Dishonesty In Othello

In the plays Othello and As You Like It by William Shakespeare, Rosalind and Celia from the comedy As You Like It, Desdemona and Emilia from the tragedy Othello, are mostly in agreement on the nature of men. Rosalind and Celia view men as dishonest about the extent of their love. Desdemona and Emilia offer insight on the nature of the intense jealousy that men possess. In both play, women define men as psychologically weak cowards who are only driven by desire and lust. Finally, through the eyes of the women, both plays display the drastic transformation of men as soon as they marry their loved ones.
In the comedy As You Like It, after witnessing Orlando’s dishonesty regarding the nature of his love for Rosalind, Celia generalizes his flaw as one that all …show more content…
In response to Desdemona’s question relating to the reason for the unfaithfulness of women, Emilia points out that men “Break out in peevish jealousies” (Othello 4.3.84). Emilia believes that women cheat on their husbands as a result of the irrationality of their jealous husbands. Their jealousy is often not supported by substantial evidence and the men turn to anger. Earlier in the play, when Desdemona is confused due to Othello’s surprising accusation regarding her honesty, Emilia tells Desdemona that “jealous souls will not be answered so/ They are not ever jealous for the cause/But jealous for they are jealous” (Othello 3.4.151-152). Here, Emilia offers the reader the idea that men are not required to be suspicious in order to become jealous. Jealousy is a trait that men are born with. Men are jealous by nature and it is impossible to rid them of jealousy. Convincingly, the women in Othello have a significant amount to say on the matter of jealousy and its place in a man’s life. Subsequently, in both the comedy and tragedy, women also offer their perspective on another aspect of the vulnerable psyche of