Emilia and Desdemona in Othell - 1084 Words

Othello - English Essay The contrasting characters; Desdemona and Emilia, form an interesting and important relationship in the play Othello. Desdemona is very #8216;sheltered#8217; from the ways of the world and Emilia is very #8216;down to earth#8217; and #8216;experienced#8217;. From this difference we see a fascinating relationship between the two of them. In the given passage, we see that Desdemona takes a very honest, romantic and loyal stance towards Othello, (this is also true of her relationship with him), where as Emilia speaks more #8216;sense#8217;... more #8216;realistically#8217;. Desdemona is melancholy but hopeful, and her defenses of true love against Emilia#8217;s more cynical view of the world†¦show more content†¦This is illustrated in the given passage, by Emilia#8217;s comments such as, #8220;Let husbands know their wives have sense like them. They see, and smell, and have their palates both for sweet and sour#8221; This further develops Emilia#8217;s character to the audienc e, as it displays her view of men, and how she believes that females are treated unequally in the world. Emilia#8217;s view of men can be summed up in one of her very own quotes: #8220;They are all but stomachs, and we all but food: They eat us hungerly, and when they are full They belch us.#8221; This view of men is a sharp contrast to the view held by Desdemona. Desdemona sees men as #8216;good#8217; for the entirety of the play. Even when she is killed for false reason, she defends them; declaring her husband innocent in her dying breath. In the given passage, Desdemona illustrates her view of her relationship and stance against doing any wrong by Othello; #8220;Beshrew me if I would do such a wrong For the whole world#8221; The audience having knowledge of this stance, adds to the dramatic climax of the play, by having Desdemona killed not only for doing something she did not do, but for doing something she is firmly against. The given passage illustrates just how naive Desdemona really is, when it comes to the ways of the world. When Desdemona says; #8220;Dost thou in conscience think/ That there beShow MoreRelatedThe Life and Works of William Shakespeare 2100 Words   |  8 PagesOthello loves Desdemona but Iago spends the entire timeframe of the play trying to ruin th eir relationship. So I would definitely say that Iago is the villain or the antagonist of this story. At the beginning of the play Othello and Desdemona get married and move to Cyprus. In Cyprus, Cassio gets into a fight, when drunk, influenced by Iago and is released from Othello’s service. Iago then convinces Cassio to appeal to Desdemona for help getting back in the service of Othello. Desdemona then tries