’In othello the female victims are innocent victims of male power’
To what extent do you agree
- while they are all victims of male power and patriarchy, their victimhood isn’t uniform
- innocence implies a lack of control in their position as victim
In Shakespeare's tragedy, ‘Othello’, he encapsulates the varying female roles that were
present in Venetian society in the 16th century, and the tragic consequences that result from
the subversion of said roles. While all three women in the play, Desdemona, Bianca and
Emilia are explored through the male dominance enforced on them, their victim hood isn’t
uniform, and their different responses to male power all result in punishment. Desdemona’s
tragic downfall can be deemed the result of her own defiance of patriarchal gender roles and
naivety, positioning her as a complex character, who, while oppressed, may also bear a
degree of culpability in her death, and thus not be seen as innocent. Emilia navigates
between complicity and resistance to male power, while Bianca represents a character
liberated from male power, yet scorned, further complicating the notion of victimhood.
However, in regards to the central manipulation of Machiavellian character Iago, the women
are ‘innocent victims’, each used by Iago to further the tragedy. Shakespeare also explores
how patriarchal control extends to female sexuality, with the three women being victims of
male expectations of sexual propriety.
Shakespeare initially depicts Desdemona as the ideal chaste and respectable woman in
Venetian society, furthered by her social standing as the daughter of a noble Venetian
senator. The recurring use of epithets, particularly biblical allusions such as "Divine
Desdemona," positions her in a positive light for devout Jacobean audiences. These
references evoke notions of purity and sanctity, aligning her with idealized religious and
moral values and predisposing the audience to later sympathise with her tragic downfall
when wrongfully accused of infidelity and ultimately murdered, and highlighting her as an
innocent victim. As literary critic A.C. Bradley notes, she embodies the "eternal womanly," a
symbol of virtuous femininity. However, her unconventional elopement with the ‘Moor of
Venice’, and the tragic hero of the play, Othello (a man of a different race and social status),
sets her apart from the classical innocent female victim. When faced directly with conflicting
male power between her father, Brabantio and Othello in act 1 scene 3, Desdemona remains
firm in her values, exclaiming that ‘I am hitherto your daughter: but here is my husband’. This
clear display of agency evident in Desdemona serves as a stark contrast the passive and
submissive patriarchal stereotypes of wives in Jacobean society. Furthermore, posing threat
to male power and thus evoking the scorn of father, who declares ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou
hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father and may thee’, arguably planting the seed of
Othello's doubt and thus foreshadowing the tragic breakdown of their relationship. This tragic
inevitability causes audiences to question Desdemona's innocence, as her downfall arguably
stems not from her breaking of laws, but of her subversion of patriarchal gender norms
which aim to oppress her.
Desdemona’s steadfast devotion to Othello, despite his growing jealousy, reveals a tragic
flaw—her refusal to accept the limitations of her gendered role in a patriarchal society. Her
unflinching faith in Othello's love blinds her to the manipulations of Iago, which ultimately
leads to her undoing."Her innocence is intertwined with a tragic naivety, recognised by critics
as a like Heraud who say that she ‘suffers from illusion and loves to be deluded’. She sees
To what extent do you agree
- while they are all victims of male power and patriarchy, their victimhood isn’t uniform
- innocence implies a lack of control in their position as victim
In Shakespeare's tragedy, ‘Othello’, he encapsulates the varying female roles that were
present in Venetian society in the 16th century, and the tragic consequences that result from
the subversion of said roles. While all three women in the play, Desdemona, Bianca and
Emilia are explored through the male dominance enforced on them, their victim hood isn’t
uniform, and their different responses to male power all result in punishment. Desdemona’s
tragic downfall can be deemed the result of her own defiance of patriarchal gender roles and
naivety, positioning her as a complex character, who, while oppressed, may also bear a
degree of culpability in her death, and thus not be seen as innocent. Emilia navigates
between complicity and resistance to male power, while Bianca represents a character
liberated from male power, yet scorned, further complicating the notion of victimhood.
However, in regards to the central manipulation of Machiavellian character Iago, the women
are ‘innocent victims’, each used by Iago to further the tragedy. Shakespeare also explores
how patriarchal control extends to female sexuality, with the three women being victims of
male expectations of sexual propriety.
Shakespeare initially depicts Desdemona as the ideal chaste and respectable woman in
Venetian society, furthered by her social standing as the daughter of a noble Venetian
senator. The recurring use of epithets, particularly biblical allusions such as "Divine
Desdemona," positions her in a positive light for devout Jacobean audiences. These
references evoke notions of purity and sanctity, aligning her with idealized religious and
moral values and predisposing the audience to later sympathise with her tragic downfall
when wrongfully accused of infidelity and ultimately murdered, and highlighting her as an
innocent victim. As literary critic A.C. Bradley notes, she embodies the "eternal womanly," a
symbol of virtuous femininity. However, her unconventional elopement with the ‘Moor of
Venice’, and the tragic hero of the play, Othello (a man of a different race and social status),
sets her apart from the classical innocent female victim. When faced directly with conflicting
male power between her father, Brabantio and Othello in act 1 scene 3, Desdemona remains
firm in her values, exclaiming that ‘I am hitherto your daughter: but here is my husband’. This
clear display of agency evident in Desdemona serves as a stark contrast the passive and
submissive patriarchal stereotypes of wives in Jacobean society. Furthermore, posing threat
to male power and thus evoking the scorn of father, who declares ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou
hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father and may thee’, arguably planting the seed of
Othello's doubt and thus foreshadowing the tragic breakdown of their relationship. This tragic
inevitability causes audiences to question Desdemona's innocence, as her downfall arguably
stems not from her breaking of laws, but of her subversion of patriarchal gender norms
which aim to oppress her.
Desdemona’s steadfast devotion to Othello, despite his growing jealousy, reveals a tragic
flaw—her refusal to accept the limitations of her gendered role in a patriarchal society. Her
unflinching faith in Othello's love blinds her to the manipulations of Iago, which ultimately
leads to her undoing."Her innocence is intertwined with a tragic naivety, recognised by critics
as a like Heraud who say that she ‘suffers from illusion and loves to be deluded’. She sees
