Feminine Perspective within Othello :: Othello essays

Feminine Perspective within Othello In William Shakespe atomic number 18s tragic drama Othello, the male characters faraway outnumber the female ones. This may tend to cause the feminine viewpoint to be shortchanged. Lets not let that happen by rumination of same in this essay. In the essay Wit and Witchcraft an Approach to Othello Robert B. Heilman discusses involvement in the play by Emilia, the wife of Iago Emilias weft up the handkerchief helps advance the action by contributing to Iagos deception of Othello, but it is also relevant to her character and to Shakespeares conception of the modes of wifelike devotion and marital relationship (not to mention its relations by contrast with actions of Desdemona and Bianca and of Emilia herself later). (330) It was Emilias gift of the decorated kerchief to her husband that set up Desdemona for murder. Helen Gardner in Othello A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune talks of Emilias outlook on things Emilias silence while her lady o f pleasure lived is fully explicable in terms of her character. She shares with her husband the generalizing trick and is well used to domestic scenes. The jealous, she knows, are not ever jealous for the cause nevertheless jealous for they are jealous. If it was not the handkerchief it would be something else. Why disobey her husband and risk his fury? It would not do any good. This is what men are like. But Desdemona dead sweeps away all such generalities and all caution. At this sight, Emilia though the world is a huge thing honors that there is a thing she will not do for it. By her heroic disregard for death she gives the only proof there can be of Desdemonas whiteness the testimony of faith. For falseness can be proved, innocence can only be believed. Faith, not evidence, begets faith. (145) At the outset of the play only the male eyeshot is given Iago persuades the rejected suitor of Desdemona, Roderigo, to accompany him to the home of Brabantio, Desdemonas father, i n the middle of the night. Once there the two awaken the senator with loud shouts about his young ladys elopement with Othello. In response to the noise and Iagos vulgar descriptions of Desdemonas involvement with the general, Brabantio arises from bed. With Roderigos help, he gathers a search party to go and find Desdemona and bring her home.