Balance and Tragedy in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Feminism Literar

Mohandas K. Gandhi once proclaimed, â€Å"There is no occasion for women to consider themselves subordinate or inferior to men† (Gandhi n.p.). Women all throughout the world have been forced to endure innumerable hardships and struggles. Merely accepting women as a rightful component of society and a necessary aspect of culture has taken countless numbers of years. And to this day, unfortunately, gender equality has yet to become a reality for many. Certain judgments and stereotypes have been placed onto women from the very beginning of time. The belief that the female gender should only be seen in society as homemakers is something that is widely accepted by people in a multitude of countries and places. Despite the setbacks, various women have felt the need to fight for their rights and prove that they are an extremely crucial part of all societies. In the nineteenth century, the Cult of Domesticity, also known as the Cult of True Womanhood, was founded. It created s pecific rules that women in the United States and Great Britain were expected to follow. How well one obeyed the rules of the Cult of Domesticity dictated her reputation among fellow citizens (â€Å"From Domestic†¦Ã¢â‚¬  n.p.). The strict guidelines often had negative effects on individuals and prevented them from acting in an honest manner. In Othello, Shakespeare created the character of Emilia to perfectly represent the struggles women faced with fitting into their roles in society. The few female characters in the play were all shown in very different lights in order to demonstrate the varying types of women that could be seen in a normal society during that time. In William Shakespeare’s work Othello, Emilia’s imbalance of logic and emotion, a result of the pressur... ...ose to a balance, the chain reaction of events that led to the ultimate tragedy could not have been halted. If Emilia had come to her final realization earlier, could the tragedy have been stopped? Possibly, but it is impossible to know for sure. Even though it occurred, Emilia did, however, in the final moments of her life, speak with purpose and honesty. Her courage to stand up for her beliefs represents one of the most important themes in Othello and has made a truly lasting impact. Works Cited â€Å"From Domestic Goddesses to Suffragists: The Story of Women Told on Bookbindings, 1820-1920.† Publishers’ Bindings Online. U of Alabama, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2010. . Gandhi, Mohandas K. â€Å"Woman’s Status and Role in Society.† Mahatma Gandhi. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2010. .