In "Othello", Shakespeare portrays his male and female characters very differently. While the male characters play a large role in this play, it is the female characters that actually advance the plot of the play through Shakespeare's extravagant characterization. In many works of literature, the female characters "take a back seat" when the main character is a male. In "Othello", Shakespeare uses a different technique so that the female characters do not stay persistent; they change and develop. The women in the play are essentially looked upon as whores, even though they act as saints. Shakespeare's unbalanced and unconfident depiction of women shows that he believes that women are still substandard to men, even though it is they that progress the play.
I agree with Trent, Shakespeare’s separation of the sexes in Othello most definitely reveals his inner feeling towards women. The women in his plays are always in the background, but it is the background workers of the play that control the play in itself. In almost every work of Literary merit that has a strong male as the central character, there is always atleast one woman behind him that is the source of his strenght. Women are always underminded and it is a role that has been accepted in Literature. Shakespeare lived during a tiem when women were only accessories to the home and even in his times, he knew the importance of having strong female characters in the background. He was able to interweave the Inteligence and strength he knew women possessed into Othello, emphasing the fact that a strong central male character is nothing without a stronger background female. Shakespeare shows how a women can be the driving force of a story and hide in the background because women don’t have to satisfy their ego with boasting and flaunting as men do.
Shakespeare in Othello gives his female characters a more prominant role. Seen as not that important in the time his females hold a significant part in the plot of his story. Desdemona is the tool that is used for Iago's plot for power. This brings her from her "back seat", as Trent puts it, and brings the audience attention and sympathies to Desdemona. Also, though unknowingly, there is a villinous woman. I have not come across a woman having such a major role in a play before. Yes there are the strong woman who have importance because they actually have a will and spirit in a time that crushes the woman, but I have never heard of a villion being a woman. Emilia in this case does not realize what she is fully playing into with Iago's plan but you can see the villiany in her in parts of the play.She becomes a tragic hero herself in the end when she realizes the horror she has brought down on her mistress and reveals the truth of her husband's decievery. Desdemona is the original woman who has the spirit to catch the audience's attention and make them sympathize with a woman's plight. In this way, Shakespeare has brought attention the woman statis and how it can be a more powerful one than is given credit.
Shakespeare portrays the male and female characters very differently in his play Othello. In most of his plays Shakespeare tends to let the female characters "take a back seat" as Trent stated. In Othello, the women of the play are stronger and more determined women. They help the plot develop and progress throughout the play. The women of the play are still looked down upon by the men but they are still listened to more than usual. As Trent said Shakespeare allowed these women to change and develop like real people. Shakespeare believed that women were not equal to men but it was these women that progressed the play.
The women in "Othello" are treated very different from the men. The men have a very high status, and are the leaders of the house. With the men being the higher gender, Shakespeare gives them more parts. The women have much smaller parts. With the men having a higher status, they treat the women like dogs. They demand them to do the things they want and to be faithful to them. The men also consider them whores, even though the women have been loyal and faithful.
In this play, Shakespeare portrays the female characters differently throughout the play. Sometimes they are viewed as meddling whores who are only good for one thing while at other times he use them to develop plot and theme. Desdemona and Emilia are the two main women in the poem who play big roles in advancing the plot. Even though neither one of them is a whore and they are actually very faithful to their husbands, they are still seen as whores in the eyes of the men, especially when Iago's lies start having an effect on Othello. Desdemona and Emilia are actually very dynamic characters because they change from the beginning of the play to the end. This is non-typical of most older plays because females did not usually have many large roles and men usually held the leading roles.
CaylaAmber said... Shakespeare attempts to go against how women are stereotyped in several other plays, by showing more of the good than bad in women. Shakespeare is showing the world's view of women back then, and even now for some parts of the world. The entire world thought that women should be in the background and in men's shadows, but in this play that is not the case. Shakespeare has Desdemona as a very strong and influential women. Through her hardships, she shows women how to be strong by defending and sticking up for themselves. Although the overall portrayal of women is good and uplifting, it also shows a negative side. Shakespeare has the male characters in the story calling the women "whores" and "callets", which is degrading towards women of all ages. This is the only part of the portrayal of women that I did not care for. Other than that, I believe that women are very dominant in the play, even though they aren't supposed to be the main characters.
I agree with Katharine Anne and Trent. Women are known to not be as important in a play. Shakespeare portrays women differently in this play. As Katharine Anne said, they help the plot develope and progress throughout the play. The women in this play may not have many parts, but they are what creates the plots and keep the play alive.
I also agree with Trent. Although the women in the play were all considered whores and unfaithful, they were the force which drove the plot. Women were looked down upon by men and were continually bossed around. Although they were not considered equal to the men, they were the ones that moved the plot. Ultimately, women were greatly underestimated.
This is Kelly. During this time period, women were not seen as equal to men and were usually just in the background. In Othello, women are not as important as the men, but they do have a more prominent role than most women of the time did. The men in their lives tended to look down on them, but these women were still very strong. I believe Emilia represents a strong woman. She knows she messed up by giving Iago Desdemona's handkerchief, but she does what she can to redeem herself. In the end, Emilia stands up for herself and Desdemona, by giving up her own life. She let everybody know about what Iago had been doing before she died as well. The women in Othello are really what keeps the story going.
In the play the female characters are very strong in morals; however, they are easily used. Although the males in the play are corrupted, by greed or jealousy or alcohol, the women are very stable and stand by their men, to the downfall of them all. The women are portrayed as innocent and are used because of their trusting and honest natures. Desdemona is used as the tool of Othello’s downfall by Iago. She is able to be used in such a way because her mind is open and willing to please Othello, while his is slowly turned against her. This leads to her death, as well as Othello’s. Emilia is also used by her own husband in order to achieve his own means. Her willingness to please Iago by stealing the handkerchief gave him exactly what he needed to put his plan into action. This ultimately brings her unhappiness of the deepest kind by her loss of her mistress and the realization of Iago’s true character.
Shakespeare portrays his male and female characters differently. The men are the main characters and play a large role in the play. They do most of the controlling and decision making. The women are in the background used a props for the men. They are looked down upon as men's property. They are portrayed as whores and only good for one thing. Although the women try to satisfy their husbands and really are faithfull to them, the men just seem to not notice that and still look down upon them. Without the women the play couldn't have been the same because the women develop the plot and theme of the story.
this is billy p. I believe trent summed it up pretty accurately. the female characters are really the politically correct. The males are the backstabbing, keniving, and vengeful beings. which is opposite in real life i might add. also noting that men can manipulate other men just as well as women manipulate men. the women in the play are separated from the men in a certain way. they are not listened to, or believed. Othello doesnt even really give Desdemona a chance to truly defend herself. they are looked at as property indeed. Othello shows he trusts his friends more than he trusts his wife. running out of time......
Trent hit the nail on the head with this one, as the saying goes. Shakespeare most definitely favored the "boys". He just had the girls in the play for the story to progress and make sense. It's very interesting that the women do not have large parts, but they do have very important roles. Shakespeare even let the men do almost whatever they wanted with the women, just like they were their play toys.
I agree with Corrinne. The female characters in the play stand beside their husbands even though they're CRAZY because they want to please the men in their lives so much.
I agree with Trent and Brittany when they stated that the woman in this play and most of Shakespeare's other plays, are more in the background. They still play an impirtant role though, because they move the play along.
Shelby- The men and women of "Othello" are treated quite differently. The men play leading roles and have a very high status. The women, on the other hand, are treated as less important and not capable of making important decisions. The women are treated like dogs and receive punishment for things they haven't done. The men of "Othello" are the true dogs and liars, believing everything they hear, and making outstanding accusations.
Since this play takes place in the Shakespearean time, all women are portrayed as "weak links" in the story. The women don't have control over anything, not even there own feelings. Most of the time, the women were not of importance, yet if there were no women in this story it would not have been the same. The women were innocent in the most part, even though they were punished for unusual things.
The tragedy in this play, “Othello”, was caused by men's misconceptions and misunderstanding of woman, and they are unable to do anything to protect themselves from men's conceptions of them through their actions. Actually, Othello really love his wife, Desdemona, well as she had all of the wanted qualities that man seek for: passivity, softness and obedience. But then, the relationship between them or men-woman relations soured when Iago came into the picture and using his manipulation. The stereotypical profile based on the authority of a male voice, showing how much males trust males instead of trusting females, Othello loses sight of his real form of his wife, allowing every actions of her to be very suspicious and cautionary, losing the trust for her by the simple brainwashing act by Iago to cause the tragedy to sink even deeper
Excellent comment Erin about women were not as important in plays. I didn't originally think of it as that way even though I originally believed that they do "take a back seat" in Othello. As I stated earlier, it is the female characters in Othello who drive the play forward.
SONIA! thank you. what you said was on the tip of my tongue in class the other day but i couldnt phrase it well- Othello listens to the male voice (his friend and commander) over the females voice and truth (his loving soul mate)he trusts his friends before he trusts his life companion. Sonia could not have phrased my ideas any better. thanks girl.
21 comments:
In "Othello", Shakespeare portrays his male and female characters very differently. While the male characters play a large role in this play, it is the female characters that actually advance the plot of the play through Shakespeare's extravagant characterization. In many works of literature, the female characters "take a back seat" when the main character is a male. In "Othello", Shakespeare uses a different technique so that the female characters do not stay persistent; they change and develop. The women in the play are essentially looked upon as whores, even though they act as saints. Shakespeare's unbalanced and unconfident depiction of women shows that he believes that women are still substandard to men, even though it is they that progress the play.
I agree with Trent, Shakespeare’s separation of the sexes in Othello most definitely reveals his inner feeling towards women. The women in his plays are always in the background, but it is the background workers of the play that control the play in itself. In almost every work of Literary merit that has a strong male as the central character, there is always atleast one woman behind him that is the source of his strenght. Women are always underminded and it is a role that has been accepted in Literature. Shakespeare lived during a tiem when women were only accessories to the home and even in his times, he knew the importance of having strong female characters in the background. He was able to interweave the Inteligence and strength he knew women possessed into Othello, emphasing the fact that a strong central male character is nothing without a stronger background female. Shakespeare shows how a women can be the driving force of a story and hide in the background because women don’t have to satisfy their ego with boasting and flaunting as men do.
Shakespeare in Othello gives his female characters a more prominant role. Seen as not that important in the time his females hold a significant part in the plot of his story. Desdemona is the tool that is used for Iago's plot for power. This brings her from her "back seat", as Trent puts it, and brings the audience attention and sympathies to Desdemona. Also, though unknowingly, there is a villinous woman. I have not come across a woman having such a major role in a play before. Yes there are the strong woman who have importance because they actually have a will and spirit in a time that crushes the woman, but I have never heard of a villion being a woman. Emilia in this case does not realize what she is fully playing into with Iago's plan but you can see the villiany in her in parts of the play.She becomes a tragic hero herself in the end when she realizes the horror she has brought down on her mistress and reveals the truth of her husband's decievery. Desdemona is the original woman who has the spirit to catch the audience's attention and make them sympathize with a woman's plight. In this way, Shakespeare has brought attention the woman statis and how it can be a more powerful one than is given credit.
Shakespeare portrays the male and female characters very differently in his play Othello. In most of his plays Shakespeare tends to let the female characters "take a back seat" as Trent stated. In Othello, the women of the play are stronger and more determined women. They help the plot develop and progress throughout the play. The women of the play are still looked down upon by the men but they are still listened to more than usual. As Trent said Shakespeare allowed these women to change and develop like real people. Shakespeare believed that women were not equal to men but it was these women that progressed the play.
The women in "Othello" are treated very different from the men. The men have a very high status, and are the leaders of the house. With the men being the higher gender, Shakespeare gives them more parts. The women have much smaller parts. With the men having a higher status, they treat the women like dogs. They demand them to do the things they want and to be faithful to them. The men also consider them whores, even though the women have been loyal and faithful.
In this play, Shakespeare portrays the female characters differently throughout the play. Sometimes they are viewed as meddling whores who are only good for one thing while at other times he use them to develop plot and theme. Desdemona and Emilia are the two main women in the poem who play big roles in advancing the plot. Even though neither one of them is a whore and they are actually very faithful to their husbands, they are still seen as whores in the eyes of the men, especially when Iago's lies start having an effect on Othello. Desdemona and Emilia are actually very dynamic characters because they change from the beginning of the play to the end. This is non-typical of most older plays because females did not usually have many large roles and men usually held the leading roles.
CaylaAmber said...
Shakespeare attempts to go against how women are stereotyped in several other plays, by showing more of the good than bad in women. Shakespeare is showing the world's view of women back then, and even now for some parts of the world. The entire world thought that women should be in the background and in men's shadows, but in this play that is not the case. Shakespeare has Desdemona as a very strong and influential women. Through her hardships, she shows women how to be strong by defending and sticking up for themselves. Although the overall portrayal of women is good and uplifting, it also shows a negative side. Shakespeare has the male characters in the story calling the women "whores" and "callets", which is degrading towards women of all ages. This is the only part of the portrayal of women that I did not care for. Other than that, I believe that women are very dominant in the play, even though they aren't supposed to be the main characters.
I agree with Katharine Anne and Trent. Women are known to not be as important in a play. Shakespeare portrays women differently in this play. As Katharine Anne said, they help the plot develope and progress throughout the play. The women in this play may not have many parts, but they are what creates the plots and keep the play alive.
I also agree with Trent. Although the women in the play were all considered whores and unfaithful, they were the force which drove the plot. Women were looked down upon by men and were continually bossed around. Although they were not considered equal to the men, they were the ones that moved the plot. Ultimately, women were greatly underestimated.
This is Kelly. During this time period, women were not seen as equal to men and were usually just in the background. In Othello, women are not as important as the men, but they do have a more prominent role than most women of the time did. The men in their lives tended to look down on them, but these women were still very strong. I believe Emilia represents a strong woman. She knows she messed up by giving Iago Desdemona's handkerchief, but she does what she can to redeem herself. In the end, Emilia stands up for herself and Desdemona, by giving up her own life. She let everybody know about what Iago had been doing before she died as well. The women in Othello are really what keeps the story going.
In the play the female characters are very strong in morals; however, they are easily used. Although the males in the play are corrupted, by greed or jealousy or alcohol, the women are very stable and stand by their men, to the downfall of them all. The women are portrayed as innocent and are used because of their trusting and honest natures. Desdemona is used as the tool of Othello’s downfall by Iago. She is able to be used in such a way because her mind is open and willing to please Othello, while his is slowly turned against her. This leads to her death, as well as Othello’s. Emilia is also used by her own husband in order to achieve his own means. Her willingness to please Iago by stealing the handkerchief gave him exactly what he needed to put his plan into action. This ultimately brings her unhappiness of the deepest kind by her loss of her mistress and the realization of Iago’s true character.
Shakespeare portrays his male and female characters differently. The men are the main characters and play a large role in the play. They do most of the controlling and decision making. The women are in the background used a props for the men. They are looked down upon as men's property. They are portrayed as whores and only good for one thing. Although the women try to satisfy their husbands and really are faithfull to them, the men just seem to not notice that and still look down upon them. Without the women the play couldn't have been the same because the women develop the plot and theme of the story.
this is billy p. I believe trent summed it up pretty accurately. the female characters are really the politically correct. The males are the backstabbing, keniving, and vengeful beings. which is opposite in real life i might add. also noting that men can manipulate other men just as well as women manipulate men. the women in the play are separated from the men in a certain way. they are not listened to, or believed. Othello doesnt even really give Desdemona a chance to truly defend herself. they are looked at as property indeed. Othello shows he trusts his friends more than he trusts his wife. running out of time......
Trent hit the nail on the head with this one, as the saying goes. Shakespeare most definitely favored the "boys". He just had the girls in the play for the story to progress and make sense. It's very interesting that the women do not have large parts, but they do have very important roles. Shakespeare even let the men do almost whatever they wanted with the women, just like they were their play toys.
I agree with Corrinne. The female characters in the play stand beside their husbands even though they're CRAZY because they want to please the men in their lives so much.
I agree with Trent and Brittany when they stated that the woman in this play and most of Shakespeare's other plays, are more in the background. They still play an impirtant role though, because they move the play along.
Shelby-
The men and women of "Othello" are treated quite differently. The men play leading roles and have a very high status. The women, on the other hand, are treated as less important and not capable of making important decisions. The women are treated like dogs and receive punishment for things they haven't done. The men of "Othello" are the true dogs and liars, believing everything they hear, and making outstanding accusations.
Since this play takes place in the Shakespearean time, all women are portrayed as "weak links" in the story. The women don't have control over anything, not even there own feelings. Most of the time, the women were not of importance, yet if there were no women in this story it would not have been the same. The women were innocent in the most part, even though they were punished for unusual things.
The tragedy in this play, “Othello”, was caused by men's misconceptions and misunderstanding of woman, and they are unable to do anything to protect themselves from men's conceptions of them through their actions. Actually, Othello really love his wife, Desdemona, well as she had all of the wanted qualities that man seek for: passivity, softness and obedience. But then, the relationship between them or men-woman relations soured when Iago came into the picture and using his manipulation. The stereotypical profile based on the authority of a male voice, showing how much males trust males instead of trusting females, Othello loses sight of his real form of his wife, allowing every actions of her to be very suspicious and cautionary, losing the trust for her by the simple brainwashing act by Iago to cause the tragedy to sink even deeper
This is Trent.
Excellent comment Erin about women were not as important in plays. I didn't originally think of it as that way even though I originally believed that they do "take a back seat" in Othello. As I stated earlier, it is the female characters in Othello who drive the play forward.
SONIA! thank you. what you said was on the tip of my tongue in class the other day but i couldnt phrase it well- Othello listens to the male voice (his friend and commander) over the females voice and truth (his loving soul mate)he trusts his friends before he trusts his life companion. Sonia could not have phrased my ideas any better. thanks girl.
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