Emilia, A Heroine of Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Emilia, A Heroine of Shakespeares Othello Shakespeare, in his tragedy Othello, presents a diminished character who does great things in the final act. Her character is deserving of analysis. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare Othello, explains the penury of Emilia through most of the play Emilias character, too, is determined by the plot. In the source, the villains wife is privy to the nefarious designs. Shakespeare wisely makes her, like the other characters, ignorant of Iagos character. She knows that she has lost his love, and her unhappy marriage drives her to cynicism about sex that she tries to win back her husbands affections by carrying out his wishes, even when this involves betrayal of the mistress she loves. (41) A.C. Bradley, in his book of literary criticism, Shakespearean Tragedy, defines the character of the ancients wife Few of Shakespeares minor characters are more distinct than Emilia, and towards few do our feelings change so much within the course of the play. Till close to the end she frequently sets wizs tooth on edge and at the end one is ready to worship her. She nowhere shows any sign of having a bad heart but she is common, sometimes vulgar, in minor matters far from scrupulous, blunt in perception and feeling, and quite destitute of imagination. She let Iago take the handkerchief though she knew how much its deprivation would distress Desdemona and she said nothing about it though she saw that Othello was jealous. (222) Emilia is not mentioned in the play until the initial furor of the first two scenes subsides. Brabantios rage, among other reasons, necessitate that Desdemona live with Iago and Emilia during the Moors campaign in Cyprus against... ...g murder And your reports have set the murder on. Emilia is aware that she is violating favorable convention here Tis proper I obey him, but not now. This violation costs her dearly. Emilias stunning interrogation and conviction of her hold husband as the e vil mastermind behind the murder results in Iagos killing her. She becomes a martyr for the cause of truth and justice. Quite all of a sudden she is transformed into a heroine of the play WORKS CITED Bayley, John. Shakespeare and Tragedy. Boston Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1981. Bradley, A. C.. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York Penguin, 1991. Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare Othello. New York Penguin Books, 1968. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http//www.eiu.edu/multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.