emilia quotes Flashcards
“they are all but stomachs, and we all but food; they eat us hungrily, and when they are full they belch us”
•metaphor showing that she thinks women exist purely to feed the men
•without food, they wouldn’t exist- just like if women didn’t exist, they would cease to reproduce- women fuel men
•suggests men are greedy & they corrupt women until they have had enough
•imagery of eating- animalistic
•she is full of experience & wisdom
•clear that her and Iago’s relationship is crumbling
•Iago & Cassio enter straight after- dramatic irony?
“but jealous souls will not be answered so: They are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they’re jealous. It is a monster begot upon itself, born on itself”
•see her wisdom & feel her experienced pessimism
•sharp observation about the nature of jealousy- entirely irrational emotion
•understands envy does not ever require a reason- once it’s there, you can’t escape
•reinforced by tautology- can neither prevent nor misstate jealousy in a partner & must suffer
•metaphor of jealousy as a monster with epistrophe of ‘itself’ emphasising self- engendering nature of envy- reminder of Iago’s ‘green-eyed monster’
(Othello & Emilia’s convo at the very beginning of A4S2)
“if any wretch have put this in your head let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse.. if she not be honest, chaste and true, There’s no man happy: the purest of their wives is foul as slander”
•sharp targeted discussion led by Othello- may not pity him here as he becomes aggressive
•Emilia defending her honour
•biblical imagery-ironic
•’serpent curse’- Iago acting as this- unaware she is condensing her husband
•elevates Des- more loyal to her than Iago- element of fear?
•thinks emilia is ignorant because of her and Des’ class imbalance
