Compare and Contrast The Two Wives free essay sample

In the play Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare., there are two prominent women that grab and hold our attention. One is the wife of the play’s heroic character Othello; the other is engaged to an untrustworthy man named Iago. The women are part of, but yet serve as a small piece of what goes on in the play and which is how the conflict of the play finally comes to an agreement. These two feminine figures of the play can be compared and contrasted in more than one way. A key to understanding the two women is to understand their husbands: Desdomana is married to Othello, a general in the Army who is trusted with great authority by the Venetian government. Othello is the protagonist in the play, and falls victim to the manipulations of Emilia’s husband Iago, the antagonist. In fact, Iago is considered by many to be one of the lowliest characters in all of Shakespeare. Although he is Othello’s ensign and is assumed by Othello to be loyal to him, Iago actually truly despises Othello. Throughout the play, Iago undermines Othello’s trust of Desdemona as a faithful wife. Iago uses many of the characters in the play and plots in multiple ways to manipulate Othello, turning him against his wife when, in fact, she does nothing to earn the distrust that Iago causes Othello to feel. Iago does such an excellent job of this that Othello is engulfed by jealousy, yet the scenario portrayed by Iago is a total fabrication.. What are the differences between the lovely Desdomana and the beautiful Emilia? Desdemona is of nobility and the wife of the powerful Othello. On the other hand, Emilia is the wife of Iago. Emilia is the maid servant to Desdomana, just as Iago is the Ensign reporting to Othello. The two women have many variances in the way they talk and act. As indicated, both Desdemona and Emilia are wives of men who serve in the Venetian military who serve in battle fields. Their husbands are both officers in the military, as opposed to common soldiers serving as  enlisted soldiers. However, Othello is the commander of the Venetian forces whereas Iago is simply something of a glorified errand boy. The reporting relationship between Othello and Iago is the same as the relationship between Desdemona and Emilia, Iago’s wife. On the one hand, Emilia is Desdomonas property, basically a slave whereas Desdemona is a woman of high regard and Emilia obviously is not. This is demonstrated in the ways that they speak and conduct themselves. Desdemona speaks eloquently and uses metaphors when speaking, but Emilia uses much more commonplace speech, methodical and typical of use by the multitudes of the lower class, characteristic of the time period during in which the play takes place. As an example of this, Desdamona’s way of expressing herself can be shown by quoting her. She says, â€Å" Faith, that’s with watching; twill away again. Let me but blind it hard, within this hour it will be well.† (III.III. 11-13) Her word s are spoken with elegance and purpose and contain a great deal of meaning. In contrast, Emilia words express things in a much more commonplace manner. Emilia says, â€Å"I am glad I have found this napkin; This was her first remembrance of the Moor, My wayward husband hath a hundred times wooed me to steal it. (As an aside, Emilia is referring to part of Iago’s plot to make Othello jealous); For she loves the token (For he conjured her she should ever keep it) That she reserves it evermore about her To kiss and to talk.† (III.III. 17-23) Although Shakespearian, a review of what she says seems to be more slang like than the formal speech of Desdomona. This difference in speech exemplifies the nature of their personalities. Desdomona is very proper and even proud-sounding because of her nobility, and Emilia comes across as a humble maid servant, which is exactly what she was. Each of them used their way of speaking in a manner that is in true form to their positions in Venetian society. A significant difference between Desdemona and Emilia is reflected in their morals. This is best shown in their intent to be faithful t o their husbands. Desdemona has never even thought of engaging sexually with anyone other than Othello, but at some point in the play Emilia admits that she would be unfaithful to Iago in the right circumstances. It is in this part of the play that Desdemona tells her father. (Aside: Iago’s plot was to convince Desdomona’s father that Othello had in fact kidnapped her when in fact he wooed her and won her as an ideal wife.) Desdemona explains that she was in no way taken by Othello, and  explains just how much she loves him. â€Å"My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty: To you I am bound for life and education; My life and education both do learn me How to respect you; you are the lord of duty; I am hitherto your daughter: but heres my husband, And so much duty as my mother showd to you, preferring you before her father, So much I challenge that I may profess due to the Moor my lord. (I.III.28-37) . In this part of the play Iago indicates his low opinion of Emilia. â€Å"To have a foolish wife.† (III.III.32) This would speak of their bitter and untrustworthy love for each other, because they both are dishonest. By contrast, this is the exact opposite of the loving and trusting (at least initially) relationship between Desdemona and Othello. Another dissimilarity between Desdemona and Emilia is in the level of maturity and their personalities because of the contrasting life experiences each woman has had. It would almost seem as Desdemona and Othello are more innocent and trustworthy than Emilia and Iago, quite the cunning couple who could not be trusted by each other or by anyone else. Although both intelligent and educated individuals, Othello and Desdemona seem almost naà ¯ve in comparison. Desdemona exhibits how naive her ideas of life and marriage are when compared to the warped and selfish thinking of Emilia. The latter has been though a lot and the reader can tell she’s had a much rougher life than the noble upbringing experienced by Desdemona. Given this upright background of character, Desdemona wants to honor and love Othello. On the other hand, Emilia and Iago have a corrupt relationship that includes distrust and resentment and thoughts of immorality and adultery if given the chance. They obviously are incapable of the love and the passion that Desdemona and Othello have for each other. It is shown well here in the play that Desdemona seems blind to the world of deception and lies. â€Å"O heavy ignorance!thou praisest the worst best. But what praise couldst thou bestow on a deserving woman indeed,one that, in the authority of her merit, did justly put on the vouch of very malice itself?† (II.I.8-11) Emilia clearly states here thoughts and views of marriage. â€Å"In truth, I think I should; and undot when I had done. Marry, I would not do such a thing for a joint-ring, nor for measures of lawn, nor for gowns, petticoats, nor caps, nor any petty exhibition; but for all the whole world,—uds pity, who would not make her husband a cuckold to make him a monarch? I should venture purgatory fort.† (IV.III.12-16) In other  words, Emilia seems open to dishonest and disloyal activities if given the chance. These two verses of the play make it easy t o see their different both their views of marriage and their level of maturity. As with most Shakespearian works, Othello is filled with hate and love, rich and poor, and life and death. Although substantially different in their nature, Desdemona and Emilia are still alike in a number of ways. They are both blessed with beauty and both are married to military men. In the end, both women it seems are victims of Iago’s devious plots and both of them die as a result. However, their differences are much more substantial than their similarities. Desdemona has had a life of privilege in the noble class, and as a result, she is more sophisticated, speaks articulately, and is more proper in her self-presentation. Her lack of having had some of the harsh realities of Emilia’s life does, however, leave her somewhat naà ¯ve in the world of the underhanded Iago. Given Emilia’s place as a slave in Venetian society, it is not surprising that she has a much more commonplace way of expressing herself. The flaws in her character – her dishonest nature and her cunning – place her in stark contrast to Desdemona. One final similarity is that, although it has been mentioned that Desdemona shows a certain amount of naivetà ©, both Emilia and Desdemona seem quite a bit in the dark to realizing the nasty politics and demonic maneuvers of the scoundrel Iago. They both are fooled before they can stop from falling victim to their deaths at the hands of their husbands, both of which are directly caused by Iago’s hatred for Othello.