Roles Of Women In Othello Research Paper

The Role of Women in Othello During Shakespeare’s time, women did not have the ability to possess freedoms inherent in our present day culture. Women then had to abide by the strict double standard prevalent at the time. Thus, they had to behave according to the desire of males in both the household and in public. Men ran all of the institutions and were considered, “the head of the household.” Such situations in which the conduct of women was vital included the following stringent regulations; they should not go anywhere unescorted, they should not wear provocative clothing, they must not cheat on their husbands, and many more demands that conveyed the authority men had over women. The three women presented in Othello are Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca; women who behaved and conducted themselves according to the expectations of Shakespeare’s society and to the Venetian Society he creates. All three women are rejected by their husbands, but love them …show more content…
Upon marrying a black man, Desdemona is aware of the mass criticism she will undergo yet, she unapologetically faces criticism for her bold choice. She is a passive character in the fact that she decided she wanted Othello and pursed him. Unlike her husband, she is not insecure, even when called a “whore” she remains loyal to him. Desdemona and Othello are completely in love and its impossible to believe Othello is determined to kill Desdemona. When Desdemona learns of Othello’s intentions, she resists feebly, but accepts her fate. When asked who her murder is, Desdemona says, “Nobody. I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell.” Desdemona’s last words are to clear her husband of the blame in her murder, though he is the one who carried out the dead. She basically allows her husband to kill her because of her love for Othello. Thus, not only are women mistreated, they seem to accept their mistreatment with little