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Essay / Comparison of Desdemona and Emilia from Shakespeare's Othello
Table of ContentsCharacter Comparison of Desdemona and Emilia: Complete ContrastsConclusionWorks CitedHow are women's self-awareness, opposition and pursuit wasted by patriarchal society? In the play Othello, William Shakespeare creates abundantly colorful female images in order to interpret the rigid female roles of this era of sexism and to depict the varying degrees of self-awareness in a male-dominated society. By comparing the lives of Desdemona and Emilia, to Othello, we can reveal how women react differently to the repression and slavery caused by traditional patriarchy, of which they possess completely different attitudes, submissive and resistant respectively. It is evident that Desdemona and Emilia have different views of the androcentric society with which they are associated. Furthermore, their attitudes toward marital infidelity are completely different. Finally, they also differ when it comes to the truth and their loyalty to their husbands. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayDesdemona and Emilia Character Comparison: Complete ContrastsFirst, Desdemona and Emilia have distinct attitudes towards the idea of objectify women, attitudes which are the concrete manifestation of their different levels of feminine consciousness. On the one hand, Desdemona is willingly constrained by the social framework of being the property of men and sees this servility as part of an unshakable faith. It is evident that Desdemona fulfilled her duty to her father: “I am bound to you for life and education; My life and my education both teach me to respect you; you are the lord of duty.” Therefore, Desdemona considers her father her lord, which echoes the fact that she has no doubts about the subordination of women to men. She is a typical product of patriarchy because she is willingly burdened by a patriarchal system, which recognizes that women, as the property of men, must fulfill the duty of obedience to men. On the other hand, Emilia, being Desdemona's foil, questions the objectification of women inherited from patriarchy and criticizes the gender inequality of that era. Emilia's harsh criticism is demonstrated when she accuses a male-dominated society: "Let the husbands know that their wives have senses like them: they see and smell and have their palates for both sweet and sour” (Shakespeare. 4. 3. 95). Clearly, Emilia thinks differently from Desdemona, since she complains that women are equal to men on the basis of humanity and that they are seen as human beings with thoughts and emotions rather than objects. In summary, Desdemona accepts the concept of being seen as a subject by men, while Emilia attempts to break it, reflecting their distinct and different responses to the male-dominated world. Second, Desdemona and Emilia's contrasting ideas about female adultery revealed her different degrees of rebellion against patriarchy. Desdemona believes that women should be unconditionally loyal to their husbands, regardless of the unforgivable wrong they have done to them. To demonstrate, Desdemona questions Emilia about the possibility of women cheating on their husbands. Raising this question shows that Desdemona cannot understand the idea of women having affairs because she thinks that under no circumstances can women commit adultery. On the other hand, Emilia's maturity foils Desdemona's nature, when she claims that female infidelity is..