Women's Role In Othello

Shakespeare's plays are one of the most successful literatures of all time. His plays addressed many important issues in the world. Othello is a play that successfully brings together critical themes of love, appearances, racism and jealousy and most importantly role of women in the Elizabethan era. Through the exploration of the role of women in Othello and plays written by Shakespeare, this essay will argue that literature is most successful when dealing with a global issues like gender role.

In "Othello", the expectations for women are one the most important theme that runs throughout the play. Even though, "Othello" is a play that revolves majorly around men, the way female characters in the play like Desdemona and Emilia behave, perceived
Likewise, "Romeo and Juliet" is also based around the ideas of woman being possessions of men in the family. As Juliet had to marry whom her father chooses for and she shall obey his command. Sadly, her father's wills were against her love for Romeo, this ended the play in great tragedy. Reputation of woman was equally as important as her obedience, if not more. According to “the globe”, “each woman takes these accusation extremely seriously, reflecting the impact such an accusation upon a woman’s social standing.” In "Othello," Desdemona appeared to be untrustworthy and unfaithful, which Iago falsely manipulated. Othello then quickly lost all his trust in her and turn against her love. Unfortunately, Ophelia a female character from "Hamlet" faced a similar problem to both Juliet and Desdemona. She was obedience to her father, but her false reputation has a significant effect on her life. Ophelia was pure and innocent. However, that was not how she was perceived. Comparable to Desdemona, the man she loves also turn against her due to her untrustworthy perception. In Shakespearean time woman were usually known as dishonest as well as being treated inferior to men, This still remain a problem in our present day society to a certain
Yet, gender inequalities still stand. It is one of the world's biggest issues. Many still advocates for gender equality, including "The United Nation", a world recognized organization, who had launched a campaign called "He for she" to support gender equality. This shows that gender role was and still is a big issue worldwide. Numerous plays written by Shakespeare, especially "Othello" deal greatly with the idea of woman expectations. This idea touches the reader of all times, from the past, present and will continue in the future as long as gender equality remains an issue. Most readers feel very strongly about the way woman were treated. This led them to feel involved with the story, making the play memorable.

By exploring the role of woman in Othello and other Shakespeare’s plays, this essay has demonstrated literature is most successful in dealing with a worldwide issue like gender role. A memorable play is a successful play. Gender inequality, a current critical subject, is an important theme found throughout the play. It has powerfully developed the readers’ feelings towards the subject and the play, making it unforgettable. Shakespeare’s plays are truly