Downfall of (wo)Men:

Masculine Arrogance, the

Demise of both Sexes in Othello

Chris Roy
Ms. Fortuna
English 12H
Graph Self-Declared
Superiority

Women: a Misogynistic
Commodity Conformity

Effects on
Both Genders

Downfall of Genders in
An Anti-Feminist
Society
 Self-declared Superiority

• “Masculine” men harbor a sense of gender-superiority over

women
• “You [women] are pictures out of door, bells in your parlors,
wildcats in your kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being
offended, players in your housewifery, and housewives in your
beds” (II.i.108-12) ~ Iago
• “O Curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures
ours and not their appetites!” (III.iii.267-9) ~ Othello
• Iago: “I’ll warrant her [Desdemona], full of game”
Cassio: “Indeed, she’s a most fresh and delicate creature… an
inviting eye” (II.iii.19-24)
• “Women are… figured as deceiving, dishonest, and dangerous
creatures concerned solely with the entrapment and destruction of
 Self-declared Superiority:
Interpretation
 All the main male characters in Othello show some form of
misogynistic tendencies. Iago degrades women by essentially
portraying them as aggressive and hypocritical, hiding behind a
false sense of propriety, and useless except in bed. The repetition
of “creatures”, as found in Othello across multiple characters and
Michael Bryson’s critique of Renaissance Tragedy, lowers the
status of women from human to animal, implying inferiority in not
just society, but cognition and understanding as well. Cassio
agrees that Desdemona is “full of game” and describes her as a
“fresh… creature”, as if she is an object to be used for pleasure
and not a respectable human being. Othello also indicates a sense
of superiority when he realizes he is not in complete control of
Desdemona, as he fully expected marriage to allow him, and
curses the institution because of it. Although not always blatant in
their discourse or action, all of these men, look down upon women
as inferior.
 The Apple of Their Eye, or Just
Their Apple?
• In society, women are viewed as an object to be possessed by man.
• “She [Desdemona] can turn, and turn, and yet go on and turn again; and she can
weep, sir, weep; and she’s obedient… very obedient” (IV.i.252-5)
~ Othello
• “Zounds, sir, y’are robbed!” (I.i.83) ~Iago
• Iago: “What, are you mad? I charge you get you home”
Emilia: “Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak. ‘Tis proper I obey him, but not
now. Perchance, Iago, I will ne’er go home” (V.ii.191-3)
• “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that
people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a
door mat or a prostitute” (West)
• “He [the Duke] can isolate Desdemona from other women of Venice who might be
encouraged to form their own alliances with prospective husbands, thus
depriving their fathers of their rightful marriage profits” (Henningfeld)
 Interpretation
 Women are viewed as a possession of their husbands. Othello refers to
Desdemona as “very obedient” and “can turn… and turn again” as if
she is his pet obeying and doing tricks for him, furthering the analogy
of women as animals that prevails throughout the play. Iago tells
Brabantio not that his daughter is missing or kidnapped, but that he is
robbed, implying she is a possession of his. As Henningfeld points out,
daughters are commodities to their fathers, meant to be traded for
“their rightful marriage profits”. Rebecca West reveals that women are
often viewed as “door mats” or “prostitutes”, and feminism is the
“radical” idea that women are people too. Further, when Iago tells
Emelia to go home, she feels almost obliged to follow his orders,
stating that she knows it is considered proper to do so when she asks
the other “gentlemen” to allow her to speak. Emilia’s warped sense of
propriety can be attributed to not just inferiority in the eyes of men,
but women conforming to the misogynistic society they live in, where
they are reduced to property.
 Societal Pressure to Conform
• Women, pressured to conform to an anti-feminist society, enable the
male sense of superiority through submission.
• Othello: “Get you to bed on th’ instant; I will be returned forthwith.
Dismiss you attendant there. Look’t be done.”
Desdemona: “I will, my lord” (IV.iii.7-10)
• “Prithee hie [hurry] thee [Emilia], he’ll come anon… ‘Let no one blame
him, his scorn I approve’” (IV.iii.51-3) ~ Desdemona
• “[Iago] hath a hundred times wooed me to steal it… What he will do with
it, Heaven knows, not I; I nothing but to please his fantasy” (III.iii.291-8)
~ Emilia
• “The second mode [of feminism], justificatory criticism, emphasizes…
women’s subordinate position and the pervasiveness of male power in
Shakespeare's plays… It acknowledges that women characters are as
often victims as heroines, that they are inevitably defined and define
themselves in relation to men—most often to men they love” (Neely)
Societal Conforming:
Interpretation
 Women allow themselves to be degraded by succumbing to the
anti-feminism of society. Desdemona follows Othello’s every
order, whether it be against her liking or not, permitting Othello to
control her as if she was his property. She even accepts his doubts
in and anger at her as if he was all-knowing when she sings to
Emilia, “no one blame him, his scorn I approve.” Emilia succumbs
to her husbands every command as well, as she steals
Desdemona’s handkerchief for him, admitting that she does not
know what he will do with it but that she wishes nothing but to
please him. Finally, Carol Neely, a self-proclaimed critical feminist,
acknowledges that female characters are often victims of the
“pervasiveness of male power” and are defined, and define
themselves, in relation to men. Thus, women such as Desdemona
and Emilia, who are brought up in a male dominated society, are
forced to accept their subordinate position in society, further
enabling this society to suppress female empowerment.
No One Wins in War
• Both men and women are hurt by men’s anti-feminism.
• “Let heaven and men and devils, let them all… cry shame against
me… She give it [the handkerchief to] Cassio? No, alas, I found it,
and I did give’t my husband” (V.ii.217-37) ~ Emilia
• “I am not valiant neither… But why should honor outlive honesty?
Let it all go” (V.ii.240-3) ~ Othello
• “[Remember me as] an honorable murderer, if you will; For
naught I did in hate, but all in honor” (V.ii.289-91) ~ Othello
• Emilia: “O, who hath done this deed [mortally injured
Desdemona]?”
Desdemona: “Nobody– I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my
kind lord. O, farewell!” (V.ii.122-4)
 Interpretation
 Desdemona is never allowed to speak for herself, as Othello takes
Cassio’s word without consideration of his accused wife’s position. But
despite being murdered because she was considered inferior and
“inherently flawed” in respect to men, she still upholds the anti-feminism
of her society by supporting, covering for, and even praising her “lord”
moments from her death by his hand. Emilia is also devastated, realizing
she, blindly, played a vital role in helping Iago convince Othello that
Desdemona was unfaithful. In the end she realizes her mistake of
unquestioningly following Iago’s commands, finally speaking up for
herself and Desdemona as to her husband’s deceit, only to be slain by
him. Othello, aware he murdered his honest wife without giving her the
chance to defend herself, hysterically scars Iago and commits suicide.
The main characters, both male and female, are ripped apart by the evils
of a misogynistic world, not allowing women to think or act for
themselves.
 Synthesis
In Othello, the final demise of both genders is male arrogance.
This arrogance is fostered by the anti-feminist and male dominated culture
of a misogynistic world they live in. In this world women are meant to
selflessly cater to their “master”, be it their husband or father, without the
slightest concern for anything else. Emilia and Desdemona both follow their
husband’s orders without exception, as society's sense of propriety dictates,
finding themselves only enabling the inherently destructive nature of
misogyny. Because the women in Othello are merely objects of possession,
Othello does not look beyond Iago’s slander to let his own wife defend
herself against his accusations, instead unrightfully killing her. This false
judgement, provoked by his gender-superiority induced arrogance, proves
fatal for not only Desdemona, but Othello, Cassio, Roderigo and Emilia as
well. Through studying Othello one learns that Misogyny hurts more than
just the women it aims at, but the society that supports it as a whole, and
that equity and peace among the sexes is necessary in maintaining a
healthy world.
 Bibliography
• Bryson, Michael. "The Discourse of Honesty and
Whoredom in Othello." Michael Bryson.net. Web. 04
Dec. 2009.
<http://www.brysons.net/academic/othello.html>.
• Henningfeld, Dianne. "Critical Essay on
Othello." Reference Answers. Web. 04 Dec. 2009.
<http://www.answers.com/topic/othello-play-7>.
• Neely, Carol T. "Feminist Criticism and Teaching
Shakespeare." ADE. Web. 04 Dec. 2009.
<http://web2.ade.org/ade/bulletin/n087/087015.htm>.
• West, Rebecca. "Mr Chesterton in Hysterics: A Study in
Prejudice." Feminist Quotations. The Clarion. Web. 8
Dec. 2009.
<http://www.quotegarden.com/feminism.html>