Othello Essay
... the change in her appearance to Othello that it later pushes him to snap and kill his innocent wife. On the surface it is apparent that Desdemona’s image has been manipulated and distorted by two men however many other things are underlined as well. Firstly the audience or reader has a great feeling of sympathy for Desdemona as there is dramatic irony used to a significant amount. Secondly other female characters are portrayed as independent, which at the time was like daring to defy the universe. Emilia a character in the play speaks poorly of men and in the end defies her husband and reveals his evil nature. Bianca the most independent of the women is characterized as a “strumpet” by the other male characters, which is a way of showing male insecurity by Shakespeare. Shakespeare also shows how due to Iago’s evil and Othello’s weaknesses the play is greatly affected and that it reaches a more tragic state. By showing that Desdemona is innocent that only betters the image of women. Shakespeare here shows that the reputation of these women may have been distorted in society but not manipulated by man. Bianca’s character and her independence is the greatest example of this. Other examples of Shakespeare characterizing women as strong in his plays are the characters in “Antony and Cleopatra” “Macbeth” and “Romeo and Juliet” to an extent. In “Antony and Cleopatra” the male characters of Octavius Caesar and Antony seem to be dominant over the leading female character Cleopatra. The woman is referred to as “lustful gipsy” and a “slave” in the most derogatory of contexts. However, Cleopatra is still shown as a most independent character and the manner in which she uses her brain to manipulate men such as Antony to make them carry out her will is significant. Shakespeare shows Cleopatra as a strong willed and determined character with all the traits of what would be stereotyped of a man’s with the physical beauty of a woman. Shakespeare focuses on how Cleopatra as a woman is able to conquer the minds of the two noble men Antony and Octavius by using her beauty to lure them. However, in the end Cleopatra is killed and Antony kills himself before she ends her own life but their love is reunited momentarily before Antony perishes. When Cleopatra kills herself audience members feel a sense of pity or a catharsis for both Antony and Cleopatra. Eventually the audience feels good about Octavius too as he has the two lovers buried next to each other. In the play “Macbeth” Shakespeare portrays the character of Lady Macbeth and the three witches as external forces that are dominant to the development of the play. Lady Macbeth is shown to be independent and the real dominating force as she pushes her husband to kill Duncan. The three witches also influence Macbeth as they set him up to commit atrocities he would never dream of doing. Once again showing how the male mind is weak. In “Romeo and Juliet” the character of Juliet is defiant and independent as she chooses to court with...