Theme 4 (Friendship) Critics

Question 1

A.C. Bradley (1904):

Answer 1

‘The tragedy of Othello is the tragedy of a man whose trust in friendship is tragically misplaced.”

Question 2

Kathleen McLuskie (1985):

Answer 2

“The play exposes the destructive consequences of a friendship based on lies, where loyalty is equated with blind obedience.”

Question 3

Ruth Vanita (2001):

Answer 3

“Iago’s manipulation of Othello’s belief in their friendship is central to the disintegration of Othello’s own moral and emotional state.”

Question 4

Janet Adelman (1992):

Answer 4

“Emilia and Desdemona’s friendship, though full of contrasts, is founded on shared female experience, particularly their mutual disempowerment in a patriarchal society.”

Question 5

Michael Neill (2006):

Answer 5

“The relationship between Desdemona and Emilia is one of mutual affection, but it is also one in which Desdemona’s idealism blinds her to Emilia’s more hardened view of the world.”

Question 6

Feminist Critics (Various, 1970s-1980s):

Answer 6

“The friendship between Emilia and Desdemona reflects the complexity of women’s relationships in a patriarchal society, where loyalty to one another often conflicts with loyalty to the men in their lives.”