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How does Shakespeare present women in Othello?

Throughout Othello, the attitude towards women in the Elizabethan era is

also portrayed. Women were seen as nothing more than objets or prizedpossessions whih belonged to men. The Elizabethan soiety was

patriarhal as the men dominated e!ery aspet o" it. Women were

onsidered the weaker se# and always needed protetion whih was the job

o" husbands. Women were onsidered in"erior to men and there"ore they

were e#peted to be silent, haste, and obedient to their husbands, "athers,

brothers, and all men in general. $ "ew e#amples "rom the te#t inlude%

&ago wakes up 'rabantio by yelling ()ounds, sir, you*re robb*d+ "or shame,

put on your gown+ our heart is burst, you ha!e lost hal" your soul-. These

lines indiate that esdamona was his property and Othello /the thie"0 has

robbed him and he should go and hunt "or the thie" and punish him "orstealing. $lso when &ago tells 1assio that (tonight he heath boarded a land

arrak &" it pro!e a law"ul prize- he is re"erring to Othello as a pirate and

esdamona as a treasure /land arrak0 whih Othello has "ound and

there"ore belongs to him.

&n $t 2 Sene 3 the Senator wishes Othello well by hoping that he will (use

esdamona well-. The onnotation o" the word (use- is (look a"ter- but it

also portrays the Elizabethan attitude towards women as they are e#peted

to bow to the will o" their husbands who an utilize them in any way they

want. We also see that &ago wants re!enge on Othello beause he belie!es

the rumors that Othello has slept with his wi"e Emilia. &ago does not e!en

know i" the rumors are true but he still wants re!enge as Othello has used a

possession whih belongs to him /(The lusty 4oor5hath leaped into my

seat-0. &n these "ew lines &ago has insulted and objeti6ed his wi"e as he

has re"erred to her as a 7seat* and an 7o8e*. $lso in $t 9 Sene 2 &ago

hopes to be (e!ened with him, wi"e "or wi"e- whih suggests that he should

sleep with esdamona so that he and Othello will be e:ual. The "eelings o"

esdamona and Emilia are not taken in onsideration at all in his re!enge

plot. He belie!es that women are objets that are meant to be used to"urther men*s desires.

Throughout the play we see women are portrayed as submissi!e towards

their husbands with esdamona being the prime e#ample o" that. &n

$t 2 Sene 3 she states that she was 7bound* to her "ather as her ga!e her

li"e and eduation and there"ore she had to obey him but now that she is

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7bound* to Othello she has to obey and respet him. &n $t ; Sene 2 we

see that when Othello hits her she tells him (& ha!e not deser!ed this-. This

indiates that esdamona thinks that women should be hit only i" they

deser!e it. $lthough Emilia is portrayed in as a stronger harater. &n $t 3

Sene ; Emilia says that (

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who ne!er spoke her mind, who o!erlooked it when people hurt her and

who would re"rain "rom Airting with other men should be raising hildren.

These "ew lines spoken by &ago aurately sum up Elizabethan !iews on

women in soiety. The only power whih women ha!e is the se#ual powerwhih should be resisted by men. 4en are able to all women (whores- and

get away with it as it deemed natural in soiety.