Wasay Mabood Ms.

Aponte Tech Prep 11 9 May 2013 Evolution of Marriage Marriage has definitely changed over the past 400 years however the core principles of marriage remain the same. Trust and loyalty. Can you trust your partner to be faithful to you? Are they able to talk to one another and find some middle-ground as to how to solve a problem or at least communicate with one another? Would they always side with their spouse above all else? These are all factors that need to be examined when accurately observing a marriage and Shakespeares play Othello gives great insight on how to decipher a good marriage from a bad marriage. Marriage has and always will play a big part in the outcome of someones life. The ideal marriage would be one of a love which is best exemplified by the marriage of Othello and Desdemona. Their marriage is strange for the time in that Othello is a Moor and, though coming from nobility, it was not quite accepted for one to marry outside of their race. It was also against the wishes of the father, Brabantio, during a time when it was the father who chose whom the daughter would marry. Especially, Othello (at the start of the play) and Desdemona trust one another completely. They do not question one anothers faithfulness and Desdemona does not believe for it to even be possible that there are woman in the world who cheat on their husbands. Both are also very loyal to one another. Othello states,

If it were now to die, Twere now to be most happy; for, I fear, My soul hath her content so absolute, That not another comfort like to this, Succeeds in unknown fate.

Othello give this speech in Act II, when he is reunited with Desdemona and it represents the high point of Othello and Desdemonas love. Desdemona is clear that she will be loyal to her husband as soon as their marriage is public. She explains her divided duty as a daughter and a wife, but as tradition dictates, her loyalty will always lie with her husband his a wife. Even as Othello is about to kill her she still remains loyal to him. The marriage is only compromised when Iago plants the seeds of jealousy and uproots it. Just as there are foil characters, there can also be foil marriages. In Othello, there is no other more contrasting marriage in respect to Othello and Desdemonas as there is in Emilia and Iagos marriage. Their marriage does not fit the definition of a true marriage in a multitude of ways. Whereas Desdemona and Othello are different simply in race, Emilia and Iago are different in ethics and morals. Iago holds women to a very low standard. He states that they only appear innocent and courteous in public, but show their true selves when they are in private; that they are sneaky and give a lot of lip. Emilia shares the sentiment in her view of men. She says that they use the woman for pleasure and then toss them aside when they are finished with them. Furthermore, she says that it is completely fine for women to cheat on men if the man is no longer sleeping with or interested in the women. They are like two magnets repelling one another. They are not very loyal to one another either. The one instance where she is loyal to Iago is when she steals the handkerchief on his order. All the other events of disloyalty such as when Emilia exposes the evil Iago or when Iago kills Emilia, not out of love, but to use her as a body between Othellos blade and himself. They most likely had an arranged marriage, typical of the time period. Their marriage was merely of stature, not love. Marriage has definitely changed over the past 400 years. In the modern era, it is more acceptable for inter-racial marriage to occur. This is probably attributed to the media sector

portraying such relations in various forms able to reach millions of people worldwide. Marriage is no longer just a portrayal of ones stature in society but a commitment involving love, trust, and communication. These are some factors that provide stability in a marriage and if any of these qualities waver, then the marriage will become increasingly unstable and fragile.