Othello: Women and Sexuality
- Created by: MaggieNaylor
- Created on: 06-04-21 10:31
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- Womanhood and Sexuality in Othello
- Desdemona: The Madonna
- Plays the role of the virtuous wife
- 'Beshrew me if I would do such a wrong/For the whole world'
- This quote shows her virtuous/naive nature. She cannot believe anyone would cheat on their husband
- She cannot see how her behaviour may be misinterpreted to others
- 'Beshrew me if I would do such a wrong/For the whole world'
- Plays the role of the virtuous wife
- Bianca: The Whore
- On the surface, Bianca is presented as the stereotypical whore
- Even Emilia, the feminist icon, accuses her of being a 'strumpet'
- However, Shakespeare undermines this view of Bianca as a 'whore.' And shows her to have more complex feelings.
- Cassio treats her as disposable: 'she haunts me in every place'
- But Bianca loves Cassio: 'Alas, he faints! O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio'
- On the surface, Bianca is presented as the stereotypical whore
- Emilia: A Complex Mix
- Emilia fits neither into the stereotype Desdemone or Bianca does
- Instead she seems to be partly Desdemona, as she seems loyal to Iago when she gives him the handkerchief
- Yet she is not wholly loyal. She defies Iago at the end of the play- costing her her life.
- She also says women have the right to 'revenge' if they are mistreated
- Context
- Setting
- Venice was well known for its sexual promiscuity
- This perceived immorality of Venetian women is shown through Emilia's description of adultery as a 'small vice'
- Iago even uses this to convince Othello of Desdemona's adultery
- He convinces Othello he knows the 'country disposition'
- He argues that Desdemona is sexually corrupt, that she will commit adultery without a bad conscience
- He convinces Othello he knows the 'country disposition'
- Venice was well known for its sexual promiscuity
- Setting
- Desdemona: The Madonna
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