Written in 1603, Othello is the story of the Moore of Venice, Othello, who finds himself in love with Desdemona, the daughter of a Venetian senator named Barbantio. Barbantio also happens to be an acquaintance of Othello due to Othello’s military status. On top of the fact that during the setting of the play, the early Modern English period, marrying a moor was severely against common practice and frowned upon, Othello’s ensign, Iago, manipulates Othello’s thoughts and perspectives towards his wife making him wrongly think that Desdemona is being unfaithful with Othello’s lieutenant, Cassio. Why Iago does this is truly never precisely expressed in the play, but most readers assume it is because a young, inexperienced Cassio was the one promoted to lieutenant rather than Iago. Unfortunately for Othello, Iago is very good at persuading, ultimately leading to a complete collapse of the relationships in the play. Othello kills Desdemona because Iago has convinced him that she is having an affair with Cassio, Iago kills his wife Emilia in an attempt to escape capture once his true intentions are exposed, and Othello eventually takes his own life, stricken with guilt when he finds out everything was a fabrication.

Now, what is the implication of this play during the early Modern English period? Many of these themes and ideas throughout the play represent the beliefs of the majority, regarding patriarchy and marriage. The two main relationships of this play that have influence are, obviously, Othello and Desdemona, which includes Desdemona’s father, Barbantio, and the less prominent, but ever present relationship between Iago and Emilia. Each of these relationships both reflect and challenge social norms during the early Modern English time period regarding women and their role in society.

In early modern England, there were very clear cut norms about the household and marriage within that household. These norms were the basis for the positioning of each individual female character in Othello. Women were completely defined during this time period based on their relationship to their husband and family (Hall 262). That relationship totally painted their portrait of respect. In addition, that relationship defined a lot of the social and political perspectives of the household as a unit (Hall 262). Even though the man was the dominate portion of the household, it was the woman that was under strict scrutiny and observation for her actions (Hall 262). The actions, however, that were expected of a woman were standard and widely accepted. Women were basically expected to make an immediate and rapid transition from an innocent and obedient daughter to their fathers, to a loyal wife for their husband (Hall 262). Due to this expectation, much blame is placed on the woman. Specifically, the woman’s behavior doesn’t just affect her reputation, but at this time, more importantly, it effects the reputation of her father and husband (Hall 262). If a woman wasn’t passive with her actions, and openly disobeyed the social “norms,” she would be labeled as “disorderly” and shunned (Hall 263). Probably the most disobedient and non-passive transgression that a woman could do is become the subject of sexual rumors, whether true or perceived, and be labeled a whore (Hall 263). Those women who were talked about in such a manner, were perceived of no longer being under control of their fathers and husbands. Now, I say control for one specific reason. English civil law explicitly makes women property of their husbands upon marriage (Hall 263). Therefore, a woman not being obedient, is basically a defective purchase in the eyes of the law. Since the reputation of the household is based on the women’s faithfulness, if a woman does commit adultery, it’s not just a disloyalty to her husband, but also a crime against God (Hall 264). Now, regarding the household, there was a lot of hypocrisy. Women were judged much more harshly for crimes within the household than men. Henderson and McManus state that female sexuality is so powerful, it is unfair and can overflow a man’s restraint and cause him to cave in (Hall 265). All the emphasis was placed on a woman’s sexual traits, making that the basis of their outward sense of honor (Hall 266). These ideals are peppered all throughout the plot of Othello. There are also some foreshadowing effects of some of the actions throughout Othello. Most early moderns, according to Wiesner and Ziegler, waited to marry till once they had their own household (Hall 267). This may have been Shakespeare foreshadowing problems in Othello and Desdemona’s marriage.

Obviously the most prominent connection of these ideals to the play is the marriage of Desdemona and Othello. I am, at first, going to focus on the scene with the Duke and his council, because it is jam packed with early modern English themes of marriage and patriarchy. Moving from the beginning of the play onward, we see right off the bat how the reputation of the woman, Desdemona, is secondary to the reputation of the father of the woman, Brabantio. Brabantio says when asked about what is happening with his daughter, “Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense, Sans witchcraft could not.” (I. iii. 65-66) In saying this, Brabantio is trying to save his reputation. He is saying there is nothing wrong with his daughter and the only explanation of her doing something as egregious as marrying a Moor, is that she is under witchcraft. This reflects this time period by Barbantio trying to use those norms, which everyone knew and agreed with, as an answer to why his daughter would act in such a way. Again, those women who did not follow the norms of society were labeled as disorderly. The disorderliness of Desdemona is expressed by Brabantio as a complete contradiction of what she “should” believe in. He says, “To fall in love with what she feared to look on!” (I. iii. 100) The interpretation of this quote can be taken multiple ways, but I believe it is to show that Brabantio says she “should” fear to look upon the Moor, however she does not, which creates the sense of disorderliness. Desdemona falling for a moor is the over-arching way that social norms of early Modern English are challenged in this play through her actions. The next part of this play that reflects principles of early modern England is the explicit changing of Desdemona from obedient daughter to loyal wife. This happens almost instantaneously and through the help of the father, Brabantio. He joins their hands together upon being convinced by Desdemona’s testimony and says, “I here do give thee that with all my heart.” (I. iii. 196) Not only does this show how quick the women’s transition is expected to be, but also how this transfer almost seems like a transfer of property, which is how a woman was defined in these days, legal property of the father, then husband. Again, this reflects the social customs during this time.

Moving onto later in the play, the handkerchief that Othello gives to Desdemona as a gift, becomes an essential and influential part of Iago’s plot to persuade Othello. The handkerchief is a tangible representation of Desdemona’s chastity, specifically a virginity that belongs to Othello. Iago continues to make Othello doubt his wife’s faithfulness by putting thoughts in his head very precisely. However, Othello will not believe 100% until he has “ocular proof,” or sees some proof of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness with his own eyes. (III. iii. 377) Eventually, Emilia gets ahold of the handkerchief when Othello drops it and Iago uses that to remove all doubt from Othello’s mind by planting it with Cassio. When Othello sees this, he becomes enraged to a point of no return and eventually strikes Desdemona in his infuriation. The handkerchief has a direct reflection of the views during this time. A woman’s chastity is her entire reputation, but more importantly during early Modern English times it was just as influential regarding the reputation and prestige of her husband. Othello becomes enraged obviously because his wife, he believes, is having an affair, however more importantly he becomes severely furious because this would completely annihilate his reputation that he has worked very hard for.

Othello has been written in many different ways by a multitude of authors. From the Renaissance to the late nineteenth century the role of women changed along with the story. Jill L. Levenson highlights these changes and summarizes some key points about the plays in her academic journal, “The Society of Women in the History of Othello from Shakespeare to Verdi.” Focusing specifically on Shakespeare’s Othello in 1603, because it is the one we read in class, she makes some extraordinary insights. There were two versions of Othello that were printed between 1602-1604, in Quarto and Folio format (Levenson 852). The Folio is the preferred version due to the fact that the Quarto lacks about 160 lines of the play (Levenson 852). For the most part the character of Othello is the same amongst both plays, a compounding amount of anger and jealously which leads to his violence against Desdemona (Levenson 854). In the Folio, however, the complicated relationship between Desdemona and Emilia is brought to light (Levenson 854). Also in both plays, Levenson points out how Bianca is a character representation, in the play, of what Othello thinks Desdemona has become (Levenson 854).

Another example of this early Modern English way of thinking, regarding women and their role in marriage, is the relationship between Iago and Emilia. Emilia is completely obedient to her husband and this is shown by her actions throughout the entirety of the play. These characteristics of Emilia perfectly reflect what women were expected to do, and the way they were supposed to act, during the early Modern English period. The main, and obviously most influential, thing she does to obey her husband is when she steals the handkerchief that belonged to Othello, which Othello gave to Desdemona. She says, “My wayward husband hath a hundred times wooed me to steal it.” (III. iii. 309-310) This part of the play is a major turning point in that there is now physical evidence, or at least there seems to be, of Desdemona being unfaithful to Othello. You can see Emilia’s reaction when she does take the handkerchief as one of accomplishment and even a little sense of relief because she has actually done something to please her husband. One of the best ways to capture the interaction between Iago and Emilia is to watch the movie “Othello” based on the play. There is a clear superior and subordinate relationship between Iago and Emilia. However, you can also see that Iago basically sees his wife as property and a way to get what he wanted. As soon as he gets what he wanted, the handkerchief, he kicks his wife out saying, “Be not acknown on’t. I have use for it. Go, leave me.” (III. iii. 336-337) Iago had many tools in his tool box regarding getting Othello to believe that Desdemona was being unfaithful to him, but one of the most important, and I would argue the most influential, was using Emilia in a way to further his mission. If it would not have been for Emilia taking that handkerchief, and something that most people might skim over, she also kept up the lie in every conversation she had with Desdemona and Othello. Even if she took the handkerchief, but eventually would’ve come clean when Othello and Desdemona questioned her, then none of the death and destruction at the end of the play would’ve occurred. I think the essence of the way women are treated during the early Modern English period, specifically using the relationship of Iago and Emilia as a reference, is what happens at the very end of the play. Iago’s wife exposes him for the fraud he is and instead of just getting angry at her or admitting guilt to his fault, Iago takes her hostage and ends up stabbing her and killing her in an attempt to get away. This speaks to the values and beliefs during this time about women and how they were property of their husbands. It also shows how this play, specifically Emilia, challenges the time period, because a woman then would have never turned on her husband. In Iago’s eyes his property was broken, so he basically threw it away for his own personal gain.

This whole plot finale of the wife being murdered by her husband is in a great number of Elizabethan and Jacobean plays. According to Ruth Vanita, almost every one of these “domestic tragedies” is founded on the infidelity of the wife as the reason for the husband’s actions (Vanita 342). The two relationships in Othello that end by the husband killing his wife are Othello and Desdemona, primarily, and Iago and Emilia. For most scholars, and simply anyone who has read the play to include myself, the murder of Desdemona is much more premeditated and important than Emilia’s murder. Vanita has a different perspective in which both characters die similar ways for similar reasons (Vanita 341). She argues that first, although the actual murder is caused by one person, their deaths are caused by a community around them that incorrectly assumed the escalating mistreatment of both Desdemona and Emilia by their husbands was acceptable (Vanita 342). Secondly, expanding on that idea, it is both husband’s responsibilities for not recognizing the faults of the other towards their respective wives, especially because they claimed to stand for certain values of dignity and respect toward their wives (Vanita 342). Them being hypocritical caused the downfall of both and the fate of their respective wives.

Throughout the entirety of this play many aspects of social norms and culture from the early Modern English period are ever present. Shakespeare wrote this play at a very specific time to send a message and bring some significant aspects of their current society to light. Women and the household, as a whole, were set into very specific norms. Women at this time were considered the property of the father and then that ownership was passed onto the husband. In Othello, through both Othello’s relationship with Desdemona and Iago’s relationship with Emilia, Shakespeare presents these characters in a way that amplifies the way society was at the time the play was written, to any audience. What makes the play pure genius is at the same time Shakespeare can accomplish that feat, he challenges social norms through many disorderly and unacceptable actions by both Desdemona and Emilia.

Works Cited:

Hall, Kim F, ed. Ch. 3: Marriage and the Household. Othello: Texts and Contexts. By

William Shakespeare. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007. Print.

 

Henderson, Katherine Usher, and Barbara F. McManus. Half Humankind: Contexts and

Texts of the Controversy about Women in England, 1540-1640. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1985.

 

Levenson, Jill L. “The Society of Women in the History of Othello from

Shakespeare to Verdi.” University of Toronto Quarterly, vol. 81, no. 4, Fall2012, pp. 850-859. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h

&AN=83183828&site=ehost-live.

 

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Kim F. Hall. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007.

Print.

 

Vanita, Ruth. “`Proper’ Men and `Fallen’ Women: The Unprotectedness of Wives

in `Othello’.” Studies in English Literature (Rice), vol. 34, no. 2, Spring94, p. 341. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=94081

22326&site=ehost-live.

 

 

Wiesner, Merry. Women and Gender in the Early Modern Europe. New York:

Cambridge UP, 2000.

 

Ziegler, Georgiana. “My Lady’s Chamber: Female Space, Female Chastity in

Shakespeare.” Textual Practice 4.1 (Spring 1990): 57.