The Impact of Gender on Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Literary Analy

The Impact of Gender on Shakespeares OthelloIn the book Gender Trouble (1990), feminist theorist Judith Butler explains sexuality is not only a social construct, but also a kind of performance such as a show we put on, a costume or disguise we wear (Butler). In other words, sexual urge is a performance, an act, and costumes, not the main aspect of essential identity. By understanding this surmise of gender as an act, performance, we can see how gender has greatly impacted the outcome of the map in William Shakespeares Othello. From a careful analysis of the story, calamity in Othello is result of violating expected gender roles, gender performance by Desdemona and Othello, and the result of Iagos inability to tolerate these violations.The tragedy Othello is written by William Shakespeare in 1604. The story is based on revenge of two characters, Othello and Iago. Othello, the plays protagonist and hero, who has great reputation as one of Venices most fitted generals. However, hi s jealousy causes the major tragedy in his life. This tragedy is brought by a simple manipulation of Iago, the villain of the play. The jealousy led Othello to a path of never-ending questioning to his wife, and his friend Cassio. Throughout the play, he sinks deeper and deeper into his doubt and eventually that causes him to kill not only the love of his life, but also himself. In her work, This that you call write out Sexual and Social Tragedy in Othello, Gayle Greene (2004) argues that the tragedy occurs from adherence to patriarchal rules and stereotypes (Greene 655-659). According to Gary Greene, the tragedy is caused by mens misunderstandings of women and womens inability to cling to themselves from societys conception of them (666). In the ... ...major tragic downfall of the play.In the end, we can conclude that Shakespeare used a very conservative world work out in his play, Othello. Using the characters of Othello, Desdemona, and Iago, Shakespeare reinforced the ster eotypes of his time. In conclusion, gender expectations have greatly impacted the outcome of Shakespeares play, Othello, because the script of the play has reinforced the stereotypes such as girls who resist their fathers die, women who marry different race, class, and cultures die, and women who decide their own destiny die at the end. Through Othello, Shakespeare portrays women in a patriarchal system, and the result of the play is the consequences of gender disruptions. Therefore, there is no doubt that the gender expectations placed on both male and female characters have greatly impacted the outcome of Shakespeares play Othello.