Gender Roles in Shakespeares Othello Essay example

Gender Roles in Shakespeares Othello Othello represents a prime example of Shakespeares ability to develop relationships between the sexes so as to demonstrate those relationships weaknesses. In Othello, the sexes are divided by misconceptions and ego- centric views of the opposite gender. The men of the play, in particular Othello, maintain a patriarchal, chivalric notion of the sexes, while the women of the play yearn for more involvement in their husbands affairs. So it is that the thrust of the play emerges from the opposition of attitudes, viewpoints, and sexes. (Neely 214) One of the critical factors in the relationship between the sexes lies in the distinct separation between them in the play. Rarely do men†¦show more content†¦(Neely 217-219) All of the characters seem to plan and plot out of suspicion rather than established facts, either by ignorance or by choice. The crowning example is, of course, Othellos suspicion that Desdemona and Cassio have been having an affair, but the general rule remains true for others as well. Iago, believing that the Moor has bedded his own wife, uses his suspicion to help justify his actions: I know not if it be true, But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety. (I.iii.370-373) In the same passage, Iago describes Othello as having . . . . . . . . . . .a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so. (I.iii.381-382) The same could be said of Roderigo, who, like Othello, trusts Iago in spite of evidence to the contrary--in the case of Roderigo, that Iago continues to take his money despite the fact that he gains nothing from it. This separation of fact and fantasy remains unresolved until the final act of the play, in which the death of Desdemona ultimately leads to the revelation that it was Iagos manipulations that led to the establishment of individual fantasies. There is one person in the play able to overcome this divorce of intimacy between the sexes: Cassio. However, his two relationships in the play--his entreatment of Desdemona for help to regain Othellos favor and his lusty, physical intimacy with Bianca--contrast two wildly different views of women. On the one hand is hisShow MoreRelated The Manipulation of Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s Othello Essay4756 Words   |  20 PagesThe Manipulation of Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s Othello Of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, the story of the rise and fall of the Moor of Venice arguably elicits the most intensely personal and emotional responses from its English-speaking audiences over the centuries. Treating the subject of personal human relationships, the tragedy which should have been a love story speaks to both reading and viewing audiences by exploring the archetypal dramatic values of love and betrayal. 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