Emilia Flashcards
What are the 5 archetypes of Emilia?
Jaded housewife
Jilted lover
Loyal friend
Martyr
Voice of reason
How is Emilia presented as a jaded housewife in Act 1-3? (2 points)
Emilia is quietly resentful, telling lago, “You shall not write my praise,” (2.1), but she is powerless to stop his jibes or escape the relationship
lago constantly insults and mocks her, saying she talks “too much” (2.1) and that she is “foolish” (2.3) - her passive reaction implies she has surrendered herself to such treatment
How is Emilia presented as a jaded housewife in Act 4-5? (5 points)
Her bitterness towards Iago finally manifests in Act 4.3, as her hostility and distrust of all men become clear
Her cynical view of marriage, a result of her bleak experience with it, contrasts sharply with Desdemona’s idealistic union with Othello at the start of the play
As Desdemona’s faith in Othello starts to wane, Emilia is there to empathise and attest to the many failings of holy matrimony
Emilia is able to channel all her resentment into something good by the end of the play by putting an end to Iago’s lies
Only she can bring Iago down - only she was underestimated and neglected in his plans when, as his wife, she should’ve been known the best
How is Emilia presented as a jilted lover in the first half of the play? (5 points)
Despite lago’s mistreatment of her and his obvious disinterest in her, Emilia seems eager to please him
Part of her loyalty and obedience may come from her duty to him as his wife, but in her sole soliloquy, she explains, “I nothing but to please his fantasy,” (3.3)
This suggests that there is a part of her that still craves affection and attention from her husband
As a result, initially, Emilia appears to be pathetically submissive to her husband’s desires, doing as he wishes without asking for justification
Could be seen as complicit in Iago’s master plan - just another pawn of his
How is Emilia presented as a jilted lover in the second half of the play? (5 points)
Her confidence and voice eventually build, and she starts taking control
She unknowingly sees through her husband’s guise, correctly predicting some “villainous knave” has turned Othello against Desdemona for personal gain (4.2)
Could be interpreted as her repressing her suspicions of her husband or her not suspecting him until it’s too late
She’s only able to reject him when the full extent of his wickedness comes to light - even then, she has to ask Othello multiple times, “My husband?” (5.2) before she accepts the terrible truth
This implies she holds some affection or love for lago that has blinded her to his true nature
How is Emilia presented as a loyal friend? (5 points)
Emilia’s fierce loyalty to Desdemona challenges our first impression of her as a submissive wife and unwitting accomplice
She defends Desdemona to Othello, “I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest, / Lay down my soul at stake,” (4.2) when all he wants to hear is that his wife is guilty of adultery
Similarly, she challenges her husband’s dismissal of Desdemona’s tears, saying, “Would it not make one weep?” (4.2)
In Act 5.2, she raises the alarm (“Help! help! ho, help! / The Moor hath killed my mistress,”) despite knowing Othello is capable of murdering her - puts her own safety at risk to stand up for her
She dies having cleared Desdemona’s name - her request of “Lay me by my mistress’ side,” (5.2) indicates her choosing her friendship over her marriage once and for all.
How is Emilia presented as a martyr? (5 points)
Emilia is killed because she is unphased by authority and isn’t afraid to speak out against injustice
Her dying words, “So speaking as I think, I die, I die,” (5.2), suggest she has sacrificed her life for truth and honesty
She realises the fatal consequences of stealing the handkerchief for Iago: “Thou has not half that power to do me harm / As I have to be hurt […] O villainy! / I thought so then; I’ll kill myself for grief,” (5.2)
From then on, Emilia is on a mission to atone for her sin and set her actions right - Desdemona is murdered as an innocent victim while her death is an act of repentance
Her devotion to her dead friend can thus be compared to religious faith - a martyr is typically called on religious grounds
How is Emilia presented as a voice of reason? (5 points)
Emilia remains a pragmatist throughout the play, even as everyone around her descends into delusion and panic.
Her cynical view of the world makes her wise enough to predict the play’s plot: “I’ll be hanged if some eternal villain, / […] To get some office, / Have not devised this slander,” (4.2)
She believes marriage is a farce and is distrusting of men, thinking them to be jealous, irrational, and perverse - the play’s events prove her bleak perspective right
She still has no autonomy or influence over the play’s outcome - she is a woman, an adulteress, a maid, and so she goes unlistened to
Only Desdemona listens to her as the women have a close bond - Emilia offers advice and insights as an older, experienced woman to the ingenue Desdemona
What is Emilia’s significance to the audience? (2 points)
Emilia allows the audience to listen to the female perspective through the patriarchal narrative’s noise - she voices the outrage we feel and can act on it
She is arguably Shakespeare’s spokesperson in the play - a vessel through which the audience can find catharsis and satisfaction despite their helplessness to what happens on stage
