The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.
Just with the help of this short passage, Emilia tells us a lot about her relationship and marriage to Iago, who she is not very much loved by. Iago does not fool only Othello, Cassio and Roderigo, bit also his wife Emilia, for as she first does not want to believe that she only serves but is not loved. However, even though she speaks these wise words, she does not see Iago’s wickedness yet. She describes more the “eternal villain” but does not know she is speaking about Iago; she fails to identify him in what she says. But Desdemona does not share this attitude about this kind of men in any way.
The opinion about the relationship between men and women do change from character to character in this play. One very different and interesting attitude to the female figure is Iago’s view of the women. This is seen when Emilia is first introduced by Cassio and Iago in Act II, Scene I Lines 96-108
Iago
In faith, too much:
I find it still when I have list to sleep.
Marry, before your ladyship, I grant
She puts her tongue a little in her heart
And chides with thinking.
He speaks with very little respectful words. However, though there is not much love between the couple, still she is very loyal to Iago, especially when she gave the handkerchief to him that she took from Desdemona, her friend which she does not back to with this movement. He uses her and she is naiv enough to do what ever he says, giving him the handkerchief without knowing what for he wants it. She first puts marriage in front of friendship, maybe because she thinks by doing this and putting Desdemona’s relationship to Othello into danger, she can win Iago back..
Emilia and Iago have a much different relationship than Desdemona and Othello. Especially up to the point where Othello becomes suspicious of Desdemona. Whilst there is absolute no love between Iago and Emilia, Othello and Desdemona truly love each other. Especially when they are in Cyprus, these scenes show how much Othello has embraced Desdemona, and the two seem to be separate from the rest of the play’s characters for a while, in their own world of innocent, joyful loving. But love is something new to Othello, still he seems so much to enjoy the present of Desdemona. He speaks with great delight of their first meetings at her fathers house. (Act I, Scene III, Lines 166-167)
Othello
She loved me for the dangers I had pass’d,
and I lov’d her that she did pity them.
Where as the love between Desdemona and its whole story is studied in depth, we hardly know anything about the marriage and a maybe once existing love between Iago and Emilia. The only function of this unhappy relationship is for Iago to achieve what he wants and keep Emilia as his servant. He knows that he can get everything he wants from her, for as she wants to fight for love and attention. However, she does not gain any of this, and even when she gives Iago the handkerchief (Act III, Scene III) after he called her a foolish wife, the joy and attention only last for short, until Iago has the handkerchief and sends her away again.
However, Emilia plays only a small part in the intrigue of Iago to destroy the happiness of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage. I am very sure that if she had not been that naiv and had only seen what big mistake she was going to make by giving that handkerchief away, she would have acted against Iago in first place.
Emilia changed throughout the play from being just a woman that can be pushed around by her evil and unfaithful husband Iago, who does not love her, to a woman that has power and the will to decide for her own and if needed, also against her husband.
Emilia’s greatest character development happens in Act IV, Scene II, where she declares that she would be unfaithful in the right situation. This proves her less naiv than Desdemona who still thinks that no adulterous person exists.
On to Act V, Scene II, where she shows that her only love is to her mistress, Desdemona, who was killed by Othello.
She reveals her true loyalties after Iago tried to dismiss her and she refused to go.
Iago
What, are you mad? I charge you get you home.
Emilia
Good Gentlemen, let me have leave to speak.
‘Tis proper I obey him, but not now.
Perchance, Iago, I will ne’er go home.
And it goes on in Line 217:
Emilia
‘Twill out! ‘Twill out. I peace!
No, I will speak as liberal as the north;
Let haven, and men, and devils, let them all,
All, all cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak.
Iago
Be wise and get you home
Emilia
I will not
She tries to let out the absolute truth and stops defending Iago by saying that it was her that took the handkerchief and gave it to him, which was a great step and sort of a revelation that changed the play as it proved Desdemona not to be unfaithful.
Emilia
She give it Cassio! No, alas, I found it
And I did give’t my husband.
For this, Emilia is stabbed by her husband, Iago. He must have had no little love for her to be able to kill her, a woman, that did not want more than truth and morality. She ends up dying next to her mistress Desdemona, singing the willow song that she was once told by Desdemona.
Emilia – a woman that was blind of love and died in the realisation of being fooled by her husband and being part of an intrigue against her maybe only friend and mistress, she had never even thought of.
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