Gender Stereotypes In Shakespeare's Othello

In Shakespeare’s play Othello, there are only three women characters; Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. In this play, women are viewed as possessions to the men, causing critics to argue that the women to have no control of their lives. Women were viewed as their husband’s property, not being able to make their own decisions and listening to what their husbands told them to do. They were not seen as a human nor were females seen as being equal to men. Throughout Shakespeare’s Othello the three women show ways in which they are independent and strong women that are in control of their lives along with ways that they are not.

In the play ‘Othello’ written by William Shakespeare, we see not only the main male character leads. But we also see the female characters, Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. These three women were portrayed in ways that showed them being inferior to the other male roles as well as society during the Elizabethan Era. But Shakespeare made each of these individual ladies characteristics quite unique to one another having the traits of a feminist. Even though in the play we read how the male characters did somewhat control them and made them look weak compared to them, there were moments where Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca stood up for themselves.

Feminist critical lens examines certain texts with a primary focus on both gender’s relationship with each other and how such relationships demonstrate effects towards beliefs, behaviors, and values. This critical lens also examines a patriarchal-centered society and how such society define and interact with women with an emphasis on stereotypes of both genders that are present and evident in the text being analyzed. William Shakespeare’s Othello can be scrutinized through the feminist critical lens. A deep analysis focused on feminism of the play Othello paves way for the judgement of different societal status of women in the period when the play took place, the Elizabethan society. Othello is a best fit that demonstrates how men were

    Othello represents a prime example of Shakespeare's ability to develop relationships between the sexes so as to demonstrate those relationships' weaknesses. In Othello, the sexes are divided by misconceptions and ego- centric views of the opposite gender. The men of the play, in particular Othello, maintain a patriarchal, chivalric notion of the sexes, while the women of the play yearn for more involvement in their husbands' affairs. So it is that the thrust of the play emerges from "the opposition of attitudes, viewpoints, and sexes." (Neely 214)

In “Othello,” William Shakespeare extensively explores female stereotypes that occur during the playwright’s time. Throughout the Shakespearian era, women were seen as the inferior sex, over whom men had complete control and thus forcing women to act submissively and obediently in front of their husbands. Men believed that women were objects who just cooked meals, cleaned the house, and bore children while society just accepted these degrading roles. William Shakespeare extensively reinforces female stereotypes by presenting the deaths of Emilia and Desdemona to be rightly deserved for defying their female gender roles throughout the play. Emilia and Desdemona are polar opposite characters who

Women in the sixteenth century were commonly dominated by a patriarchal society. Meaning their loyalty and respect lay amongst the men in their lives with little choice for opposition. In Othello by William Shakespeare, he portrays the role of women in a way typical to their representation in Elizabethan and Venetian society. While the women may be presented as mentally stronger than their male counterparts, the language given to these female characters suggest that they have internalized society 's expectation of them. Apart from moments of private conversation and Emilia 's reaction to Desdemona 's death, the women behave in a submission that is expected of them, believing it to be the natural way, as the men continue to downgrade and treat them as secondary citizens. Shakespeare represents this status of women through the traditional views of the male characters, moments of submission from the females, and how the women internalize this society.

The Archetype of Women The female characters in Othello are all dependant on their company. When around men, they conform to their idea of what a stereotypical woman would be in the 1600s, but while around other women or themselves, they become more like their modern counterparts. Their constant, unconscious transformations reinforce the idea that they have to fit in a box if they want to be chosen by a man. By using conflict, diction, and tone, Shakespeare demonstrates the divide between the two personas of the women in Othello.

The role of women and gender representation in Othello challenged the male dominated society in that time period. Women in Shakespeare’s time were seen as being loyal and submissive to their husbands and not going against their husband’s judgment. Shakespeare developed complex and varied female characters in his plays, especially the women portrayed in Othello. In the play, Shakespeare introduces three female characters: Desdemona, Othello 's wife, Emilia, Iago’s wife and mistress to Desdemona, and Bianca, a prostitute who is interested in Cassio. The play examines the positions each woman has in the social hierarchy and also reviews the issue of adultery.

William Shakespeare’s, Othello, expresses the lack of respect and authority given to women during Shakespeare’s time. Throughout the piece, women are repeatedly put in positions subordinate to men and are stripped of a voice. Women in this piece are portrayed as “belongings” to men, and never resist how they are treated. Iago is able to use women in his plan, like pawns in a chess game, to benefit himself. However, it is a woman in the end who puts the pieces together and solves Iago twisted plot. It is also the women in the end who stay sane and loyal to their men. Shakespeare discreetly communicates to the audience the message that women were underestimated during the time, and shouldn’t be treated as subordinates.

In the book “Gender Trouble” (1990), feminist theorist Judith Butler explains “gender is not only a social construct, but also a kind of performance such as a show we put on, a costume or disguise we wear” (Butler). In other words, gender is a performance, an act, and costumes, not the main aspect of essential identity. By understanding this theory of gender as an act, performance, we can see how gender has greatly impacted the outcome of the play in William Shakespeare’s Othello. From a careful analysis of the story, tragedy in Othello is result of violating expected gender roles, gender performance by Desdemona and Othello, and the result of Iago’s inability to tolerate these violations.

If society is asked how they portray women, their answers would vary exponentially. Their speculations would depend on personal experience and how society portrays women in general. In the play, Othello, William Shakespeare portrays Desdemona and Emilia as confident and loyal, which causes them to be mistreated. Shakespeare demonstrates this through their speech and actions but also shows how disrespected they are by their loved ones even though they remain loyal to them.

Critical Lens FEMINISM Thesis Statement To what extent are the woman in the play oppressed? William Shakespeare's 'Othello' has strong associations to feminist theory and can be be read from said perspective. A Feminist analysis of Othello not only allows us to evaluate the social values in the play, but also enables us to review the extend of which women were subject to oppression in the Elizabethan era.

In William Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece, Othello, which is set in the male dominated late 16th century during the war between Turkey and Venice, women are portrayed as possessions. During this time period there was a strong influence of the Elizabethan ideology where women were meant to obey all men or be subjected to punishment for disobedience. Therefore Shakespeare portrays the three leading women in the play—Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca—as submissive to which their identities are very limited and they are seen as dependant rather than individuals. Their social roles are depicted as wives and daughters rather than strong independent women. Though the women hold an ounce of power over the men is their sexuality, which is considered

Feminism is and has always been a prominent focus in society. Specifically during the Renaissance, when Shakespeare’s Othello was written, were women thought of as subordinate to men. Shakespeare portrays women as merely FOIL characters to their male counterparts throughout the play. They help shed light on the men’s dark sides as well as their true faults. Their roles include wives, prostitutes, and even messengers. The women in the play are disrespected and treated as lesser beings. Although there are imperative female characters in Shakespeare’s Othello, many of them are treated as tools or objects and are disrespected by the men, specifically Iago, Othello and Cassio.

There are only three female characters in William Shakespeare's play Othello, Desdemona, Othello’s wife, Emilia, Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s lady-in-waiting, and Bianca, a courtesan. When first introduced to this limited number of representatives of the female gender, it is quickly assumed that they will not be very present or have an important role in story. In addition, the male characters of the play see women as submissive and promiscuous possessions that should be controlled by either their fathers or spouses. However Shakespeare’s female characters are shown to question male authority and to have the ability to speak for themselves, which could be seen as feminist statement during the Elizabethan time that Shakespeare lived in.