Male Domination In Othello

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Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca are victims of a male dominated society. Discuss.

Male domination in society is a stigma, which has always existed, and one that may not cease to exist. However, the difference does exist in the way the women of the different ages chose to accept such behaviour and render themselves victims of such circumstance. In relation to the Elizabethan period, and having the characters of Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca in mind it can be true to say it may have been harder for them not to accept it than it is today. In reality, it was not even noticed by some of the women and for the few who noticed it, they could do nothing more than accepting it as their fate and trying to live with it. In discussing the victimisation of the above named women in this male dominated society, both sides of the argument for each character would be explored with emphasis on their individual struggles for independence.

The ‘fair warrior’ Desdemona as referred to by her husband Othello undoubtedly struggles throughout the play. From her struggle for independence from her father Brabantio, to the struggle for her life from her husband Othello. Shakespeare seems to deceive the audience to think that Desdemona may be one of his unique female characters who fight for the rights of women. However, this power which we see her possess at the beginning of the play as she tells her father that she ‘did love the moor to live with him’, to the ones which has been endowed on her as she is referred to as the ‘general’  gradually fades away.

The first indication of Desdemona’s victimisation in this male dominated society is evident when Iago refers to her body as if it was the property of Brabantio. He says to him ‘your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul, even now, now, very now an old black ram is tupping your white ewe’. This signifies that in the Elizabethan society, Brabantio like other fathers considered Desdemona’s body and life to be their full possession. Furthermore, the use of an animal imagery to describe her ‘white ewe’ does not only reflect Iago’s underestimation of human nature but the degradation of women in the society by men. This is clearly the case for the fact that he could say it while talking to her father.

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Desdemona on the other hand, like almost every other woman in the Elizabethan period seems  to have accepted the convention that women are inferior to men and are the properties of either her father or husband. This is shown when she says ‘I do perceive here a divided duty. I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband’. The audience would initially admire her bravery towards her father, but after getting a deeper understanding of the plot, it becomes evident that her marriage to Othello was not a sign of freedom but rather a change from one dominator to another. ...

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This is a good essay that considers the position of women in the play; given the topic, further contextual exploration could have been included as the issue being analysed is one that would be perceived very differently by different audiences - male and female - and audiences of different time periods. At times the points could be better supported with evidence from the text, allowing for further language analysis. 4 Stars