William Shakespeare's play, Othello, is set during the Renaissance period in Venice, Italy. The tragedy is about a man who uses his manipulative skill to take revenge and causes chaos along with death. Iago manages to trick Othello into believing that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful and dishonest. Although Desdemona has already declared her love for Othello, Othello turns into an angry and distraught man who ultimately ends up killing his beloved wife. Not only is Desdemona killed by her husband, but also Emilia. Emilia tries to do what is right at the end of the play by telling the truth about Iago's deceitful plan, but is killed by Iago. During the 1600s, women were punished if they were dishonest and were labeled “whores” if they were suspected of cheating. Some husbands, like Othello, went so far as to kill their wives if they discovered they were unfaithful. Renaissance women were advised to stay at home and obey their husbands at all costs. Both Desdemona and Emilia tried to do their best to stay by their husbands' side but were killed because they had no power over their husbands. In the 1600s, women were seen as objects and trophies and could not stand up to their husbands without being hurt. In William Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, Shakespeare illustrates the female characters as women who do not fit the stereotype of the Renaissance woman and sees them as dynamic. Shakespeare uses his characterization of women to teach society about their individuality and complexity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay During the 1600s, the Renaissance period, society viewed women as people destined to become housewives and obey their husbands or dominant male figures. However, Shakespeare used the art of writing to portray women breaking out of the norm and becoming themselves. Since the beginning of time, women have been considered inferior to men. They were seen as people who could not become equal to men because they were weak or too delicate. Men took the dominant role and left women very little power. Shakespeare portrayed his female characters as objects of their husbands or male figures. In Act I, Scene I, Iago shouts “Awake! Oh, Brabantio! Thieves, thieves!/Look at your house, your daughter, your bags!/Thieves, thieves!”. As Iago's first move in his plan, he begins to cause trouble for Othello by going to Brabantio, Desdemona's father, who learns of the marriage and becomes furious. However, the use of the word “thieves” shows the audience that Desdemona is considered Brabantio's property that was stolen by Othello. Brabantio never recognized Desdemona's desire to love someone, so he decided to go behind her back and run away. The audience sees that Brabantio has control over Desdemona's life and realizes that men were superior to women during the Renaissance. Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper, a Shakespearean expert, argues that “society was patriarchal; in other words, men ran all institutions and were considered the heads of families.” In Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper's article, Women in Othello, Cooper talks about the rules women must follow to "honor" the family name, and Desdemona is no exception. Brabantio believed that his daughter would respect their name because he was a senator. Shakespeare portrayed Desdemona as a woman who did not change her individuality because of one person and remained pure. Desdemona followed her heart, which not many women did at that time because they were told they should never disobey theirdominant figure. The female characters in Shakespeare's Othello were women who did not fit the mold of a Renaissance woman. For example, Shakespeare's characterization of Emilia shows society that women are capable of speaking out but are too afraid to do so, they have no way to protect or defend themselves and will end up getting hurt. In the 17th century, women were punished if they did not obey their husbands or were killed if they were suspected of betrayal. However, Emilia went against her husband's order and stated, “I will not charm my tongue; I am forced to speak." Throughout the play, Shakespeare decides to insert small details of feminism into the character of Emilia and at the end of the play he decides that she is done with mistreatment of women. Emilia speaks, disobeying her husband, but is killed because she told the truth about Iago's deceitful plan. Women in the 17th century had the mentality of obeying their husbands. However, Shakespeare portrayed Emilia as a woman who saw others as abused and mistreated by men. Unlike Emilia, Renaissance women did not worry about the fights they faced with their husbands and remained by their side. Although most of the problems between husband and wife have been made public, no one has decided to interfere. In Act IV Scene II, Emilia was in the presence of three other men who decided not to protect her once Iago drew his sword. Ruth Vanita, a professor at the University of Montana specializing in historical literature and gender studies, says: "What we see on stage at this point is a lone, unarmed woman surrounded by armed men who deliberately fail to protect her: a visual representation of the 'the wife's defenselessness' (Vanita 32). Literary critic Ruth Vanita talks about the helpless and innocent wives who were collateral damage in Iago's plan. Both Desdemona and Emilia could not defend themselves because they had no power over their husbands they were fixated on trying to please their husbands because it was their "duty" which led to the very little power they had. The majority will argue that women did not live up to their complexity and uniqueness because they were unable to go against it their husbands and had to follow a set of rules. However, some might say that Renaissance women lacked individuality, not because they were inferior to men or were powerless, but because they chose to show their love and affection by obeying their husbands. However, the wives in Othello were seen as objects or trophies for their husbands. For example, Othello states: "O curse of marriage! / That we may call these delicate creatures our own, / And not their appetites!" . The audience sees that Othello claims Desdemona as if she were an object of his daily life. The public also sees that husbands see themselves as superior to their wives because they are the dominant gender. In the 1600s, women were given advice to become obedient to their husbands whenever they faced problems with them. They were told not to go against them or provoke them because that would lead to them not being loved anymore. The strategy of obedience does not work in Othello because Desdemona is killed. Desdemona tried to stay by her husband's side even in the worst case scenario, but it was of no use to her. Remember: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay All in all, Shakespeare characterizes his woman characters so dynamic and complex that he persuades society to allow women to become their own person. Both Desdemona and Emilia were collateral damage in Iago's plan because they were unable to.