Misogyny othello

Misogyny can be defined as the cultural attitude of hatred for females simply due to the fact that they are female and are seen as inferior to men in the Elizabethan society, because of misogyny, women live in a society dominated by men. Shakespeare expresses his ideas of misogyny through the character of Iago, who throughout the play, constantly degrades and controls Emilia, Iago also commonly insults females in general. Othello also shares his misogynistic views as he constantly hits Desdemona in public and later accuses her of sleeping with Cassio

Act 5 scene 2 line 20 ‘So sweet was ne’er so fatal’ This shows Desdemona’s sweetness has brought her to where she is now, leading to her own death because she has slept with another man, can also be seen as Othello describing his kisses as fatal as they will be followed by murder but Desdemona is too sweet for him to handle. This comparison of Desdemona to something fatal gives the misogynistic view that she relates to evil and expresses Othello’s developed distaste for her.

Act 1 Scene 1 ‘Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! Thieves! Thieves! Look to your house, your daughter and your bags! Thieves! Thieves!’ Iago is calling Othello a thief as he has ran away with Desdemona, this can be seen as misogynistic as Desdemona is considered to be the property of her father. This is followed up in act 2 where Brabantio shouts ‘o thou foul thief, where hast thou stow’d my daughter’, The fact that Desdemona is not given a say in the affair until it was a final resort shows how women are considered lower than men in the hierarchy of life.

Act 1 Scene 3 – line 10 ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see/she has deceived her father, and may thee’ Brabantio is stating that if Desdemona has deceived her father and married a black man, it is possible that she will deceive Othello as well. The idea in this quote shows that an unruly daughter will make an unruly wife. The point is reinstated in Act 3 scene 3 – 18 where Iago states ‘she did deceive her father, marrying you’. Shakespeare expresses this through the use of Appearance vs. Reality, where Desdemona is described to be cheating on Othello whilst pretending to love him, emphasizing the misogynistic theme of the play by providing Desdemona with the appearance of an unfaithful whore.

Act 4 Scene 1 – lines 187-198 ‘I will chop her into messes/Cuckold me!’ Othello is outraged at the rumors of Desdemona cheating on him, he is ashamed of this and feels like he has lost his masculinity