(IV.iii.97-115)Įmilia’s speech represents a powerful feminist perspective, elucidated at a time when women were subordinated and oppressed as a matter of course-legally, socially, and politically. The ills we do, their ills instruct us so. And have not we affections,ĭesires for sport, and frailty, as men have? When they change us for others? Is it sport? They see, and smell,Īnd have their palates both for sweet and sour,Īs husbands have. She calls upon her role as friend to shake Desdemona from all-encompassing despair and to mount an attack on pervasive, insidious male hypocrisy: ‘I do think it is their husbands’ faults / If wives do fall’ (IV.iii.84-85). Affection for and duty to her friend inspires Emilia to speak freely and courageously, regardless of propriety or the threat of retaliation. The Willow Song scene provides a much-needed respite from chaos and violence as the wrenching, pure pain of Desdemona’s song underscores her innocence and fidelity. Folger ART File S528o1 no.45 copy 1Desdemona’s despair culminates in Act IV, Scene iii-also known as the Willow Song scene-one of the few scenes in Shakespeare’s canon where women occupy the stage alone and unobserved. The Willow Song and Emilia’s Feminist ResponseĪs the world Desdemona thought she understood and the man she thought she loved unravels, and the play descends into violent madness, Emilia’s friendship represents a lifeline for Desdemona.ĭesdemona … the poor soul sat singing, sing willow, willow, willow, Othello, act IV, scene 3 / H. Emilia represents what Desdemona might become: a wife whose individual character and identity remain intact. Emilia herself offers a symbol of hope: years trapped in an abusive marriage have not robbed her of wit or strength. Men are greedy and predictable, but women are clever, funny, and resilient they are survivors. Othello’s jealous turn is inevitable, a symptom of manhood itself it need not destroy Desdemona. They eat us hungerly, and when they are fullĮmilia is well-versed in the complexities and challenges of marriage, and she counsels her young, privileged, and inexperienced friend to reset her expectations, rid herself of idealistic fantasies, and to know her own worth. They are all but stomachs, and we all but food The two women are expected to obey and submit to their husbands in exchange for financial security and protection, but as Othello’s jealousy builds it falls to Emilia to educate Desdemona on the realities of married life:ĮMILIA: ‘Tis not a year or two shows us a man. As the play progresses, the bond between Desdemona and Emilia is strengthened by shared experiences of abuse and increasing fear of male violence. Desdemona and Emilia turn to each other for companionship and comfort, and discover an equal in intelligence, virtue, loyalty, and generosity. But the qualities they share are more important than what sets them apart: both are wives and women, isolated and alone in a foreign land at war. Navigating Expectations as WivesĮmilia and Desdemona are fundamentally ‘unlike:’ maidservant and gentlewoman, older and younger, sexually experienced and naïve. Friendship offers protection, solace, and-finally-redemption as Desdemona and Emilia struggle to navigate and survive in a violent, male-dominated world. In contrast, the play’s central female friendship between Desdemona and Emilia inspires resistance and the courage to speak the truth, resulting in Iago’s exposure and Desdemona’s exoneration. Early modern discourses of friendship elevated the bond between two men above all else, but in Shakespeare’s tragedy, master manipulator Iago marshals the privilege of so-called ‘counselor’ and ‘friend’ to turn Othello against Desdemona, and to destroy them both. In Othello, male friendship is an agent of destruction.
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