First off, I hate Iago.
Okay, now we can move on.
The play we read in class was Othello by William Shakespeare. This play was focused around 3 men (Cassio, Othello, Iago) and 3 women (Bianca, Desdemona, Emilia) and the miscommunication and manipulation that went on between them…all because of Iago. I despise Iago for causing all this drama just because he was butt hurt, but I also despise the way they all handled the situation. For one, Othello never even asked his wife straight out what was going on, he would just physically (the dramatic slap) and verbally abuse her. And what makes it worse is that she didn’t even say anything!!! Well maybe once, but it was all meek and soft. She kept bending to his will and what he believed. Like, say something woman!!! Her AND Bianca never took a stand against the men. Why not speak your mind?
I mean, I can sort of count Emilia as being outspoken because in the end, she stood up and defied her husband by telling the truth. This was so rare, but was necessary in all situations. This brings me to the double standard enforced upon the woman of that time by the hypocritical men…even to this day. Lets be real, no woman can fit the mold of that time, even those who lived in that era. I mean, imagine being told that you are supposed to be pure till marriage, do all the housework, take care of all the children, cook, clean, follow the fathers rules as well as the church’s – in general, women were meant to be submissive to the current male in their life. How ridiculous.
Like, seriously? That’s too much.
The way they viewed them was hypocritical, how can you look down on woman not being virgins, for example, when men are the ones taking their virginity. It takes 2 to tango dude. How can they believe that the women’s voices were inferior to theirs? We are all capable achieving great things, it’s just the body parts that are different. Who are they to judge us? Cassio values purity and a by the book marriage yet has no problem having sex with Bianca on the daily, then goes on to can her a whore and unmarriageable. What kind of bs is that, he’s the man slut if anything! These double standards are toxic and unfair. All the male characters, from Iago, the demeaning villain, to Cassio, a noble and trusting man, hold these beliefs no matter what value they place towards their partner. They all considered their “woman” to always fall short of some ridiculous expectation. To be a woman during this period meant to be submissive, loyal, devoted, and pure beyond measure even when their husband/lover may not have been.
Unfortunately the opinions held by men on how we should act regardless of the era a woman are irrelevant. If the men wouldn’t have been so full of themselves and the woman would’ve valued their own idea of what womanhood should be, the play probably would have ended differently…hopefully with Iago being only one who dies. Overall, the most important lesson to take from this is better said by Viola Davis:
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, and Sparknotes. No Fear Shakespeare: Othello. New York : Spark Publishing, 2003. Print.
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