female agency Flashcards
(12 cards)
‘I do perceive here a divided duty:/ to you I am bound for life and education’
She is perceptive of the situation she is in and understands the societal expectations she is going against - she is from a high status, which allows her to fully construct her argument well.
‘My downright violence and storm of fortunes may trumpet to the world’
She rejects the passive role of women, showing how overwhelming her love for Othello is that she is willing to break convention - she celebrates her love while others around her condemn it.
‘You rise to play and go to bed to work’/ ‘You shall not write my praise’
Emilia tries to combat this, but cannot fully show through her simple sentence replie.s
‘His bed shall seem a school, his board as thrift, I’ll intermingle everything he does with Cassio’s suit’
Metaphor - emphasises her goodness of character as she is determined to go to any extent to right any wrong - this makes her a tragic victim
‘Why they change us for other? Is it sport? I think it is’
She understands to an extent what male culture is like but this is only a guess as they may never know
‘Let husbands know/ their wives have sense like them’
Emilia understands her value as a person should not be based on gender and patraircahl rules allow men to control women as something passive which is untrue
‘Thou art rash as fire to say/ that she was false. O, she was heavenly true.
Emilia combats Othello’s helli.sh description of Desdemona with light and heaven, revealing the truth of her mistress and showing the solidarity between females
‘If he say so, so may his pernicious soul/ rot half a grain a day’
The violent imagery, especially referring to her husband, shows her love for Desdemona and her strong sense of sisterhood - she wants Iago to suffer just as Desdemona did, slowly
‘Tis proper I obey him, but not now’/ ‘Charm your tongue’/ ‘I will not charm my tongue; I am bound to speak
Emilia is defying gender stereotypes in order to stand up for Desdemona who was abused at the hands of the patriarchy
‘The Moor is abused by some most villainous knave’
Emilia is perceptive of male behaviour and calls it out publicly yet she cannot understand that this is her husbands doing
‘Give it to your hobbyhorse’/‘This is some minx’s token’
Bianca is an unconventional female character as she experiences jealousy and talks down on other women as well as criticising Cassio
I am no strumpet, but of life as honest/ As you that thus abuse me.
Bianca is open to defending herself against Iago and the other higher up characters again showing her unconventionality
