Answer one of the following prompts in a thoughtful comment:
1. Can you find examples in Act IV or V to show how Othello's diction begins sinking to Iago's level? Compare these examples to his language in Acts I and II. How do you feel about this change--both linguistic and psychological--in Othello as a tragic hero?
2. Why does Othello strike Desdemona in Act IV, Scene I? How do other people onstage react? How did you as a reader react? How do you imagine Desdemona responding physically to the blow? Is it part of the play's tragic nature that she takes the abuse here--physical and verbal--without protesting publicly? Why doesn't she defend herself, and how, as a modern audience can we understand this scene?
3. What are Emilia's opinions of the male and female sex? (give textual evidence) How do they differ from Desdemona's? Why do you think Shakespeare includes the "Willow Song" scene between Emilia and Desdemona in Act IV? Which woman do you agree with more and why?
#3- Emilia believes that both the male and female in a relationship are to blame if one of them cheats. "But I do think it is their husbands' faults if wives do fall." Emilia also says that she wouldn't cheat on her husband for something petty, but if she could cheat in exchange for the whole world, she would. Desdemona says she wouldn't ever cheat on Othello, even for the whole world.Through this, we start to see Desdemona and Emilia's characters more clearly. Although we knew that Desdemona was always a good person, we now see that she unwaveringly sides with goodness. In some ways, this creates even more tension in the story because we know that even the person who always sides with goodness in every single situation will end up dead. This once again emphasizes the tragic nature of the story because readers have no hope for a positive outcome, even for the characters who haven't done anything wrong. Also, I think this scene says something about the complexity of evil. We've seen Emilia with Iago, so we associate her with the antagonists of the story. However, in this situation, we start to see Emilia as a very complex character. At the same time, this starts to make a statement about how evil deeds and actions are complex as well. In the way Emilia sees things, the difference between good and evil isn't black and white. This idea can even make us question the complexity of every "evil" situation throughout the play. Even Iago's intentions are complex, and although on the surface his actions are evil, the root of his actions isn't evil but sadness because he didn't get Cassio's job. I agree with Emilia when she argues that things we see as good and bad aren't always as clear cut as they seem. I'd side more towards Desdemona on the views about cheating although I can understand Emilia's point of view and opinion. I think Shakespeare included the "Willow Song" because of where the song came from. Desdemona explains that it came from her mother's maid, Barbary. "She was in love, and he she loved proved mad and did forsake her.She had a song of willow, an old thing 'twas, but it expressed her fortune, and she died singing it." This acts as foreshadowing because we know that Othello's madness will also end up causing her death.
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ReplyDeleteWhen Amber and I first read through that scene in act IV, we were thinking "Wow Emilia's got some sass!" I really loved this scene because this is really the only time any of the women say something of importance. Emilia is fed up with these cheating men and Desdemona doesn't like being accused of being a whore. As Ms. Fleming says, Desdemona is a pretty boring character and pretty much just sits around and takes anything. When Emilia asks her if she would ever consider cheating, she responds with "no by this heavenly light!" Before this, Desdemona sings her willow song and talks about a maid her mother used to have. I think this was put in here to show that she doesn't really listen to Emilia nor knows how to respond. Emilia on the other hand thinks that women have just as much right to cheat as men do. She asks Desdemona " have not we affections,/ Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?" She even speaks out to Iago at the end and gets herself killed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emilia. In those days, women were certainly considered the inferior sex but times have changed and women have as much right to cheat as men. Of course, I'm not saying it's good to cheat, but we have the right if they do.
Othello strikes Desdemona in Act IV, Scene I because of what she says about Cassio. She is talking to Lodovico about problem between Othello and Cassio. During this speech she says for the love I bare to Cassio, which infuriates Othello. He takes this as evidence of Desdemona sleeping with Cassio when she uses love with no romantic connotation. In his anger, he ends up hitting her. Lodovico and Iago are the people on stage with them. Iago says nothing and does nothing to save Desdemona, but Lodovico tries to stop Othello from attacking Desdemona because they are cousins. As a reader, I reacted to this by thinking how terrible it was for Othello to do such a thing to Desdemona. She was always submissive to Othello and only cared about him and loved him. Since as a reader we knew she had not done anything, it was terrible to watch her get punished for something we knew she had not done. I imagine Desdemona falling down and crying but not trying to fight back at all and just taking the blow. Yes it is part of the play’s tragic nature she does not respond because maybe if she started fighting back and explaining they could have figured out Iago was the real reason all of their lives had started unwinding. She does not defend herself because she thinks that maybe if she stays an obedient wife, Othello would see she wants to stay around him and maybe she did not cheat. As a modern audience, we can understand this scene as an argument against women just being outspoken and not standing up for themselves.
ReplyDeleteEmilia sees men and women as being much more equal than Desdemona does. Desdemona seems to have accepted the status quo, that society will generally turn a blind eye when a man cheats on his wife, but a woman cheating on her husband is unacceptable. Emilia protests this, however, by saying that men cheat for "affection, sport, and frailty", but that women also have those traits ("And have we not affections, desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?"), so why should the standard be any different for them? She rejects the traditional view that men can do things like that, but women should remain pure and subservient to their husbands. However, when she explains this to Desdemona, Desdemona is shocked that she would say such things and vows to keep her traditional role and do the "right" thing. I would have to say I agree more with Emilia; no matter what the situation is, women ought to be treated the same as men and not be forced to be more obedient, inferior, or judged against a harsher standard. I think the willow song was included in this scene because it shows a very traditional woman, who even says "let nobody blame him, his scorn I approve" about her husband. The narrator of the song says that she accepts that her husband sleeps with other women, but he complains that "if I court more women, you'll couch with more men". Desdemona's singing of it just highlights her adherence to traditional views of men and women.
ReplyDeleteCharlie-- I like your analysis of Shakespeare's inclusion of the willow song to illuminate Desdemona's position.
Delete2) Othello strikes Desdemona in Act IV scene I in a jealous rage after she makes comments to Lodovico stressing how much she likes Cassio and wishes for him to return to the good graces of Othello. Of course, Othello mistakes Desdemona's general goodness and "love (she) bears to Cassio," as a signal of her alleged affair. He hits his breaking point after Desdemona remarks that she is glad Othello is being sent back to Venice, probably because she thinks it will return him to the kind and good husband that she knows and not this new jealous monster that has come out since their landing in Cyprus. He calls her Devil and imagine him backhanding her across the face. In my opinion, Desdemona accepts the blow with grace. While her lack of response could be taken by some as meek, I picture Desdemona on such a higher moral scale than Othello that I imagine her saying her next lines with dignity and even reproachfully through her tears. I imagine her looking up to Othello, (she has probably fallen to the ground after the blow,) and meeting him right in the eyes as she says, "I have not deserved this." While it might seem obvious, the fact that she says this and does not cuss out Othello, or beg for mercy, or have any overly emotional response at all makes her seem that much more dignified. She faces her tragic fate with enough strength to point out to Othello what he is so blindly missing: that she has not DESERVED this treatment. She hasn't given him one reason to doubt her; he is only listening to second hand information. Her second line, "I will not stay to offend you," only adds to her quiet strength. She doesn't storm out or run away sobbing, and she doesn't just say "yes, my lord," either. Perhaps, as a modern reader, I am able to see Desdemona as having this dignified, strong attitude. Maybe Shakespeare meant her to seem meek and boring, but I see Desdemona as having this sort of quiet strength where she recognizes her moral superiority, and recognizes that the best way to handle her husband's new rage is to not give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
ReplyDeleteLizzy,
DeleteThis is a thoughtful response, and I like in particular this sentence: "She faces her tragic fate with enough strength to point out to Othello what he is so blindly missing: that she has not DESERVED this treatment." That sentence reads like a thesis statement, and one I'd like to hear explored in a full argument on paper. I think as a modern audience, it would be easy for us to read Desdemona as weak, but your insight into her "dignity" may be a more empathetic and appropriate read.
As Othello commences, Othello’s diction slowly deteriorates from the level of the nobility down to Iago’s level of diction, which is more lower class. Iago’s level of diction remains fairly constant throughout the entire play in lines like “Cassio hath here been set on in the dark/ By Roderigo and fellows that are scaped. / He’s almost slain, and Roderigo dead.” His language is fairly straightforward and easy to understand, he cuts to the point. By the end of the play, Othello too deteriorates to this point. Othello says, “Cassio did top her. Ask thy husband else. / O, I were damned beneath all depth in Hell…” which uses diction that is lower class, like Iago. Actually, Othello probably sinks beneath Iago in his level of diction because he cracks in the end, and Iago really doesn’t use derogatory words like Othello freely uses since in a way he tries to play up his diction to fit in with Othello. Othello’s diction in the beginning of the play is drastically different as he speaks like the nobility, also, he is very pompous and confident, unlike the paranoid and jealous wreck he is at the end of the play. When talking to Iago about Brabantio, Othello says “Let him do his spite, / My services which I have done the signiory/ Shall out tongue his complaints.” His level of speaking is much more dignified and noble than at the end of the play, and in my opinion is much harder for the reader to understand as the language is so formal. Othello’s diction deteriorates throughout the play because he slowly begins to crack because of the jealousy that Iago plants in him through seeds of doubt. This parallels what is happening mentally to Othello, as he is psychologically cracking and falling apart, leading to his murder of Desdemona, his own wife, who did nothing wrong. This change also reflects Othello’s standing as a tragic hero instead of a typical hero because tragic heroes have to fall apart at one point, and they can’t be put back together again. The change of diction demonstrates to the readers that Othello is becoming a tragic hero because he is falling apart. Language is one of the main subtexts of the play, as it hints and foreshadows at character changes and flaws, and makes for a peace of art that only Shakespeare could write.
ReplyDelete2. In Act IV scene I, Othello strikes Desdemona because of several important events. First of all, Iago plants the thought of Desdemona having an affair with Cassio in Othello's head. Later in the play, Desdemona is informing Lodovicio of the unfortunate events that have temporarily ruined the relationship between Cassio and Othello. Then, Desdemona goes on to tell Lodovicio how she wishes that Othello will give Cassio his high rank back because she really likes him. However, Othello immediately assumes that Desdemona's love for Cassio is real love, and he is enraged with jealousy, striking Desdemona. Lodovicio is appauled that Othello would strike his wife for no apparent reason. And, Desdemona simply accepts the blow from Othello, showing nearly no emotion. As a reader, I was shocked, but at the same time I expected Othello's jealousy to eventually lead to violence because of the nature of tragedies. I imagine that Desdemona was hurt very badly by the blow, and that is why I was mostly surprised that she didn't show more emotion. I feel like it is part of the play's tragic nature that Desdemona doesn't react after being hit because it shows Desdemona's true loyalty to Othello, which makes the whole situation even sadder. I guess the reason why she doesn't react is because at that time it was more common for a husband to hit his wife. And since Desdemona is extremely faithful to Othello, she just accepts it. As a modern audience, we see this as something that is unacceptable in our society. However, we understand that it was a different time with different ideas of what is and isn't okay.
ReplyDelete1) Othello's speech degrades as the play advances, especially when talking to Desdemona and other men with authority. For example, in Act II, when speaking with Desdemona after landing in Cyprus, he speaks with love, respect and in verse. However, as we reach the end of the play in Act V, Othello starts using increasingly more contempt, and using more fowl language, saying that Desdemona is an unfaithful strumpet. He ignores her running over her words and completely disregarding her pleas of unfairness and attempts at explaining. Also, as the play progresses and Othello speaks to officials in or from Venice, his speech becomes more disrespectful and distracted. In Act I, he speaks to the duke with the utmost respect and patience, explaining his story and the details. Othello's manners plummet by Act IV when he talks with Lodovico, after striking Desdemona. Firstly, after striking Desdemona, Othello further insults Desdemona despite Lodovico telling him to make amends. Secondly, in his monologue about Desdemona's obedience, he sounds rather insolent, speaking mockingly about his wife. And, lastly, when he is talking with Lodovico about obeying the mandate from Venice, he is very distracted, yelling at Desdemona to leave while talking to Lodovico about his plans. I think that these changes are necessary for Othello to become the "tragic hero". These changes show that his major flaw, jealousy, is causing him to ignore his rational thinking and mistrust his wife. I believe that the effect of Santiago bringing Othello down to his level shows the tragic hero's fall from grace. I think Othello's fall from grace puts him in a position that makes him think he has nothing left to lose, because he has already fallen out of favor with officials such as Lodovico because of his behavior. I believe that the main reason that Othello kills himself is because he is tricked into killing his completely faithful wife, and he cannot live with himself because of this knowledge.
ReplyDelete#3Emilia thinks that both the male and female in a relationship are to blame if one of them cheats. Emilia says that she would definitely cheat on her husband in exchange for the whole world. When Emilia asks if she would do this, Desdemona says “no by this heavenly light!” Desdemona would never cheat on Othello, even for the whole world. I think the willow song was included in the scene between Emilia and Desdemona to show that Emilia does not know how to respond to Emilia’s question.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emilia on her account that women have just as much of a right to cheat as men. It is not good to cheat, but women should have equal rights as men.
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ReplyDeleteEmilia thinks that both a man and women should have a say in decisions. She does not believe men should be superior to women or get any advantage that women don't have. Emilia says, "let husbands know, their wives have sense like themŠthey see, and smell, and have their palates both for sweet and sour, just as their husbands have". Desdemona on the other hand thinks women should be perfect wives no matter what their husband does and that women should do exactly what her husband says. I think Shakespeare chooses to include this song because it foreshadows Desdemona's death and in some ways the song resembles Desdemona's situation since it is a song of lost love. It starts the conversation Emilia and Desdemona have about adultery. I agree mostly with Emilia because women should not be meek and indecisive and pretty much have no role in life like during Shakespeare's time. Women should have every right that men have, including the right to cheat (even if it is bad, they still deserve the right to make that bad decision without being murdered).
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ReplyDeleteIn Act IV, Scene I Othello strikes Desdemona because he is suspicious of her alleged affair with Cassio. What really sets him off is when she says, "I would do much to atone them for the love I bear to Cassio." When Desdemona says this, Othello becomes very angry with her because he starts to believe Iago's accusations of the affair are true. The other people onstage react with surprise and are astonished that Othello would strike his wife. Especially Desdemona's cousin Lodovico, who tells Othello, "Make amends, she weeps," and to, "call her back." Here you can clearly see that Lodovico is concerned for his dear cousin. I, as a reader, reacted with a little less surprise because I knew Othello was going to do something rash because of all of the emotions that were stirring up in him from the affair comments. I imagine that physically Desdemona reacted weak and frail because it would have hurt to have a strong man hit you across the face. I think that she did not protest to the blow physically or verbally in public because of the whole, "pure and faithful" to your husband ordeal. Throughout the book no matter how many times Othello or someone does something degrading towards a woman, Desdemona casually ignores it and continually proclaims her everlasting love for Othello. As a modern audience, we can understand the position that Othello is put in when he is so confused about Desdemona and the affair and why he reacted to her comment about Cassio in such a bold manner.
Othello strikes Desdemona because she's defending Cassio. When she says "A most unhappy one. I would do much T'atone them, for the love i bear to Cassio" Othello gets very upset. When Othello strikes Desdemona everyone onstage is very taken aback. Desdemona remains relatively calm for just being struck in the face. As a reader I was surprised that Othello actually hit her and was mad also. I think Desdemona stood there and "took it". I don't think she was dramatic and fell to the floor or anything like that. Yes i think it is part of the play's tragic nature that she takes the abuse here without fighting back. She doesn't defend herself because women back then really weren't supposed to. Their husbands did what they wanted when they wanted and the wife was there to do what the husband wanted. As modern audiences we understand the scene because we know the role women played in the time that Othello took place.
ReplyDelete3. It's really interesting, because at the beginning of the play I thought Emilia was a boring character, while Desdemona was the more interesting. As the play went along, and especially in Act IV, my opinion changed drastically. In fact, I think Desdemona is actually quite boring and naive. She questions Emilia asking, "That there be women do abuse their husbands in such gross kind?" She can't even imagine the idea of someone cheating on their husband, which is kind of sad. She also says even if her husband cheats, she would never think of cheating, which is very noble, but makes for a boring character. Emilia on the other hand, can actually fathom a woman cheating on her husband. She says, "Let husbands know their wives have sense like them. They see and smell and have their palates both for sweet and sour, as husbands have." Here, we know Emilia believes that woman and men have the same desires, and if men cheat women can also. Her more progressive opinions make her a more interesting character. I definitely agree with Emilia as her ideas are much more advanced and accurate. Obviously we know women and men have the same desires and women shouldn't be subordinate. On a different point, regarding the willow song, I believe Shakespeare put it in to show Desdemona's subservient nature. In the song the lyrics include, "Let nobody blame him, his scorn I approve." The maid essentially said its her fault her lover cheated on her, which is obviously ridiculous. This further shows us that Desdemona doesn't have a progressive view of women.
ReplyDeleteIn Act IV, Othello strikes Desdemona out of anger and contempt, but also out of helplessness. He thinks that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio but he knows there is nothing he can do about it. He knows neither of them will admit to it and his only option would be something extreme like locking Desdemona away, which would look bad on his part. He is angry at her for betraying him, and he feels helpless because there isn't much he can do about it, so he takes it out on her by striking her. Lodovico is surprised by this action and begins to question what he has heard about Othello. He has always heard very good things about Othello's character, but his actions did not match what Lodovico had heard. He also told Othello he should make amends with her since she was crying, but Othello ignores this. Iago uses this to imply to Lodovico that Othello has been changed since he came to Cyprus and is no longer the upstanding gentleman he once was. When I read this I primarily felt bad for Desdemona since she did nothing to deserve this, but I also felt angry at Othello for acting without much thought, but he was a victim of his own anger and jealousy, so he had little control over himself. I imagine Desdemona would cower with a surprised look on her face, but since she is a very seemingly helpless, subordinate character, her facial expression was probably somewhat akin to that of a rejected puppy. It is part of the play’s tragic nature that she takes the abuse because it is sad that she is letting him walk all over him like a doormat. In a way, her fatal flaw is subordinance. She doesn’t defend herself because she loves Othello so much that she would never want to hurt him, and she probably doesn’t want to anger him furthur. Also, since women in that time were not seen as equal to their husbands, it was a great offense if they stood up for themselves. As a modern audience, we have to call on our knowledge of women’s history in order to fully understand this scene. In today’s world this would be completely unacceptable, but in the time that Othello took place, women belonged to their husbands and their husbands could do whatever they wanted to them, so this was not a rare occurrence. As Lodovico showed, it was by no means a praiseworthy action, but it was not forbidden either.
ReplyDelete1) As Rohan said, Emilia was not very interesting until this scene. We begin to see her contrasting views on gender stratification which sets her apart from her rather dull master, Desdemona. Emilia believes that women should be able to do what men can do. She finds it wrong how men can cheat cavalierly while women would face a serious punishment. She says men cheat for, "affection, sport, and frailty." But she argues that women feel the same too. Desdemona disagrees and argues to be loyal to the husband no matter the circumstances. This tells us about her traditional and fundamentalist views. These make her less interesting. The song she sings proves my point even further. She is not susceptible to change and is blind to the unfair conditions women face. I personally agree with Emilia on this one. Although I do not support cheating on someone in any circumstances, if the opposite lover is not loyal, you don't have to obey or accept his or her decisions.
ReplyDelete2. In Act IV scene 2 Othello strikes Desdemona out of sheer anger. His behaves like this because he is already very jealous and suspicious that his wife may be cheating on him with Cassio. When she discusses her love for him and her desire for him to return to Othello's good graces he completely loses it and strikes Desdemona. The actors onstage are shocked; Iago does nothing because this is obviously something he wants, but Lodovico is disturbed and tries to step in for his cousin Desdemona. He also comments on how Othello has changed for the worst. I was not necessarily shocked but I was still surprised when it happened. I knew how upset Othello was but I would have never thought he'd go as far as hitting his wife. Although I don't necessarily imagine Desdemona as being the strongest of people I think she took this abuse fairly strongly. I think she fell to the ground and cried but she got right back up and responded with the same innocence she entered with. Meaning, no matter how much Othello bullies her she's not going to give in and admit anything false to stop the abuse which takes a strong will. I think that it is a part of the plays tragic nature that she doesn't protest the abuse publicly. It makes us feel even worse that she takes a grin and bear it mindset. This makes the situation much sadder and it takes on a whole new level of gravity because Othello has lost it. She doesn't defend herself because she doesn't know how she can. In this time women are treated significantly worse than men are and therefore she cannot simply stand up against her husband in public. As a modern audience we can understand this scene as female inferiority at the time and how a woman could not stand up against her husband at that time or it would be considered treason and blasphemy. It is this inferiority that enables Othello to mistreat his wife so terribly when all she is to him is caring and loving.
ReplyDeleteEmilia is very before her time in terms of her ideas on sexism. She believes more in equality between men and women, even though she knows that's not possible for her. She still lets Iago treat her horribly and doesn't stand up for herself but when she is alone with only a women (Desdemona) you can tell this isn't how she thinks things should be. In the end is where she finds the courage to stand up for her beliefs when she betrays Iago to save the honor of Desdemona. It kind of makes you think that maybe she didn't find herself of enough value to challenge societies ways but when she saw a wrong being done to someone else she was pushed to act. This demonstrates her empathy and love for others. Desdemona is kind of the opposite, she had the power and courage to speak out unlike Emilia at first but she didn't because she wasn't as forward-thinking. She didn't think about anything other than what she had known and so she thought it was perfectly fine to be treated pretty much like shit by the men of the society. In act 1 you see Brabantio and Othello pretty much acting like she's not even human, just a possession as they fight over her. I like Emilia more because she had the guts to do something and I agree on what she did. You shouldn't stand by your husband even when you know they've done something so wrong, and that's what Desdemona would have done being put in the same situation.
ReplyDeleteEmilia believes that men are too be blamed when women cheat on their husbands. She thinks that if a woman strays from her marriage, then it's because their husband either abuses them, becomes jealous, or slack in their duties as husband. She says on line 104 of act 4 scene 3, "Let husbands know their wives have sense like them. They see, and smell, and have their palates both for sweet and sour, as husbands have." Women have the same needs as men and they have the same flaws. Desdemona has the complete opposite perspective on this issue. She believes that a woman should be loyal to her husband no matter what. She takes a traditional stance on this subject and is adamant about her opinion. I think Shakespeare put this scene into Act 4 because it shows the drastic contradiction between the two women and it serves a purpose to make Emilia's character more interesting. Before this scene I thought Emilia was kind of boring, but this scene makes her extremely entertaining. I mostly agree with Emilia, not because I condone cheating, but because I like her beliefs that women aren't powerless to the men in their lives. I agree with the fact that if the other person is abusive and unfaithful then you shouldn't have to obey them and stay with them.
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