Desdemona and Emilia free essay sample

As one of Shakespeares famous tragedies, â€Å"Othello†, is a play that not only shows the love and the humanistic ideal destroyed, but also shows the tragic fortune of women in the era of the patriarchal society. (Snow 384) This play includes several main themes of love tragedies delivered through some contrasting values and characters such as love and jealousy, trust and breach of trust etc. Desdemona, a representative of the perfect embodiment of a faithful loving wife, eventually killed by her suspecting husband. Emilia, an analytical woman that knew to obey the social norms but still carried a sense of inherent moral compass and compassion. How do the characters perceive what is proper and moral in the society they were in? This essay will explore the characters of Desdemona and Emilia, compare and contrast their personalities and different approaches to life that led to their ultimate fate. The brightest spots in the play are the masterful creation of the individual characters in the backdrop of a patriarchal society. We will write a custom essay sample on Desdemona and Emilia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the development of the plot of the story, Shakespeare showed us the complexity and versatility of character features which embodied in the conflict. The characters evolve as the play progresses; Othello from a confident leader to a jealous husband that â€Å"turned his sexual agony into an instrument of passionate blame. † (Cohen 207); Desdemona from a boundless young girl to an obedient wife; and Emilia from an unsuspecting accomplice to a voice for justice. Emilia had very few scenes in the play compared to Desdemona’s, but the stark contrast of these two characters could not be more evident. Desdemona:From boundless to obedience Desdemona was born a noble woman, beautiful, kind-hearted and pure in thought. She gave up her noble and comfortable life, betrayed her rich and powerful father to marry Othello. She was completely different from the conventional sense of the women of that era. She was beautiful and kind, she was very down to earth to anyone, including the servants. Before getting married, Desdemona was active, brave, bold and confident; she was proactive and not afraid to take actions. For example, in the fight for her marriage, she showed the rebellious spirit of a new age woman who dared to challenge the patriarchal family. However, after getting married, even in the face of her husbands wrong, insult and murder, Desdemona’s behavior was very weak and passively obedient. The cause of this change was the lack of struggle from the judgments she faced based on societal norms. She was married and she saw no need to continually prove to the world that her marriage was proper. She didn’t need to fight for love anymore she was already contempt therefore her inherent mild and obedient personality was revealed, and she remained that way until the end. She transferred her status from an obedient daughter to an obedient wife. She consciously abandoned the rebellious character, regarded Othello as a new master, and offered unconditional obedience to Othello. She thought her love was impregnable and the man she loved would be consistent. Her demise was contributed partially by her own naivety. Her friendliness and helpful nature was often exploited by Iago to mislead Othello. A powerful example was that she repeatedly tried very hard to help Cassio to get reinstated, unknowingly her actions solidified Othello’s suspicions which eventually led to the explosive burst of anger that resulted in her death. She never saw the change of Othello with a growing suspicious heart. She was in love with Othello’s brilliant achievements in the war, but she didnt fully understand his nature. Her endless tolerance, understanding and obedient to her husband was responded by more and more skepticism, mocking and hatred. She believed that any action to subdue the pain would mean a negative effect on Othello’s love for her and therefore should be avoided. It seemed that she fell in love with Othello, but in reality she fell in love with a heroic figure of her own imagination. Desdemonas submission to the patriarchy eventually led her to her tragic destiny. Emilia: From compliance to rebellion Emilia was Iago’s wife. She was initially loyal to Iago, which made her an unsuspecting link in Iago’s plot, Desdemona. Iago was a selfish and insidious character, he was a manipulative and deceptive figure that for lack of any good reasons was bent on destroying the people around him. As close as husband and wife, Iago never revealed his true intention to Emilia, he distrusted Emilia. At first, Emilia believed that a loving wife should  obey to her husband that is why she respond to her husbands request to ask Desdemona to help Cassio. However Emilia’s compliant behaviors to Iago were different from Desdemona’s unconditional and endless obedience to Othello. On the one hand, Emilia obeyed Iago, did what Iago asked of her; on the other hand, when Iago wanted to destroy her image in front of other people, she dared to condemn Iago. She thought he have no reason to mistreat her in such fashion. It can be seen that Emilia’s compliant actions were selective and she remained fairly independent minded. Emilia still had her own thoughts, feelings, and independent personality. When Emilia overheard Othello and Desdemona’s confrontation she tried her best to support Desdemona in favor of the truth. When came under the threat of her husband, Emilia still chose to uncover the truth instead of taking the side to cover her husbands crimes. Her actions showed a sense of justice and morals. Before dying, due to her guilt and adoration of Desdemona, she demanded people took her to Desdemona’s side. Emilia had a clear understanding that Iago lacked morals and therefore felt less inclined to obey Iago’s demands. Othello scolded Desdemona as a prostitute, Desdemona accepted her fate without murmuring; in support Desdemona, Emilia said that nobody can tolerate these words. Compared to Desdemona’s naivety, Emilia is a more grown and worldly-wise woman. â€Å"I did not give him any reason to doubt me†, Desdemona said to Emilia innocently. (Shakespear) Emilia pointed out it doesn’t need a reason for a man to be jealous. Conclusion: Since its creation in the early 1600s, countless critics spoke highly of this play, which is considered to be the most emotionally impactful tragedies in Shakespeares works. In this play, Desdemona is a complicated and interesting person, served as a vital role in the design of the play. She turned from boundless young girl to a blindly obedient wife. Emilia is a mature, sophisticated and compliant woman. Both Desdemona and Emilia were trying to be proper in their roles fitting to the society’s expectations at the time, which was of a submissive role for women to their husbands. However Emilia turned against her husband in favor of justice, despite the social expectations. They were both killed by their husbands but Desdemona died still devoted to Othello while Emilia died while hating Iago for his manipulations. The most striking contrast between Desdemona and Emilia is their different opinions about love. Desdemona believed love was unconditional and forgiving for whatever Othello may do. Emilia believed more so in fairness, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Instead of absolute obedience Emilia believed gain and loss were relative, the truth was more important than fatuous love.