Over the course of history, in most societies, men have had a more dominant role. Men normally ran the business side of the family and women looked after children and helped the husband when asked. This is the same in William Shakespeare’s Othello, set in Venice and Cyprus in the 16th century. Othello has the gender roles of an Elizabethan society where men were the dominant figure over women. Women were passed from father to husband and served the man who was in charge of them their whole life. Emilia and Desdemona were the two dominant female figures who were supposed to act this way in Othello. However, in William Shakespeare’s Othello, both Desdemona and Emilia try to defy patriarchy and gender roles, but ultimately fail. Desdemona has thoughts of challenging patriarchy in a conversation with Emilia, but
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She expresses how a woman should put her spouse before her husband by saying to her father that her “mother showed / to you, preferring you before her father, / so much I challenge that I may profess / due to the Moor my lord” (I.iii.215-218). She doesn’t think that the father should make the decision as to whether or not his daughter can marry someone, it is her own. Even her own father believes she has acted wrongly when tells Othello that “she has deceived her father” (I.iii.334). Although she originally acts outside of the roles of women at the time, she later returns. She goes so far as to label herself, whilst talking with Emilia and Othello “I am obedient” (III.iii.99). She also does the traditional thing of following her husband even when it is not in her best interest. When Othello is about to kill her she tells him that “I never did / offend you in my life” (V.ii.73-74), but she still allows Othello to kills her without much struggle because it’s what he
She expresses how a woman should put her spouse before her husband by saying to her father that her “mother showed / to you, preferring you before her father, / so much I challenge that I may profess / due to the Moor my lord” (I.iii.215-218). She doesn’t think that the father should make the decision as to whether or not his daughter can marry someone, it is her own. Even her own father believes she has acted wrongly when tells Othello that “she has deceived her father” (I.iii.334). Although she originally acts outside of the roles of women at the time, she later returns. She goes so far as to label herself, whilst talking with Emilia and Othello “I am obedient” (III.iii.99). She also does the traditional thing of following her husband even when it is not in her best interest. When Othello is about to kill her she tells him that “I never did / offend you in my life” (V.ii.73-74), but she still allows Othello to kills her without much struggle because it’s what he