Othello Essay

To this day, contemporary societies are struggling with patriarchal gender roles that position women to be inferior to men. Although most modern, western cultures are working towards the abolishment of such hierarchies, it is difficult because strong ideologies have been embedded in our societies throughout history. We see examples of this concept throughout many different time periods in literary canons and it is even arguable that these misogynistic values resulting from such representations are still an issue in modern society. The dramatic tragedy Othello written by William Shakespeare is one such text that incorporates gender representations throughout the Elizabethan era in particular, when patriarchal ideals were central to social dynamics. Othello follows the story of Othello, a tragic hero who is manipulated through jealousy into strangling his wife, Desdemona. The play uses language and dramatic conventions to endorse the widely accepted ideologies of the time in which it was written through other characters’ attitudes towards women and the passive actions of central female characters such as Desdemona, all suggesting that men held social power over women. However, in some instances we see females opposing their supposedly superior husbands, therefore challenging the strict gender roles portrayed. In this way, the play Othello, presents the ideology that women are victims overall due to males holding social power, however also subverts traditional gender representations in some instances, empowering women and challenging societal values.

Attitudes towards women throughout Othello support patriarchal ideology as female characters are often victimised or dismissed by the male characters. Throughout the play we see central women, depreciated by dominant male leads of high social status. Women are established as inferior through a careful choice of derogatory language employing the use of words such as “mistress” and “strumpet”. These crude terms are used to reduce females so that they are depicted as inferior and vulnerable, further establishing the gender hierarchy. Although this language has evolved over time, these attitudes remain prevalent in contemporary society, as the use of sexist comments on social media is frequent resulting in women between the ages of 18 and 24 experiencing harassment such as offensive name calling, sexual harassment and stalking at a disproportionally higher level than men^[1].  In Othello, the concept of dominance is further highlighted through the use of metaphors in the text. An example of this can be found when Cassio compares the character Bianca to a “bauble”. Through the description “bauble” it can be inferred that Cassio merely views Bianca as a decorative play thing, revealing his disrespectful and dismissive attitude towards women and reinforcing the representation of women being lesser than men. Attitudes towards women conveyed through use of language features overall suggests that women were easily belittled by dominant male characters and demonstrates the impact of social power on gender representations.

The gender representations constructed using male attitudes are perpetuated by the passive actions and silencing of the lead female character, Desdemona. Initially we see Othello and others praise her and suggest that she holds great power over her husband as she is referred to as “Our great captain’s captain”. This viewpoint initially challenges gender representations, implying that a wife can command her husband. However, we soon see this statement reverted to support societies attitudes as although she is idealised, male characters still have a tendency to see her as an object. Desdemona’s dialogue, or lack thereof, suggests that female opinion was not valued by those in power, particularly Othello. This idea is summarised by Carol Thomas Neely, who says “Desdemona is helplessly passive. She can do nothing whatever.”^[2] Throughout the drama, as Iago corrupts Othello with notions about Cassio and Desdemona sleeping together, Desdemona is not given an opportunity to speak. Even in the very last scene when she speaks out swearing she is innocent “by [her] life and soul” she is not believed. This dialogue highlights how women are often suppressed, leading to them being victims to dominant males, in this instance Othello. It could be said that if the character Desdemona had been given an opportunity to speak and be taken at her word, her tragic fate may have been avoidable therefore the silencing and dismissal of females is an essential element to this Shakespearian tragedy. The passive actions of females are reinforced using stage directions. As they reveal “Othello strikes her” and her reaction is merely to exit the room as she says “I will not stay to offend you”. This shows Desdemona become a victim of abuse very much contributing to the sense she is deeply affected by patriarchal ideology. It also perpetuates the stifling of female voices due to views about what was appropriate at the time, suggesting that she could not stand up to her husband due to predetermined gender roles embedded into societal values. The character Desdemona therefore, through use of typical dramatic conventions endorses the idea that women are victims.