"Othello": Women Breaking Through Societal Roles

Women have more rights and freedoms in today's society than in previous eras. The lines between social classes are more relaxed, expectations have been lowered, and a woman speaking out has become more accepted. Today, women are allowed to do whatever men are. This, however, was not always the case. Take, for example, William Shakespeare's play Othello. There are two main female characters in the play: Desdemona, Othello's wife; and Emilia, Iago's wife. Both of …

…be able to defend themselves against those to whom they owe duty, and would be killed by their silence too. It could be argued that Emilia's death was more noble than Desdemona's, because Emilia was "doing the right thing" according to virtue by unveiling Iago's plan. According to society, however, it was Desdemona who did the right thing by obeying her husband, and Emilia was the one who was doing evil by defying her husband.