Macbeth
Literary texts are always concerned with the construction of gender and the meaning of belonging to one sex or the other. In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare the gender construction is used to define the roles of men and woman during the time in which the play was written, the Elizabethan era. The characters of Othello, Iago, Desdemona and Emillia are utilized to represent the different aspects of these roles with in their particular social circumstances .The issues of power, class, occupation and ideology are constantly made reference to illustrate the characters conformance or non-conformance of the social expectance during this time.In the play the character of Othello is used by Shakespeare to represent the stereotypical image of men during this time period. Venetian men as was expected were seen as the holders of power within society and woman were seen as insignificant. They controlled all aspects of life and were seen to hold greater power by the positions with which they held in the army. A general would out rank a lieutenant as a lieutenant would out rule an ancient or solider. This aspect possibly made Othello the greatest power holder within the play, as he was a general .He believed in the ideas of honesty
Desdemona is introduced to the reader as a non-conformant to the ideologies of society as she has deceived her father, "Look to her Moor. This illiterates the loyalty and respect she had for Othello even in death as was the expected behavior of a woman in her situation. This has allowed the reader to visualize a detailed description of what it means to be a woman in the 1600s which was a male dominated world. Through this Shakespeare play has allowed the reader gain a insight into the meaning of belonging to one sex or the other in society during the 1600s. Woman were to be seen and not heard, "A maiden never bold; Of spirit so still and quite that her motion blushed at herself"(Ln Act1, 3). They played a little role in controlling even their own lives as they did not make their own decisions but simply followed orders from their 'superior' male counterparts . Shakespeare has used Emilia to illustrate another female aspect of the play although, she may differ slightly from Desdemona she is still a woman . His ability as a leader was exceptional as was his ability to dominate situations of conflict "Were it my cue to fight, I would have known it With out a prompter. They both believe that woman are inferior to men and that they should obey them without question. Shakespeare has once again used a male character, Iago to support the ideologies of men during the 1600s. Woman were seen as little more than object of affection who's purpose in life lay in marriage and raising a family . Through the use of his male characters Othello and Iago and, with reference to their power ,class, occupation and ideologies a clear representation of what it means to belong to the male sex in 1600s is constructed .
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