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accusing women of participating in mere foolery during the day and insisting that the only worth- while work they do is in bed.
In a soliloquy spoken by Iago shortly thereafter, he again reveals his misogynistic tenden- cies. While absorbed with re- sentment for what he believes to be unjust treatment by Othello, Iago begins to speak of taking Desdemona: “And nothing can
or shall content my soul / Till I am even’d with [Othello], wife for wife” (Shakespeare 28). This demonstrates Iago’s callous view of women. To him, women are mere objects, such as coins, that are to be squabbled and fought over. As critic Francesco Ancona points out, Iago’s only purpose for his wife, Emilia, is to further his own interests: “...This is a subtle whore, / A closet, lock and key,
of villainous secrets; / And yet, she’ll kneel and pray, I have seen her do’t” (1).
So it becomes quite ironic that
a woman is the only one who is eventually able to see the truth through Iago’s entangling webs. At the climax of the drama, in Desdemona and Othello’s cham- ber, the underlying tension be- tween Iago and Emilia nally erupts. When Iago realizes that Emilia has pieced together the loose ends of the story and knows his secret, he commands her to keep her silence, fully expecting that she will obey him. Rather, she takes a stand against Iago and, symbolically, all men, glorifying uprising of women during Shake- speare’s time. Despite being ruthlessly slaughtered by her own husband, Emilia certainly emerg- es as the victorious character as
far as ethics and morals go.
One of the primary reasons
time even made a move to restrain Iago, even as he paused after drawing his sword, demonstrates the defenselessness of Emilia, de- spite her purity (1). Additionally, Iago’s savageness is murdering his own unarmed wife shows his futile and shameful nature. Em- ily Bartels, another critic, points out that Emilia achieves the status of a worthy martyr which places her far above Iago in the eyes of the audience (1). While Emilia posthumously earns reverence from the audience, Iago lives on in humiliation and disdain.
why Emilia becomes so exalted to the reader is the contrast between her and Iago in the nal scene. Before the scene, even Emilia
has not unwound the knot of lies Iago has tied around all of them. Therefore the audience knows that, going into the scene, Emilia is acting on instantaneous virtue and emotion. In addition, as she has shown in her role as con dent to Desdemona, she truly is hon- est in her behavior. Any reaction that is to come from Emilia in the ensuing scene is known by the audience to be spontaneous and true. Iago, on the hand, is known to be carrying the weight of the stories he has spun. Because of this, the audience suspects an imminent clash between husband and wife. The eruption becomes inevitable, as does an expiration date on Iago’s life when Othello mentions the handkerchief as proof of his wife’s adultery. This sparks a chain reaction of rev- elations by Emilia which Iago attempts to subdue. Critic Karl Zender describes the exchange
Through this striking contrast, Shakespeare gives an appreciable nod towards Elizabe- than-era women. As Vanita points out, he shamefully re ects upon their defenselessness among men through the events in the play’s nal scene. More importantly,
he acknowledges their true purity and virtue by granting a noble death to Emilia, while completely destroying any positive percep- tions of Iago, her murderer. Shakespeare masterfully entices the audience to respect and even exalt his female characters, which parallels their increasing status during his contemporary time.
of symbolic roles between Iago and Emilia (1). In desperation, Iago charges Emilia to “hold [her] peace,” to which Emilia replies de antly, “No, I will speak as lib- eral as the north.” She is imme- diately resolved to uncovering her husband’s falsities, acting purely on her own virtue.
Kevin Klembczyk is a senior and wrote this essay for AP Lit- erature. This is one of the essays written in the class to analyze Othello.
Shortly thereafter, Iago ruthlessly stabs and kills Emilia. Critic Ruth Vanita points out a glaring disparity in the treatment of women in this scene. Accord- ing to Vanita, the fact that none of the gentlemen in the room at the
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