Term Paper on "Othello -- the Tragedy of Gender Divisions"

Term Paper 4 pages (1331 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Othello -- the Tragedy of Gender Divisions, the Tragedy of War

Othello" is more of a play about the breakdown of communication between men and women than it is a play about race. The play depicts a military society where men and women essentially speak different languages, and exist in states of constant incomprehension and even hatred. Men such as Othello see women as either angels or devils, and Iago uses Othello's wife Desdemona as a weapon against the general in his revenge, rather than sees her as a unique human being with her own thoughts, feelings, and desires. Othello is guilty of the same crime of male egoism himself, when he takes Desdemona's supposed transgression as a violation of his status and masculinity rather than trusts in the innate goodness of a woman who gave up everything, including her family, to marry a man of a different race.

This equation of the female body with male honor is seen early on in the play, as well as the difficulty for men and women to communicate effectively. Desdemona's own father cannot see that his daughter is falling in love with Othello, even though he saw it happen before his very eyes, in his own house. Brabatino says his daughter must be seduced by Othello's witchcraft because she was: "A maiden never bold;/of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion/Blush'd at herself; and she, in spite of nature,/of years, of country, credit, every thing,/to fall in love with what she fear'd to look on!" (1.3) When Brabatino learns that there was no witchcraft afoot, it is he, rather than Iago, who places the first seeds of doubt in Othello's mind about Desdemona's potential future transgressions: "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:/She has deceived her father, and may thee" (1.3).

Iago uses Othello's lack of experience with women (as Othello is a military general who has spent most of his life, by his own admission "...little bless'd with the soft phrase of peace" and "...little of this great world can I speak, / More than pertains to feats of broil and battle,") as a way of swaying Othello's opinion against his new wife (1.3). But even though his misogynistic phrases are clearly designed to serve a purpose when speaking to Othello, even when he has no ulterior motive (as much as Iago may be said to speak honestly, or speak his heart during the course of the play) Iago spouts women-hating rhetoric to his wife and Desdemona (1.3). Of his own wife he says: "Come on, come on; you are pictures out of doors,/Bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens,/Saints m your injuries, devils being offended,/Players in your housewifery, and housewives' in your beds" (1.4). This cruel treatment of Emilia no doubt explains Emilia's own hatred of men: "But I do think it is their husbands' faults/if wives do fall...Then let them use us well: else let them know,/the ills we do, their ills instruct us so" (4.3).

The reaction of Desdemona's father, Iago's misogyny, and Emilia's general condemnation of men shows that all of the hyper-militarized society is bent upon striking a distinction between men and women, female frailty and male honor, without really considering female individuality and the potential for women to do good after they become sexualized in marriage. Desdemona must beg to follow her husband, and not remain behind "a moth of peace" because women are regarded as extraneous to the war effort (1.4). Even when he loves Desdemona the most, right after he has married her, Othello is willing to immediately go to war, because his entire world and social status revolve around war. Society is so divided between men and women, male and female duties and obligations, that the simple and innocent act of Desdemona making an appeal for Cassio becomes tainted with sexuality, partly because of Iago's prompting and his machinations, of course, but also because all actions in society are seen in black… READ MORE

How to Reference "Othello -- the Tragedy of Gender Divisions" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Gender Disparities in Hamlet Essay

Gender Disparities in Hamlet

As Carol Thomas Neely observes, gender disparities in Shakespeare's Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark "take shape in the contrasts between Hamlet and Ophelia" (330). Indeed,… read more

Essay 10 pages (3440 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Women / Feminism

---

Gender Influences on Women and or Men's Lives Essay

Gender

African-American men understand the issue of white privilege, which frequently goes unnoticed by those who possess that privilege. In fact, it is almost part of the definition of white… read more

Essay 6 pages (1906 words) Sources: 6 Topic: Sexuality / Gender

---

Shakespeare's Play Othello Essay

Othello

The Tragedy of Othello

"James Joyce, in a Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man… defines the material of tragedy as 'whatever is grave and constant in human… read more

Essay 8 pages (2558 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Politics of Gender and Sexuality in Aristophanes Lysistrata Term Paper

Gender and Sexuality

New Criticism: Gender and Sexuality in Aristophanes' Lysistrata

Aristophanes' Lysistrata is one of the eleven plays penned by the playwright that has survived over time. The original… read more

Term Paper 15 pages (4896 words) Sources: 15 Topic: Sexuality / Gender

---

Sex and Gender and Men at Work Essay

GENDER RELATIONS ISSUES -- (500 to 750 words requested)

In "Let's Talk about Gender, Baby" Wendy Kaminer makes the argument that contemporary American vocabulary perpetuates sexism. The author provides several… read more

Essay 3 pages (746 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Sexuality / Gender

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>