Is “Othello” Best Regarded as a Domestic Tragedy (Essay Sample)

Throughout the domestic tragedy of the historical play of Othello created by William Shakespeare, it reveals an insight of the gender roles and expectations through the historical timeline of women within Elizabethan society. Looking at the importance of gender roles can help develop the historical perspective on the actions and behaviors of women. Digging into the complex character of Desdemona, she is perceived as a direct and intelligent individual who is also betrayed as independent and bold for not being afraid to assert what she needs whether it was through marriage or even to her Venetian senator father. During the time period of the sixteenth century women had many expectations and standards through a power dynamic within marriage. Throughout the play, gender norms made it socially acceptable for men to dominate women by degrading them throughout this power dynamic.  

William Shakespeare reveals many examples of the power dynamic roles through gender and marriage norms throughout the historical story of Othello. During the time period of the sixteenth century, women were expected to treat their husbands with complete obedience and loyalty. While the following characters Emilia and Desdemona aren’t alike, they both share similar experiences of the expectations and standards they share as women. Both characters bond with each other for empathy and comfort throughout the abuse with their significant other. Emilia explains to Desdemona that “Tis not a year or two shows us a man. They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; They eat us hungerly, and when they are full They belch us.”

This statement is significant because it helps demonstrate the resentment and harsh realities of what it's like to be married while acknowledging the behaviors and actions of the way one is treated and how it's tolerated. It is interpreted that Emilia is expressing her strong resentment and personal experience to men while also explaining the tolerated behaviors that men get away with due to these behaviors being viewed as socially acceptable.

While women had to experience some strict gender norms, men also were being held accountable within their own set of gender norms. It was described that “A man was considered to be the head of a marriage, and he had the legal right to chastise his wife.” (Elizabethan Women, Paragraph 6). When connecting this back to Othello it is important to look at the scene where Othello blatantly slaps his wife in regards to him feeling disrespected. While Othello was under the impression that Desdemona was happy for Cassio, Desdemona was confused about his reaction. This led Othello to strike Desdemona and proceed to call her the “devil.”  It's important to tie this event back to the gender norms because when looking back at Elizabethan society it was socially normalized for men to have the privilege to treat their wives with physical disrespect because this event happened in front of multiple people and nobody did anything about it. This issue is significant because people are overlooking this issue because this situation could have been perceived as Othello chastising his wife because he wasn't being extremely violent, however the normalization of violence was so black and white it was overlooked. It may be beneficial to question how people would have reacted if they knew the severity of Othello's intentions and mental state.

Another important factor to look into is from Of Wives’ Particular duties by William Gouge is the specific norms about manners and subjection. He explains “Any inforimenties in their husbands,  they  ought to reflect their eyes on their own infirminites.” This quote is significant because it is explaining if a husband is mad or upset that the wife should take blame as if it was her doing, even if it wasn't the case. When connecting this gender norm back to Othello, it ties back to the scene where Othello kills Desdemona because he could not forgive her betrayal. While this scene took place Desdemona says “Nobody, I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell.” When connecting this scene back to the gender norms we can blatantly see how even when Desdemona was quite literally on her deathbed, that she was still taking blame that way she could defend and protect Othello. This is important because despite the fact she knew she was going to die, she still followed the gender norms to protect her husband.

Throughout Shakespeare's Othello, there were many gender norms within Elizabethan society that enabled men to dominate women through a power dynamic. Even though women were expected to follow the gender norms and expectations within their marriage, Desdemona was still perceived as direct and bold despite the intense power dynamic that lasted throughout her marriage. Desdemona proves her independence by asserting her needs and desires while also following the gender norms and expectations of marriage that can be perceived as submissive.