Temptation In Othello

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Temptation In Othello

Othello
In the world there are many forms of temptation. One form is evil. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare a very strong character plays the role of evil. From the outside looking in, Iago may seem like the good guy with all good intentions but as the play goes on and his plan unravels the evil side appears. Married to Iago, Emilia is faced with many challenges with Iago’s evil side. Starting off innocent and quiet Emilia has to find the courage to take a stand in her own life to save herself and others. Throughout Othello, Iago influences Emilia’s assertiveness by giving her a reason to voice her opinion.
One of the main scenes in the beginning of Othello where Emilia is present is the scene that is best described as the handkerchief …show more content…
What he will do with it, heaven knows, not I: I nothing but to please his fantasy. (3.3.292-301)
As Emilia talks to herself she reveals that she will give the handkerchief to Iago by saying, “And give’t Iago” (3.3.299). Even though Desdemona is a good friend of Emilia she betrays her trust and goes behind Desdemona’s back to help Iago. By talking rudely about Emilia while she is present Iago kills her self esteem and begins to weaken her assertiveness. When first meeting Emilia, Cassio gives her a friendly welcome kiss. Standing next to Emilia while this happens Iago tells Cassio, “Sir, would she give you so much of her lips/as of her tongue she oft bestows on me/you would have enough” (2.1.100-102). After this statement is made by Iago, Emilia does not react. By not reacting the audience can infer that Emilia lives to please Iago and does not want to upset him by talking back. Emilia is frail with her opinions which shows through her actions in this scene. The pressure put on Emilia to listen and obey her husband in this time period was very strong compared to what women are expected to do now. In this time period men were the ultimate rulers and women were there to listen. This plays a huge role in Emilia’s actions towards Iago and how she let him go through with his plan before she built up the courage to step

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