Summary Aspects of Tragedy - Mini Essay Summaries on Sexism in Othello
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Aspects of Tragedy
Institution
AQA
Mini Essay answering the question, 'How is sexism show subtly and blatantly within the text?' The Essay summarises sexism shown throughout the text, both overt and covert. Thorough use of quotations, tragic conventions/terminology, contextual knowledge for the text and reference to the entirety of ...
How is sexism shown subtly and blatantly within the text?
From the beginning of Act Four, Scene Two the audience are presented with a glimmer of hope when
Emilia has her chance to speak to Othello in Desdemona’s favor. Emilia is able to deny what Othello
accuses her of and even slightly talks out of place, asking Othello that he, ‘remove (his) thought, it doth
abuse (his) bosom.’ This line is that hope, the recognition by Emilia that Othello should try his hardest
not to be persuaded by jealousy; however, it then becomes frustrating – and subtly sexist - that Othello
dismisses her completely. Perhaps Othello’s irreversible ambition by this stage is to blame for his
dismissal but it cannot be questioned that had Othello been given this denial by a man of similar ranking
that he may have believed their word rather than ignored it entirely. Othello was previously the enabler of
the woman’s voice in earlier acts, but he quickly has retracted this rare liberality and now claims that
Desdemona is a ‘simple bawd that cannot say as much.’ Shakespeare has Othello use this derogatory
language, ‘simple bawd,’ and ‘subtle whore,’ to emphasize how shifted into rage Othello has become btu
also shows that with such ease – men were able to disregard women. Othello may have once given
Desdemona her voice, but he is just as capable of taking it away. These remarks and specific adjectives
used by Shakespeare are a blatant demonstration of sexism yet the casual way in which they are used is
reflective of the time period, that it was the norm to denounce women of their value through simply
labelling them ‘whores’ without reason may have not been so shocking to an audience of the era, but
certainly to one more contemporary. Shakespeare himself is perhaps unaware of the ease in which he has
his men speak basely of the women within their lives (even their own wives,) with Othello presenting a
blatant double standard for men within the Elizabethan/Jacobean years. ‘O, thou weed, who art so lovely
fair and smell’st so sweet that the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne’er been born,’ this hyperbole
exposes the stereotype of women being either innocent or impure – the extreme opposites. The most
obvious sexism presented is that of Othello once again, ‘this most goodly book,’ this metaphor
emphasizes this idea that women were a blank slate that men had to shape and mold to their satisfaction,
that they wrote the identity of the woman.
Simultaneously, Shakespeare does allow Emilia the ability to speak her case, she is given a passionate
voice where arguably oversteps the limits of what a woman would be allowed to say in such a
misogynistic era, ‘The Moor’s abused by some most villainous knave,’ she even begins to unravel the
scheme behind Othello’s volatile change of character. The emotive adjectives Shakespeare has Emilia use
are extreme and frustratingly true, even allowing the woman of the play to be more intelligent than our
protagonist, as she begins to catch on to the plot. More subtly though is that Emilia may be intelligent
enough to realize a part of the truth, yet not enough to connect the final dots – though this can hardly be
the sole reason for this, it is also to make the tragic fall heightened for the audience, who see a glimpse of
the truth being revealed. Roderigo is also manipulated by Iago through a sexist norm, Roderigo expected
sexual intercourse from Desdemona in exchange for jewels and money that he had gifted her, ‘the jewels
you have had from me to deliver to Desdemona would half have corrupted a votarist.’ This harsh
comparison to Desdemona’s supposed sexual prowess corrupting that of a nun is exaggerative of how
men believed women to be, either succumbing to the male sexual desire or being resistant and
unreasonable (to the man’s distaste.) Iago, as seen before, uses the flaws of other or their specific views in
order to manipulate them, ‘If thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona, take me from this world
with treachery,’ with Roderigo this comes in casual sexual objectification of women. Iago vows on this
created unyielding sexual desire of Desdemona that Roderigo has labelled her to have, in his own mind,
to involve him in his plans and work toward his overall plot. It could be argued that some of this
objectification, that of Iago, is merely to worsen the tragic hero’s shift in character and contribute to
Iago’s ongoing manipulation. However, it is the fact that Shakespeare’s characters are so easily permitted
this sexist perspective and way of demonizing women as a scapegoat for the chance of their actual
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