all great men or destroyed by his own blackness” seems like a tainted view, also. Othello was destroyed by his trust in Iago over his wife, his insane jealousy and fear of damage to his reputation. Being black had nothing to do with his murderous actions. Sorry Edward Berry, but stupidity and distorted male ego trumps the “race card” here! Being a nerdy white guy, I’ve never encountered racial prejudice first hand. Maybe people of color would more readily agree with Berry’s argument, but I don’t.
Emilia the Hypocrite
ReplyDeleteIn the article about women in Othello, the author claims that Emilia defends the name of women, and I disagree. Emilia is a hypocrite. The author does point out that throughout the play, Emilia talks about her view on men and how she thinks that they are not superior and in the end, it is her speaking out that finally got Iago caught. The author does not spend enough time talking about the part in the play where Emilia stole Desdemona’s handkerchief in some pathetic attempt to please him and she says “I nothing, but to please his fantasy”. It shows Emilia’s true nature. She stole something that clearly meant a lot to her mistress, Desdemona, who she is devoted to. Even when she lies dying, Emilia asks to be laid down on the bed next to Desdemona. Emilia didn’t confess that it was her who took it, when Othello was angry at Desdemona about the missing Handkerchief. She did this without a thought of regret until after the deed was done. All this was done to please her husband who she snitches on in the end. Emilia is all talk until the very end of the play and I ultimately think that because of all this, she is a hypocrite. She tells Desdemona that if men do not have to submit their will to them they should not have to do the same. Yet that is exactly what she did.
Are All Women in Othello Worthy of Respect?
ReplyDeleteIn the article, “Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in Othello”, the author discusses how Shakespeare viewed that women should be respected because of their strength and sexuality because if men underestimate women, similar to how Iago overlooked Emilia in Othello, the men will face severe consequences. The author describes Desdemona and Emilia as having shown superior intellectual strength and sexual power over their male consorts in the story however, the third female character in the play, Bianca, is not mentioned in the article. Therefore, by not including Bianca in the article that describes Shakespeare’s respectful views toward women, the author suggests that some women, such as Bianca, do not deserve respect. Careful textual examination is required to look into this idea more closely.
Shakespeare in Othello, describes how some women do not deserve respect, through the character Bianca. Bianca is seen in the play by Cassio and Iago as a prostitute that is always hanging around Cassio. “ ‘T is such another fitchew! marry, a perfumed one. What do you mean by this haunting of me?” (Shakespeare 64). Bianca is also characterized negatively by Cassio, who does not often talk about women poorly in the play. “This is the monkey’s own giving out: she is persuaded I will marry her, out of her own love and flattery, not out of my promise” (Shakespeare 64). Shakespeare portrays Bianca as a whore who is unworthy of a marriage between her and Cassio, despite her love for Cassio. Cassio’s only use for Bianca is for her to copy the handkerchief he found in his room and for sexual purposes, which is the cause of Emilia’s anger towards men. The poor treatment of Bianca in Othello demonstrates that Shakespeare did not want all female characters to be equal in the play and his views, based on the treatment of women in society at the time, that some women because of their occupation or status are not worthy of the respect of their male peers.
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ReplyDeleteAre All Women in Othello Worthy of Respect?
ReplyDeleteIn the article, “Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in Othello”, the author discusses how Shakespeare viewed that women should be respected because of their strength and sexuality because if men underestimate women, similar to how Iago overlooked Emilia in Othello, the men will face severe consequences. The author describes Desdemona and Emilia as having shown superior intellectual strength and sexual power over their male consorts in the story however, the third female character in the play, Bianca, is not mentioned in the article. Therefore, by not including Bianca in the article that describes Shakespeare’s respectful views toward women, the author suggests that some women, such as Bianca, do not deserve respect. Careful textual examination is required to look into this idea more closely.
Shakespeare in Othello, describes how some women do not deserve respect, through the character Bianca. Bianca is seen in the play by Cassio and Iago as a prostitute that is always hanging around Cassio. “ ‘T is such another fitchew! marry, a perfumed one. What do you mean by this haunting of me?” (Shakespeare 64). Bianca is also characterized negatively by Cassio, who does not often talk about women poorly in the play. “This is the monkey’s own giving out: she is persuaded I will marry her, out of her own love and flattery, not out of my promise” (Shakespeare 64). Shakespeare portrays Bianca as a whore who is unworthy of a marriage between her and Cassio, despite her love for Cassio. Cassio’s only use for Bianca is for her to copy the handkerchief he found in his room and for sexual purposes, which is the cause of Emilia’s anger towards men. The poor treatment of Bianca in Othello demonstrates that Shakespeare did not want all female characters to be equal in the play and his views, based on the treatment of women in society at the time, that some women because of their occupation or status are not worthy of the respect of their male peers.
Shakespeare’s more advanced view on women
ReplyDeleteShakespeare’s view on women and their rights seems to be very different from the time; he thought women were very powerful, and that people should respect them. A good example of this is the character Emilia. In the beginning of the play, Emilia states “I nothing, but to please his fantasy,” showing that Emilia seems to have almost accepted her role in society with women being lower in class than men. Later on in the play, however, Emilia states “Tis not a year or two shows us a man, / They are all but stomachs, and we all but food. / They eat us hungrily, and when they are full, / They belch us.” This is an example of when Emilia stands up for women, and is implying that women are more than what men currently think of them.
Women were also very powerful. When Iago talks to Roderigo about getting Desdemona, he mentions that if Desdemona is caught cheating on Othello, Othello’s fame and glory will take a very strong hit. This implies that a lot, if not all, of Othello’s power lies in Desdemona, showing that in this case, Desdemona is much more powerful than Othello. Desdemona also seems to be stronger than Othello; Othello seems very vulnerable to words, stating that he would rather not be told Desdemona cheats on him, because he would not be able to cope with that knowledge. In the end of the play, Desdemona does not seem afraid of the words that Othello is saying, despite the fact that she knows that Othello is there to kill her. She does not tell that it was Othello that killed her, showing another example of how she is stronger than Othello.
Overall, Shakespeare seemed to believe that women were more powerful than men, and used the play Othello to demonstrate this. While the male leads in the play may have seemed to be easily more powerful than women from the first glance, after some deeper analysis, the women in Othello are more powerful because of their influence on the other characters.
Shakespeare’s Intent Can Be Derived Through Context
ReplyDeleteIt is impossible to come to a definite conclusion about the intent of Shakespeare’s portrayal of women; he’s telling a story, in which biases become that of characters, and not of their author’s. An example, besides that of the portrayal of women, that is seen is the racism - sometimes blatant, sometimes subtle - that Othello receives. However, it can be better assumed that Shakespeare, having been the (seemingly) witty and progressive figure that he was, would hold a progressive view on the subjects he wrote of. I then am drawn to disagree with the conclusion that Edward Berry states that Laurence Lerner came to “(Shakespeare) suffered from color prejudice (Othello’s alienation, 316).”
Furthermore, it can be argued that Shakespeare didn’t have these controversial characters in his play just by chance: “...it is known that Othello was revised with the specific intent of augmenting Emilia’s role…(Shakespeare's Attitude Toward Women in "Othello", 4).” An interesting ancillary view to have would be one of the people of Shakespeare’s time, and what the general audience took from his plays. Regardless, the views of Shakespeare himself are definitely relevant. He addresses some still-controversial topics in his plays, that being especially notable in Othello.
Iago the Human
ReplyDeleteIago the Psychopath by Fred West had many intriguing points within its article, but I found myself struggling to agree with some correlations Mr.West was making between Iago’s character and the profile of a psychopath.
The first point I’d like to discuss is on page thirty, towards the ending of the fourth paragraph, when the author says “(a psychopath)will seem agreeable...when one first meets him.” I do understand where the author is coming from here, as psychopaths tend to come off as likable people due to their heightened sense of human psychology. However, I can’t see how this is hard evidence that proves Iago is a psychopath. I would believe most people act agreeable upon meeting a stranger, as it is common courtesy. Concluding, the author’s point here is somewhat weak due to the blunt evidence he provides, in my opinion.
Flipping, to the other end of the spectrum, I’d like to talk about a great connection Mr.West made. On page 35, first paragraph, he says “...he (Iago) is still unable to form lasting bonds of affection, not even with his wife.” Looking back to the play, most people would probably realize that this lack of affection was a definite trait of Iago, which is also a unique psychopathic trait.
Nonetheless, I still believe Iago is not a psychopath. Starting with page 31, when the authors says “....the ‘motive’ for Iago’s eventual crime is no motive in the normal adult sense, but only the whim of a very young child.” I disagree with this because on the first page of Othello, Iago’s motivation is to get the job of lieutenancy that he believed he rightfully deserved. Not getting the job you had all reason to have is not something I would describe as “the whim of a young child.”! I believe Iago’s motive was a rightly mature one. The other correlation I disagree with can be found on the first paragraph of page 35, where Mr.West says “...Iago’s only motivation is an immature urge toward instant pleasure.” Since I’ve already argued why I believe Iago’s motive is mature, I will go onto discuss another part of this statement. Iago’s motivation, in my opinion, is not an “urge toward instant pleasure”. Iago’s plan takes the whole play to strategize and enforce! With that being said, these are the reasons I believe that Iago is not a psychopath.
To end my blog I will bring up something I thought was very interesting. Fred West only used Cleckley as a source for the description of a psychopath and no other Authors. Upon further investigation, I found that Cleckley's work (1950's) was written a well 20 years before Mr.West’s (1970's) article! With this being said, I am now unsure of how credible of an article this is...
Psycho With a Motive
ReplyDeleteIn Fred West’s article “Iago the psychopath”, many points were made by the author to try and explain that the character Iago is what we today would refer to as a psychopath. In my opinion, the article did a very good job at trying to prove this point, with the sheer amount of facts and evidence brought up by the author. However, one point brought up by West left a rather sour taste in my mouth, that unfortunately, was really the only thing in the article that I really disagreed with.
Throughout the article, the author makes reference to Hervey Cleckley and his novel The Mask of Sanity, which was an attempt to clearly define just what a psychopath was. At one point, Fred West points out that Hervey Cleckley says in his novel that a character like Iago would carry out his scheme “Without adequate motivation in the ordinary sense” (Cleckley, 370-371). Later in the article, when the author is pointing out Iago’s more human characteristics, such as how Iago has enjoyed “the excitement of war” (West 31), and even going as far as to say “The psychopath is asocial; war is asocial” (West 31). If the latter is true however, this would give Iago the perfect motive for hating Othello, because Othello took Iago of what Iago likes the most; war. Assuming that Fred West is correct, and that Iago, as a psychopath, feels comfortable during wartime, then Othello choosing to make Iago his ancient rather than lieutenant, would be a considerable loss for Iago.
In conclusion, although there is lots of evidence that could point to Iago being a psychopath, I do not think that like a psychopath, he lacks a motive for his plan.
Biased Bloggers And Their Blogs
ReplyDeleteIt seems like blogs go hand in hand with the word biased nowadays. Like fast food, the commercial makes the food look good (in this case the author’s argument) but when you actually have food, none of the things promised by that commercial are delivered. Just like fast food, some people will completely agree with the author’s claim, or be very against the claim. I believe the claim the author was trying to make was that women represent strength in Othello. While I do agree with this, the author made me want to change my thoughts if this was the kind of person I would be sharing my viewpoint with. The author uses words, such as “pathetic” that come off aggressive. To me, this claim seemed like nothing out of the ordinary, so I do not really understand why the author makes the reader feel like all they are reading is the ramblings of an author with no evidence to support his/her claim. Ramblings sort of gives off the impression that the author’s writing is a little incoherent. That is a nice way to put it. The author tries to prove the claim by using words like “could have” and “or just.” This is very strange to me considering how strong the author’s confidence was at the start of the blog. It is interesting to see how different this blog post was compared to the other readings. Although I do not want to stereotype bloggers, I feel like the other articles were written much better and overall helped me understand the characters more. This blog only managed to confuse those ideas I thought I had down. While the point the author is trying to make is a very good point, the author’s writing is not very good.
Iago The Psychopath?
ReplyDeleteThough Iago does show many of the characteristics of a psychopath very well, such as a lack of empathy, the inability to love, and extreme egocentricity, there are also many characteristics that Iago does not show, such as the inability to feel emotions deeply, the inability to comprehend metaphors and abstract words, impulsiveness, and the inability to plan for the future. Fred West argued that Iago truly was a psychopath very well because he left out all of the traits that Iago did not exhibit and I really believed that Iago was a psychopath, but after the discovery of these new psychopathic traits I saw Iago as less of a psychopath and more as a twisted evil genius.
Yes, Iago does show a lack of the ability to love through his marriage to Emilia, a lack of empathy when he is completely ruining Othello’s, Desdemona’s, and Rodrigo’s lives for his own selfish gain, but he is never impulsive, he can clearly understand metaphor and abstract words, and everything he does is to benefit himself in the future.
Everything Iago does is planned in great detail to help him fulfill his revenge on Othello for not making him lieutenant. From the beginning Iago did nothing on impulse he “befriended” Rodrigo so that he could use him to do all of his dirty work,and he brought Othello’s marriage to Desdemona to her father's attention to plant that first seed of distrust and insecurity in Othello’s head, nothing he did was impulsive and he was clearly planning for the future. The whole reason Iago even conjured up this grandiose scheme was so that he could have his revenge on Othello but taking away everything he cared about, Desdemona, his title, his army, his reputation, and eventually (in the future) take over as general and prove that he was not only capable of being lieutenant but capable of being an even better general than Othello. And as a final example to support why Iago is not a psychopath but is an evil genius, his clear understanding of metaphor and abstract language.
Iago’s greatest tool to manipulate others in the play Othello is his speech. Iago makes many speeches in Othello each containing metaphors such as “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe”, “Our bodies are gardens; to which our wills are gardeners”, clearly showing that he understands metaphor. Proving that he does not meet yet another characteristic of a psychopath and that he is less of a psychopath and more of an evil genius and all around horrible person.
Shakespeare shows the strength of women
ReplyDeleteBefore I read “Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in ‘Othello,’” I only believed that the most Shakespeare did to raise women up was to give them a small voice, showing their thoughts and emotions towards how they are treated (reflected in the scene in which Emilia talks about how men treat their wives). But after reading the blog, I was much more convinced of Shakespeare’s strong portrayal of women.
One line that caught my eye was, “[Emilia] becomes more distant from her husband and draws even nearer to her true companion of Desdemona whose side she refuses to leave” (Sweetwater 2) I particularly enjoy this line because it implies that Emilia becomes stronger as she gets closer to Desdemona. The idea of women uniting and supporting each other to strengthen themselves is something that I standby and I believe that this can be shown with Desdemona and Emilia’s companionship.
Another idea that I liked in this blog post was that Desdemona and Emilia are both strong characters, but in different ways. Emilia is strong in the way she is brave and willing to stand up for herself and those she loves (eg. her willingness to stand up against her husband to avenge Desdemona’s death) while Desdemona is morally strong (the author actually said her strength was in her “sexual superiority,” using it almost as a synonym for moral strength. I disagree and believe he should have just used moral strength). This is so positive in my eyes because is shows that strength can manifest itself in multiple ways, making Desdemona’s moral strength count even though I’m sure many readers would say she is submissive and weak.
I believe that Shakespeare showed the strength of women in Othello as well as his respect for them. While today, this might not live up to the modern standards of the portrayal of women (although one could argue many of our modern fiction doesn’t even live up to what our modern standards should be) for its time it showed a strong portrayal of them.
Was the author of "Shakespeare's Attitude Toward Women in 'Othello'" himself a sexist?
ReplyDeleteIn my personal opinion, the author of this article focused on the wrong details of Desdemona and the other feminine figures of "Othello" and made claims that these details were why Desdemona had power over her husband. For example on page four it says "she shows how a woman can put a spell on a man and drive him to madness by doing nothing than being pure and beautiful."
I disagree with this because throughout the book, it was clear to me that Desdemona was more than just a pretty face. She was a strong woman who could speak for herself, which was uncommon in this time period. The way Desdemona empowered herself for the majority of "Othello" would probably make men desire her; for not just her beauty but for her brains as well.
Another part of the article that I did not agree with was on the first page when the author said "from the way the play begins, women seem like nothing more than affectionate wives and pawns..." Although Emilia and Bianca may fall under these descriptions, Desdemona is quite the opposite in the beginning of the play. She is more than just a trophy wife, as shown when she was allowed to speak for herself and then permitted to meet Othello in Cyprus.
Even though there were times throughout this article where I often differed in opinion from the author, he brought up points that I found interesting while reading and allowed me to go deeper into the text of “Othello” than I had before.
Was the author of "Shakespeare's Attitude Toward Women in 'Othello'" himself a sexist?
ReplyDeleteIn my personal opinion, the author of this article focused on the wrong details of Desdemona and the other feminine figures of "Othello" and made claims that these details were why Desdemona had power over her husband. For example on page four it says "she shows how a woman can put a spell on a man and drive him to madness by doing nothing than being pure and beautiful."
I disagree with this because throughout the book, it was clear to me that Desdemona was more than just a pretty face. She was a strong woman who could speak for herself, which was uncommon in this time period. The way Desdemona empowered herself for the majority of "Othello" would probably make men desire her; for not just her beauty but for her brains as well.
Another part of the article that I did not agree with was on the first page when the author said "from the way the play begins, women seem like nothing more than affectionate wives and pawns..." Although Emilia and Bianca may fall under these descriptions, Desdemona is quite the opposite in the beginning of the play. She is more than just a trophy wife, as shown when she was allowed to speak for herself and then permitted to meet Othello in Cyprus.
Even though there were times throughout this article where I often differed in opinion from the author, he brought up points that I found interesting while reading and allowed me to go deeper into the text of “Othello” than I had before.
The Women of Othello: Status and Power
ReplyDeleteWhile reading “Shakespeare’s Attitude Towards Women in Othello” I noticed that the author touched upon the idea that the three prominent women in the Othello, Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca were representative of three classes all treated differently by the men of the play. I think that Shakespeare did this intentionally to address how status affects society’s response to women at this time.
Desdemona was of higher class particularly in comparison to the other women in Othello, such as Emilia and Bianca. Evidently, Desdemona was also given the most respect in terms of privilege and opportunities to share her opinion freely unlike most other women at this time. In Act I scene III, Othello willingly gave Desdemona the floor of the senate and allowed her to share her opinion, this was unusual for a woman especially when this play was written. In contrast to this, Bianca was of lower class and was given far less respect from Cassio. He would even laugh at the mention of Bianca’s name. Unlike his reaction to Bianca, Cassio would regard Desdemona as a goddess. He would bow down to Desdemona and show her his utmost respect. This difference with regards to the respect shown towards both of these women shows how their status affects others opinions of them and how they are treated.
Specifically, the author of the article talks about Emilia and the courtesy shown to her and how that corresponds with her stance on feminism. The author writes, “Emilia is obviously not as willing to submit to men as other women may be.” This quote shows that while Iago did not respect her as a woman, Emilia was at a status at which she was exposed to the idea that she did not have to submit to others due to her gender. In that respect I think that Emilia’s status below Desdemona and above Bianca resulted in less respect from men but having been exposed to the respect shown to Desdemona, she had more respect for herself.
With this in mind, I have concluded that by adding these three women into “Othello,” Shakespeare was able to consider the roles of women of different statuses and how they view themselves in comparison to how they are viewed by others. This was very progressive at this time and I believe that Shakespeare’s intent was to subtly raise awareness of these standards for women as he had done with other issues such as race.
The incidental portrayal of women in “Othello”
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to pin down any one idea in this play without getting entangled in the others. The alienation of Othello interferes with his interaction with Iago as well as women. The psychopathy of Iago is hard to pin down because of the way he interacts with women, and the way he behaves towards Othello. But most importantly, Shakespeare’s view of women is restricted by the circumstance of the play.
There is naught to be derived from Iago’s interaction with women. Iago’s misogyny and manipulation restrict any expression of character. For example, in the scene where Emelia gives him the handkerchief, he takes it from her without giving anything as a reward for her troubles, and she departs at his word. This image of women does not support most claims towards Shakespeare’s advanced attitude towards women. Even in the final scene, where it is Emilia who reveals Iago’s plot and defies his will, she is not so much overcoming a gender barrier as doing the right thing, that everyone else in the room would expect her to do.
Desdemona’s portrayal is subject to similar obstruction, but this time in interaction with Othello’s Alienation. We have seen clearly that Othello is an outsider from venetian society, or any society as proven by Edward Berry. This means that most cited scene for Desdemona’s independence is also invalidated as portrayal of women. In Act I scene iii, Othello calls for the word of Desdemona to be heard. He cites her words as evidence that she was not coerced. Even afterwards, when she requests to accompany Othello to Cyprus, the Duke pays no attention to her desire and instead makes Othello decide. His decision, to accept, calls up two arguments that are mutually exclusive. The first is that, being different than the men of venetian society, he allows her to come. The second is a reason that resonates today and would have been true even then: Happy wife, happy life.
A final note: Emilia's speech regarding the treatment of women and how they should be equal to men was indeed very progressive, but it is also partly a product of her treatment by Iago. Desdemona shows a very clear disagreement with Emilia on this subject because of the differences in their treatment.
How did Shakespeare really feel about women?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in Othello by Mikesweetwater, it was not known if Shakespeare had “a deep-seated fear for them (women), or just been confused altogether” (Mikesweetwater 4). Despite not knowing exactly how Shakespeare felt towards women in his time period, he gave many hints throughout the play which could be interpreted as to how he viewed women.
During his time, women were not given the right to speak for themselves. However on page 13 of Othello, Othello says, “... And let her speak of me before her father…”. Othello, a man, giving a woman the ability to speak not just for herself, but for him also while at court, shows that Shakespeare has a good deal of respect for women in his era.
Mikesweetwater describes Desdemona's final words as an example of her “phenomenal moral strength” (Mikesweetwater 3), but I disagree with his interpretation of this statement. In this scene, Emilia asks O, who hath done this deed?
Desdemona: Nobody; I myself. Farewell (Shakespeare 85).
Here, where Desdemona says she killed herself instead of standing up for herself, is what I interpret to be her growing weaker as the play goes on. At first, Desdemona was a strong woman when she was in her homeland, but after her arrival at Cyprus, she began to lose some of her woman power. Another example would be when Othello struck Desdemona and her first response to his action was “I have not deserved this” (Shakespeare 66) which is a good start. But then she goes on to say “I will not stay to offend you” (Shakespeare 67), making herself inferior to him instead of an equal as she has done in the past. If this took place while she was in Venice before their marriage, would she have still responded in this manner?
Shakespeare gives credit to women for being “much more than defective males” (Mikesweeter 3), proving his open mindedness towards women. He does appears considerably much more open to allowing women to voice their opinions, especially compared other men's’ standards then. It may not seem like he does in today’s standards, but this is because there’s more gender equality then there was before. Also, Shakespeare was writing this for an audience in his own time period, and because he most likely did not want to offend the male portion of his audience, he would have had to add at least some parts to make the men appear superior when acted. But if the script was closely inspected, one would see that that was not always the case.
Iago the Genius Psychopath
ReplyDeleteThroughout the article, Iago the Psychopath, by Fred West, one characteristic of some psychopaths that was discussed was that they have higher than normal intelligence. I believe that in the play Othello, Iago has this attribute that helped him become extremely successful in manipulating his victims. In the article, West quotes Hervey Cleckley from his study of psychopaths called the Mask of Sanity, describing one of the study’s subjects: “His ability to plan and execute schemes to provide money for himself, to escape legal consequences … could be matched by few, if any people whom I have known. In such thinking he not only shows objective ingenuity, but also remarkable knowledge of other people and their reactions…”.
The quote talks about someone who plans their whole life in advance and considers other people as merely tools to achieve their goals. The quote also says that this person knows exactly how to manipulate each person or tool uniquely based on their weaknesses and strengths so that the plan will work. After I read this quote, I thought of Iago immediately. Iago has a plan to destroy everyone in the play in addition to stealing money from Roderigo. He knew exactly how to operate on all of his prey using different techniques for each. Many times Iago tried to convince Roderigo that there was still hope for him to marry Desdamona and used claims that Desdamona will get tired of Othello because she was only attracted to his body. Iago succeeded in making his testimony believable for Roderigo because he had previous knowledge of him. He knew that Roderigo was not too intelligent and would do what Iago wanted him to do (give up his money) if he knew there was still a chance for him to be with Desdamona. While Iago would try to convince Roderigo of his claim, he would speak continuously so that Roderigo would not have time to comprehend or discuss what Iago was saying. Therefore, Iago used his knowledge of Roderigo’s weaknesses against him like a puppeteer and his puppet.
Iago was also successful in manipulating Othello but used a different strategy to make his claim believable that worked on him. Iago knew that Othello was extremely intelligent and in love with Desdamona and as a result, he would have a tougher time in influencing Othello to believe that his wife was cheating on him with Cassio. Because Iago was very smart and had thought beforehand about his plan, he knew to speak in short phrases that were indirect and unclear but at the same time directing Othello’s mind towards certain topics such as jealousy. He was able to make Othello question everything and think intensely about what Iago was or was not saying. This worked perfectly and eventually caused Othello to believe Iago and distrust his own wife.
Was Shakespeare really always wary of all women and careful to give them respect?
ReplyDeleteThe first line of Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in “Othello” is “Shakespeare was always wary of women and careful to give them respect, which is obvious when reading Othello.” I thought this was very interesting because I completely disagree with it. Maybe he is weary, but he definitely is not always careful to give respect to all female characters. For example in the beginning of Othello, Desdemona was aloud to speak to high up men in the military, but the only reason she was given this opportunity was because Othello said she could therefore showing he has control over her. Also, at the end of the book while Othello is killing Desdemona she admits that it is her fault for why she is being killed, which in reality it definitely is not.
However Emilia is different than the other characters of Othello. When Desdemona was killed Emilia showed her true inner self and it proved that she is no longer compelled to do what her husband Iago tells her to do. “I will not charm my tongue. I am bound to speak.” No women in this book or anywhere during this time period would ever be expected to say that so thats why i think Emilia was such a crucial character to show the contrast between the women. It even says in the article that “Her words words are the reason for her husband’s downfall.” Who knows what would have happened in the end without Emilia the fact that she speaks her mind and opinion and also the fact that there were no female characters similar to her.
Lastly in my opinion I thought that Shakespeare portrayed each character perfectly like how it says at the end of this article. Since each female had a different opinion and personality, their characteristics counterbalance each other. For example Desdemona had more power over men because of her beauty and sexual superiority while Emilia has lots of power at the end because she speaks her mind unlike may women ever did. In the end they all have one thing in common, that they are respected.
Are they really that strong?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Women in Othello, I found myself having to disagree with the author’s view regarding Emilia and Desdemona. I think they are not as strong as the author makes them out to be, because he did not address other parts of the play that contradict his ideas in the article.
When Emilia learns the true extent of Iago’s plan and that Othello murdered Desdemona, it is likely that she would go into a large amount of shock. This leads me to think that the courage Emilia found when she confronted Iago came from the rush of anger she felt when learning about what Iago and Othello did. However, I believe that if Emilia was placed in a different situation, she would have not said anything to Iago because she fears him. Emilia is still very submissive, and would do anything for Iago, proving her loyalty when she stole Desdemona’s handkerchief for him. I don’t think she’s changed at all, and her confronting of Iago was really caused by a rush of emotions, making her forget that she was standing up to a man she was once very devoted to.
I think the author stating that Desdemona having a sexual power over Othello is quite a reach, because he failed to recognize that Othello and Desdemona had an unhealthy relationship. Her supposed loyalty to Othello isn’t real, because when Othello beaten her she still decided to be with him, which is something strong women don’t do. Also, the beginning of the play, both of them were intent on eloping, which an act usually performed by couples who are irresponsible and might not understand the love and commitment associated with marriage. In addition, both of them failed to become honest and trustworthy with one another, as Desdemona still does not understand Othello’s race, as shown by the article of Othello’s Alienation. It also showed that a part of Othello’s vulnerability stems from his race, and not Desdemona. Once knowing about their weak relationship and Othello’s lack of confidence, it is clear that Desdemona doesn’t show many qualities of a strong woman.
Iago the devil child
ReplyDeleteIago the psychopath only got more interesting as the article went on. West starts out by arguing that Iago is a textbook psychopath, and a symbol of evil. He provides many examples of his psychopathic tendencies, such as his mindset during all of his crimes. He truly believed/ was not aware that what he was doing was wrong. He also argues that Iago does everything he does to excite him, including war. This provides a segue into the most interesting part of the article. The author compares Iago to a child, which is a fascinating connection. The fact that the author compares the tendencies of a child to those of a psychopathic, racist, manipulative murderer is extremely enthralling.
West first introduces this argument on page 31 when he says “the “motive” for Iago’s eventual crime is no motive in the normal adult sense.” Up until this point, the only evidence he provides for this argument is very subtle. On that same page, he says “[Iago] seems to know no greater pleasure than constant change.” The way the author is suggesting that children have the same tendencies of psychopaths is a wild combination of hilarious and captivating. It’s hilarious in that he’s suggesting that children are psychopaths, but it’s captivating in that it really makes the reader think a lot about it.
Your first thought is “no, he was doing all this to get Cassio’s position… or something.” But the more you think about it, the more you agree with the author. He originally sets out to destroy Cassio, but he eventually only does so because Roderigo reminds him of this original goal. It is clear that Iago’s only goal is to please himself. Throughout the play, he constantly tries to cause tragedy, obviously for his own entertainment. When he doesn’t get what he wants, he has a temper tantrum (i.e. when Emilia exposed him, and he stabbed her and ran). The comparison of Iago the psychopath and a child is extremely surreal, yet extremely fascinating.
Doesn’t Really Do Shakespeare Justice But Hits On Some Good Points
ReplyDeleteIn Othello, Shakespeare portrays women as powerful, strong, and independent. The blog post on Shakespeare’s attitude toward women in “Othello” does not give him enough credit. Shakespeare understood and accurately portrayed at least three types of women in a time where women were thought of as “defective males” whose only job were to serve their husbands. He replaces the thoughts of the time period with new progressive thoughts and spreads them out among different women in the play. The blog post does not give Shakespeare enough credit for these incredible examples of women’s “activists” of the time. With that said, the author hits on some really interesting points. I liked the way he justifies Desdemona’s death as an example of a strength rather than a weakness. The strongest example of Desdemona’s strength is when Emilia asks her who killed her and she replies with, “Nobody, I myself. Farewell. / Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell!” This forces Othello to admit his wrongdoing and pushes the idea that women are as strong, or stronger than the male characters. The author also puts emphasis on the message about the impact that Emilia stresses at the end of the book about me taking their wives for granted and uses one of my favorite examples of female power, “Tis not a year or two shows us a man, / They are all but stomachs, and we all but food. / They eat us hungrily, and when they are full, / They belch us.” Overall the blog gives doesn't give Shakespeare enough credit, but hits points that might be overlooked.
Desdemona’s Mightiness vs. Othello
ReplyDeleteDesdemona is portrayed in two ways throughout the play and even in the article, “Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in ‘Othello’”. One, she is beneath her husband, even she shows this when she refers to him as “My Lord”. Two, she is more powerful than her husband. If Othello is truly as in love with her as he says, she holds his heart and soul and can break him just as quickly as helping him.
Othello often treats Desdemona kindly and like he respects her opinion and wants to know what she is thinking, for example when Othello calls Desdemona in front of the Duke to get her side of the story and her opinion. Desdemona’s mightiness over him is also clearly seen. In the article, the author notices how Othello’s most tragic and tortured lines come when he is heartbroken or jealous. Desdemona is so engraved in his mind it is all he thinks about and all he wants to live for. The thought of Desdemona being unfaithful creates an uncertainty in her power but also brings it out because he is so distraught about the thought of losing his wife.
When reading the article “Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in Othello.” I couldn’t help but think that Desdemona is not a good example of a strong women, at least when compared to Emilia. She is very submissive and never even slightly stands up for herself, even when Emilia is ranting about how it is a man’s fault if his wife cheats, Desdemona disagrees and does not seem to believe in this aspect of women’s strength. I do agree that Desdemona held power over Othello. Desdemona’s supposed betrayal caused Othello to identify his alienation and insecurity, this causes him to hate her. In Othello’s mind, Desdemona ruined him, and this sudden self-loathing caused him to go mad. In a way, Desdemona holds power over Othello, but he also holds an unreasonable amount of power over her that she never seems to have real issue with, even when he went as far as hitting her and calling her many names, including the devil repeatedly. Even after Othello attempted to murder her, Desdemona still does not admit that it was him. In comparison, Emilia gives up her own husband for manipulation Othello, something that Desdemona did not have the strength to do. Though Emilia’s only motivation for speaking up was once things got bad for Desdemona, she shows real strength towards the end of the play. To touch on the topic of Shakespeare’s view of women, I agree that he was as “women supporting” as he could be in a patriarchal society. We cannot know if his portrayal of women like Emilia in this play caused controversy, but it is very likely. How Othello treated Desdemona was not okay even for the time, however it was normal for no one to challenge it, or try to help in any way. Shakespeare definitely gave women power in Othello, however it was not really till the end of the play that he did so.
ReplyDeleteThe Evolution of Shakepeare's Depiction of Women vs Men
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the article “Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women”, I couldn’t help but notice the key roles that women such as Desdemona and Emilia played throughout Othello. To me, it seemed almost too progressive for Shakespearean times and made me wonder, was the goal of Shakespeare’s play to be progressive in the eyes of sexism or had he not even noticed what exactly he was doing?
It was clear that as the play evolved, women in the play seemed to feel more comfortable with the men in their lives but clearly not comfortable with the roles that they played in those same men’s eyes. “The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.” said one of the women. Throughout the play, Iago continuously described women as “property” of men. These harsh words and many others that he used to characterize women backfired when he was the one that was demolished by his own wife (Emilia). Emilia had used his own words and scheming plans as an act of bravery to solve all problems.
In the article “Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women” the author argued that the women in Othello were progressive and strong for their time. Although I think the author does make a valid point, I would also have to argue that Desdemona and Emilia were the heroes in the play. If it weren’t for Emilia, Iago would not be paying for his wrongs at the end of the story.
Not only did I focus in on each woman's evolution throughout the play, I had also focused in on the downfall of each men’s figure, quickly noticing how powerful the characteristic of “jealousy” played in each of the men’s key roles. Shakespeare often describing it as “the green eyed monster” which happened to affect both Iago and Othello. The reader was able to witness Othello transform into some type of foreign creature as he was broken down by Iago’s words and belief that Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio.
For me, Shakespeare’s depiction of Othello by the end of the play, made it look as if the roles were reversed. Shakespeare depicted Othello as the fool and Desdemona as the strong, loyal, and brave woman that we continued to see.
In the article “Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward Women in “Othello,” the author clearly states that he believes the overall society in “Othello” was “strongly dominated by men.” However, although there were many military, and politically powered men, the real ones who showed strength were the women, and there were two different types of women that were showed throughout the play.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author of this article when he said that in “Othello,” Shakespeare didn’t just show different types of women, but he also showed a true understanding of how women think and act. When Shakespeare showed the different types of women and how they act, it reflected on the way he thought of women overall. For example, Desdemona represented a type of woman that has “sexual superiority over men,” while Emilia represents a type of woman that is willing to stand up for herself and other women, and shows that they can be “just as dangerous as men.”
In my opinion, the way Shakespeare portrays Desdemona in “Othello” shows his admiration he had for women. The way men treat Desdemona towards the beginning of the play is very respectful, and it shows what the power of a harmless face like Desdemona’s can have over some men. In Venetian society, it was rare for a woman to speak her mind. However, when Brabantio was first accusing Othello for “taking his Daughter,” Othello made it so Desdemona could speak on his behalf, he says “Send for the lady to the Sagittary, and let her speak of me before her father” (Shakespeare 13.) I believe this example shows how Shakespeare held respect for women, because if he didn’t, it is likely he wouldn’t want to give them any type of power to speak in the play. However, Desdemona differs from Emilia in a sense that she wasn’t quite a “feminist” and didn’t know how to stand up for herself. I believe that if Desdemona correctly knew how to defend herself, she wouldn’t have been killed. Although Iago had manipulated Othello to think Desdemona was a cheater, if she had a stronger and more powerful voice throughout the play, like Emilia, Othello might have listened to what she had to say.
The other type of women that Shakespeare shows is a strong feminist, Emilia. I believe that the way Shakespeare portrays Emilia in the play, shows his respect he had for women. In the article, the author believes that Emilia was one of the strongest characters in the play. I partially agree with this, although I believe Emilia’s strength didn’t fully show until the end acts of the play. Some of the words Emilia uses are used to stand up for women and herself, “I am bound to speak,” Emilia says, after the murder of Desdemona, when Emilia shows her full strength, she no longer feels the need to “submit” to men, especially Iago anymore. I think that Shakespeare respects women enough to provide this play with a powerful character like Emilia, who calls men out as equals, and isn’t afraid to say it as it is.
Shakespeare’s attitude towards women in “othello”
ReplyDeleteDuring the time of Shakespeare women were “thought of as weak second class citizens or even defective males”. In this article however, it seems to be the opposite of what mike sweetwater is stating as shakespear's view. The author explores the idea of “Shakespeare’s upheaval of these expectations” but turns to what can be looked at as just as sexist. Although, it does not fully explain the way Shakepeare wrote Othello.
As the article progresses mike sweetwater uses the strong female characters of Desdemona and Emilia to secure the theory of women using their sexual power over the men of Othello. He claims that Desdemona “has an incredible power over” Othello. While I find this both intriguing and repulsive, it seems that if you consider “Othello’s alienation” that, this may be the real “power” Desdemona has over Othello. He is an outsider and therefore vulnerable. With little influence Othlello can be persuaded of the wildest things. This is expressed in Iago the psychopath. The combination of these three article seems to me to be the only explanation for shakespeare's choice of treatment of his characters.
With having read the three articles I feel it gives a deeper insight into the way Shakepeare may have been expressing the women in Othello. However, there is no way to be certain. While I find Mike Sweetwater’s article to be well executed, I find it completely insensitive and disrespectful towards women of this time. Saying that the only power a woman has over a man is in the sexual sense is a blatant disregard for deeper feeling shared between people. Therefore the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the combination of a Othello's Alienation, shakespeare's attitude towards women and Iago the psychopath provides a logical explanation for Shakespeare's mindset during this period.
During Shakespeare's time, women were often thought of as weak second class citizens. Women were not respected, and were often just regarded as subordinates to either their husbands or fathers. In the article Sweetwater explains the idea of, “Shakespeare’s upheaval of these expectations,” and uses what can be seen as a sexist text and explains it further. In this article, the author seems to believe that Shakespeare believed the opposite. The author explores the sexual power that the women in, “Othello,” seem to have over their significant others, whether it was their husbands or fathers. It is quite obvious that men were the dominant people in terms of military and politics, yet these seemingly powerful men have their downfall due to the sexuality of their significant others. Brabantio was angered enough to kill Othello when he was given the imagery that Othello and Desdemona were, “making the beast with two backs.” Iago didn’t like Othello partially because of the thought that Othello has slept with Iago’s wife, Emilia. Othello eventually killed himself, Desdemona, and planned to kill Cassio because of the suspicion that Cassio has slept with Desdemona. The sexual power that Desdemona, and the women overall, had over her significant other was Shakespeare showing the strength of women and the weakness of men. The strength of Emilia in the end, just before her death, to not conform with her husband in his wrongdoing and exposing him shows how in the book, the role of strength between men and women had changed. In the beginning of the book, as stated by the author in the article, Emilia was a quiet figure in the book’s plot and didn’t really have a role. In the later part of the book, Emilia became a larger part of the book and her refusal to conform with the men showed her strength. This displayed Shakespeare’s view of women. Emilia is a strong character that challenges authority, even when it she knew it would lead to her death. This show that Shakespeare could have been a strong feminist for his time.
ReplyDeletePortrayal of women in a 400-year-old play
ReplyDeleteIn this blog post I would like to discuss the women in the play Othello and their relation to the men in the play. In Shakespeare’s time women were not considered to be as intelligent as men, but Shakespeare has several female characters in his play Othello, for example Desdemona and Emilia, who should be intelligent. The fact that the men in the play just expect the women to obey them made it easier for Shakespeare to have the women figure stuff out.
If Othello was written today it would have been much harder to get the men to reveal details that the women could put together that helped them figure things out. For example, had Iago ever thought about Emilia thwarting him or thinking on her own, he would have been more careful about his plotting. She catches on when Othello mentions Desdemona’s handkerchief. Iago did not expect that she would.
However, of course people are affected by the world around them, and had it not been this way Desdemona might have been less submissive and she wouldn’t have ended up dead. It is significant that both Emilia and Desdemona get hit by their husbands, and both of them wind up dead by the final act of the play.
This play ticks me off. Despite Shakespeare’s reputation as a great playwright, I find Othello really annoying. Everyone blindly trusts Iago, not really questioning whether he’s trustworthy. The men think they own everything and the women are weak and don’t dare get angry at their husbands.
The play was written over 400 years ago and I know that is what it was like back then. Nonetheless, the way Shakespeare portrays women in Othello can easily make a modern reader balk.
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