In Elizabethan times, being called a “cuckold” was a serious offense. The term refers to a man who is being cheated on by his wife. Said “cuckold” is thought to have invisible horns growing from his head that only he cannot see, these horns expose what is really happening in his marriage. A cuckold is considered naive for not knowing their wife is with another man. This term can be used as an insult which attacks the pride of the married man. Shakespeare takes advantage of the importance placed on the word cuckold, as he uses it in many of his plays such as Othello. Othello’s pride is attacked and he feels as though he must make up for his “lost” pride. He is made to feel like less of a man for the lies he is being fed and therefore transforms
