Point under debate: “Ultimately it is hard to see Emilia as anything other than a tragic victim of male power and malice.”
The character of Emilia in Othello is one who undergoes a truly significant transformation in the play, indeed at the opening of the play she is reserved and reluctant to come out and defend herself, a “tragic victim of male power”. However, to say she is nothing more than this a fatal misjudgement of her character arch. As events in the play enfolds her courage strengthens, she is not afraid in act 3 to give her opinion of Othello’s cruel treatment of Desdemona nor the true nature of her villainous husband Iago, becoming a true fighter for women, in a society at the time of writing where they desperately needed it. She plays a much larger role than a mere victim. After the play’s tragic climax of Desdemona’s murder, she is the one who reveals the plays anagnorisis; uncovering her husbands’ fiendish schemes and standing up to those who would silence her. Whilst her tragic death comes from Iago’s “Malice” and her role in the play is certainly limited to an extent (certainly because of a Male-dominated power system). She certainly escapes the label of a tragic victim, playing the most admirable and brave character in the whole play in my eyes, standing up for the greatness of women when others do not.
The first two acts of the play present Emilia the way the question suggests her to be, her speech in several scenes is limited and she is a constant victim of Iago’s misogynistic opinions and views. Never is this truer than in Act 2, scene 1. In this scene Iago and Desdemona argue the nature of women, in which Iago has a primitive and ignorant perception of Emilia and gives her little chance to speak for herself. “Iago: Sir, would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue she oft bestows on me, you’d have enough. Desdemona: Alas! She has no speech. Iago: In faith, too much”. Iago’s resentment of his wife here is inexplicable, his reasoning lacks any real substance, he simply seems to be sick of Emilia because she can speak! This attitude represents the couple’s poisonous relationship. However, it is significant to note that Emilia never defends herself in this situation, suffering from the traditions of a culture that only values men’s speech, possibly supporting this view of being a victim. In several occasions Emilia attempts to uncover the true reasons for of Othello’s corruption, reaching agonisingly close each time. Yet, Iago silences her with the repetition of the phrase “you are a fool, go to”, which initially she obeys. In the first two acts she lacks the outstanding courage later demonstrated to refuse these commands, obeying his every wish. Indeed, in the same scene (II,I) previously mentioned, Emilia does appear to be hurt and damaged by Iago’s words, throughout the scene she has no more than two lines of dialogue whilst the dominant male characters of Iago and Othello dominate the passage. Proving, if one was to judge Emilia’s entire character in the events of the first two acts, she would indeed appear nothing more than another victim of male misogyny, especially with Iago’s crude malice.
However, as the play begins to develop, Emilia’s nerve to display her beliefs and views grows stronger as she stands up to the same male cruelty that suppressed her in the earlier acts. Indeed, after Othello’s enraged rant on Desdemona for the lose of the handkerchief, she defends her lady’s honour and has the bravery to criticise men and their jealous natures. “Desdemona: Sure, there’s some wonder in this handkerchief. Emilia: ‘Tis not a year or two shows us a man. They are but stomachs, and we all but food, they eat us when hungry and when they are full, they belch us”. The contrast between the two women’s language clearly highlights the difference between the naïve, mindlessly loyal Desdemona and the insightful and empowered feminist Emilia. If anything, Desdemona is much more of a tragic victim than Emilia as she is the one who stands up to Othello’s jealousy and Iago’s devilry, yet Desdemona is the one duked by both. It is also greatly significant to recognise the importance of this warning by Emilia, she identifies Othello’s tragic flaw of jealousy early on, so close to the point of tragic realization it is gruelling to read. Such a crucial discovery (one that is never identified by anyone else), must surely destroy the notion that Emilia is a simple victim, she has the most intelligence and strength in the whole play!
Finally, Emilia’s journey from an outspoken side character to a diplomatic heroine is realised in the final scene of the play, as she causes the play’s true anagnorisis. To really highlight the change that Emilia partakes in we examine an exchange between wife and husband: “Iago: What, are you mad? I charge you to get you home. Emilia: Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak. ‘Tis proper I obey him, but not now, perchance , Iago, I will never go home”. The transformation from blind obedience to inspiring independence of Emilia is on full display here. Whilst in act 2 she allowed for Iago’s crudeness to silence her views, here she does not back down, not afraid to strive for the truth despite the societal expectations for her to be seen but not heard. She is even fully aware of these same expectations ”Tis proper I obey him”. She is aware of the risks of her actions (indeed she is eventually killed for them) yet she still speaks out in the name of truth and justice, to say she is nothing more than a victim is an insult. We see the consequence of this in the final climax of the play, she reveals Iago’s true plot to Othello, fully exposing the play’s tragic villain “O thou dull Moor, that handkerchief thou speak’st of I found by fortune and did give my husband, he begged of me to steal it”. This exposure of Iago signals the beginning of the end for his bitter plot, it is what causes Othello’s suicide as well as the arrest of Iago. Emilia remains the only character in the play who can see past Iago’s false image of being honest and true, ironic as he denotes her as a fool several times in the play, Emilia defies his feudal idea that all wives are homemakers and clumsy. Emilia acts as a counter to Iago’s misogynistic view of women, living proof of the ignorance of sexism and that quite often the wisdom and intelligence of women can surpass the pride of men. This proclamation also causes Othello’s moment of realisation, that indeed Desdemona was innocent of any adultery and Iago was the true liar all along. Therefore, to claim Emilia is nothing more than a victim of male power is truly a misconception, she causes the fatal end of the most powerful male victims in the play!
In conclusion, if one was to fully explore the character of Emilia, they would gather for a great proportion of the play she was indeed a mere victim of the dominance of the male power system. Indeed, she is outspoken by Iago several times in the first two acts, her dialogued is restricted to just a couple of lines. Yet, to name her as nothing more than this in the whole play is a fatal misconception of her character development. As the play begins to develop, she begins to stand up for both her and Desdemona’s honour as independent women. She is not afraid to point out the immense flaws in both their husbands and will not be silenced by Iago in the play’s finale. She plays a significant role at the tragedy’s climax, she causes the play’s anagnorisis, culminating in the arrest of Iago and the death of Othello. Therefore, it is largely incorrect to suggest Emilia was nothing more than a tragic victim to male power, she was the one to fully stand up and honour the truth, when nobody else would.
Collected Essays 