emilia Flashcards
iago:
‘sir, would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue bestows on me’
emilia talks to much - women expected to be submissive and obedient
speaks her heart and according to iago scolds people who do not agree with her feelings on impulse - at the end of the play, emilia has very progressive views about women for her time
iago:
‘you are pictures out of doors’
prose - rude
every aspect of emilia’s life is out of place
in a flurry of figurative language, iago offers a series of images that represent things out of place: ‘bells in your parlors, wildcats in your kitchens’
‘what he will do with it, heaven knows not i’
no emotional connection - typical
iago asked emilia to steal handkerchief
thou shall not steal - please/ obey husband
‘is he not jealous?’
othello is jealous
how well can you know someone since you last spoke to them?
you don’t always know what your partner thinks
desdemona is naïve
‘tis not a year or two shows us a man. they are all but stomachs, and we all but food; to eat us hungerly, and when they are full, they belch us. look you, cassio and my husband!’
shakespeare uses emilia to give profound truths about gender and relationships
appreciate women until the lust wears off
voice of wisdom
sex/food - desire
the tragedy of women and demonstrates how they are mistreated in a patriarchal society.
‘if any wretch have put this in your head, let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse’
iago
how well do we know someone?
dramatic irony
symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld as well as a symbol of fertility, life, healing, and rebirth - ironic
‘the purest of their wives is foul as slander’
becomes prophetic
anyone can be bad
makes her seem slightly more positive as she started out good - tragic waste
a.c bradley - eternal womanly
subjugation of women has resulted in many a societal “double-standard” whereby a woman could be punished severely for a crime for which a man might find full acquittal; also a carry-over of patriarchal and legalistic, religious-based dogmas.
emilia’s statement then reflects that quality, focusing solely on the actions of the “wives”–clearly remarking that if “she’s” not chaste and virgin, then no “woman” is
‘hath she forsook so many noble matches, her father, and her country, and her friends, to be called a whore?’
the sacrifices desdemona has made to be with othello
the case for many women during this time
highlights how vulnerable and isolated she now is
‘my husband?’
disbelief that iago did it
doesn’t want to know
anagnosis - realises truth
doesn’t think he’s capable of such deceit
becomes the voice of the audience in this scene; we must have an outlet for our feelings of outrage.
the repetition of this quote is highly charged; emilia is as reluctant as desdemona to believe her husband is not what he seems.
could also show emilia coming to realization of the character that she truly believed iago to be but had constantly been denying to herself.
‘villainy, villainy, villainy!
repetition
angry - women would never get away with it
if you’re ‘perfect’ and this happens, then there’s no escape
patriarchy traps everyone
guardian of desdemona’s honour, a role othello should have assumed.
emilia’s castigation of othello reminds us how far the noble moor has fallen and the cruelty of her words might perhaps represent some kind of poetic justice. othello recognises the justice of emilia’s description when he reiterates her words, ‘o fool, fool, fool!’
’ i will not charm my tongue. i am bound to speak’
refuses to be silenced by her husband, which is unheard of in a patriarchal society such as this, and admirably speaks out strongly against the injustice of desdemona’s murder. desdemona herself, by contrast, refuses to speak against her husband and is subjugated to him.
the woman who does not speak against her husband and embodies the patriarchy ends up dead and the woman who does speak out ends up dead
‘willow, willow, willow’
song becomes a doomed prayer
victims of the patriarchy
death is arguably more tragic than desdemona’s as it is so unexpected, and dies defending desdemona’s innocence, showing her loyalty and further highlights that no matter if women speak or don’t speak, there is always a tragic outcome.
emilia has a vision of her soul going to heaven as she confesses to the truth and renounces all duplicity.
dies for the sake of the truth - may also link to desdemona’s last lines “a guiltless death I die”. both women die in relation to the truth.
