Act 4 scene 3 Flashcards
(20 cards)
Summary
Willow tree song - tells of love, betrayal and death.
falling action
Desdemona and Emilia left alone, D insist her love for Othello
Emilia implies would only commit infidelity to get something tangible - “monarch”
What is woman’s privacy dependent on in this scene?
Dependent on male permission and space to do that. Lodovico and Othello talk while Othello sends desdemona to get ready for bed. Everyone leaves stage except for Desdemona and Emilia. — desdemona as submissive
Who does Emilia blame women’s infidelity on?
On men - unfaithfulness, jealous and violence - women are no different to men - Desdemona not accept this
How is setting used in this scene?
Unusual as not outside/public place
Female dominated scene much more intimate than anything we have seen between husband and wife. As gender becomes more polarised towards the end of the play, it is as if friendship becomes more significant that romantic connections. (E+D vs O+I)
For Desdemona in this scene, what does the staging symbolise?
A limitation of her freedom. She has regressed from openly stating her opinion in council chambers in Act 1; to excitement of travel overseas in Act 2; to the enclosed and small space of the bedroom.
Why is it significant that Emilia’s speech is staged in a private room?
The speech is the most forthright defence of women in the play - staged in a private room WITH NO MALE CHARACTERS present - this tells us that despite Emilia’s increased confidence and outspokenness, she nevertheless feels restricted in public.
What actually is the willow song ?
A mournful folk ballad, a woman laments her lost love.
A music book of 1583 indicates this song was common in the pop-culture of the day, Shakespeare’s audience may well have known how it ends.
Who is the song attributed to?
To Barbary servant - links to Barbary horse
What perspective was the song originally from?
From the male perspective, but Shakespeare changes it to a female voice to make the words appropriate for Desdemona.
In the final verse of the original song what does the speaker assert and how does this link to Desdemona?
Final verse of the song the speaker asserts his loyalty, even though he has been breathed, and acknowledges that his heartbreak will send him to the grave. Signals Desdemona aware of her fate and accepted it. This heightens the pathos for Desdemona - an innocent woman betrayed by her husband. Emilia sings it again in Act 5 scene 2 to remind us of this.
Very melancholic
What does Emilia’s speech at the end of the scene reveal about her outlook on life and marriage?
Reflects her realism
PROTO FEMINIST
Blaming husbands for wives infidelity.
Emilia views husbands and wives as 2 separate groups who are at war.
In her realistic depiction of marriage, she suggests that the initial sense of infatuation is quickly lost and husbands then feel as if they have the freedom to stray.
In this speech what does Emilia clearly symbolise?
Symbolises women who are entrapped in a patriarchal regime. We see the impact that this type of society can have on the individual
Perceptions of Venetian culture.
“Pour our treasures into foreign laps”
Speech reveals a deep sense of personal betrayal - could relate to Emilia’s own experience with Iago. “
reference womens infidelity??
“They strike us”
Allusion to Othello’s treatment of Desdemona
What are the 2 reasons Emilia argues for women’s infidelity are?
- “Revenge” against harsh treatment from their husbands
- Presenters woman’s “desires for sport” as natural and intrinsic part of existence - “their wives have sense like them”
How does she conclude her speech?
By saying that men should treat “us well” or else they may discover the truth about their wives activities. —> repetition of “ills” in FINAL LINE indicates that unfaithful women are only learning from their husbands — proverb ; teach D from E’s experience
What does Emilia’s passionate justification and explanation of women’s behaviour reveal about society?
Reveals the unfairness of unequal society and gives voice a female perspective, which otherwise has been increasingly silenced within the play
What is the scenes function?
- heighten pathos for Desdemona (and Emilia)
- emphasise unfairness of inequality of men and women in patriarchal society
X - create sense increased claustrophobia and entrapment as we progress towards the murders in final scenes
What does the willow tree symbolise in terms of D and E relationship ?
Importance of friendship and female solidarity
Honesty, class conflict and universality of women’s experiences
