Themes: Marriage (Grade 12 NSC Matric English HL): Revision Notes
Themes: Marriage
Marriage serves as a fundamental theme throughout Shakespeare's Othello, reflecting both Renaissance social attitudes and timeless relationship dynamics. The play explores various forms of matrimonial relationships, from traditional arranged unions to companionate partnerships, while examining how marriage shapes identity and power structures.
Marriage during the Renaissance period
During Shakespeare's era, matrimony functioned primarily as a public affair between families rather than a private romantic union. The concept prioritised family reputation over individual love, particularly within the traditional social framework of the Renaissance. The Venetian society depicted in Othello reinforces these conventional views, making the interracial marriage between Othello and Desdemona appear immoral, unnatural, and scandalous to contemporary audiences. This reaction mirrors the social values of Elizabethan England, where the play was originally performed.
Power dynamics within Renaissance marriages were typically unbalanced, with husbands maintaining authority over their wives. This hierarchical structure treated wives as property transferred from father to husband, reflecting the prevalence of patriarchal power structures where women were viewed as products of ownership.
The structuralist theorist Claude Levi-Strauss describes this system as an exchange, where patriarchal society treats women as objects transferred between dominant males to establish alliances. This concept becomes evident in Othello's language, revealing his internalised patriarchal perspective.
Key Quote Analysis: Marriage as Transaction
When Othello states before their wedding ceremony: "My dear love, the purchase made, the fruits are to ensue" (Act II Scene III), the word "purchase" reveals how he views Desdemona as an acquisition from her father, demonstrating the commodification of women in Renaissance marriage.
Social Expectations and Double Standards
Social expectations also demanded that women remain virgins until marriage, requiring them to be 'pure' and 'untainted'. Conversely, men faced no punishment for premarital sexual experiences, with their encounters considered conquests that enhanced their reputation. This double standard appears throughout the play, as women cannot express their sexual desires without facing social demonisation.
Alternative perspective: Companionate marriages
Shortly before Othello's publication, marriage institutions began facing challenges from political upheavals that criticised absolute monarchy and extended into the domestic sphere. Many questioned the absolute nature of marriage and husbands' complete authority. The rise of puritanism emphasised the concept of conscience - divine knowledge that individuals possessed, allowing them to judge right from wrong.
The Doctrine of Conscience
According to Puritan doctrine of conscience, wives were not merely extensions of their husbands but possessed their own independent identity. This meant women gained the right to disobey their husbands on religious grounds, challenging traditional patriarchal authority.
Consequently, companionate marriages emerged, based on mutual respect and romantic love between partners, though still maintaining some degree of male authority. This shift becomes visible at the play's beginning, where Desdemona's disobedience to her father represents an act of rebellion asserting her personal decision-making.
Marriage and personal identity
Othello and Desdemona's relationship begins as a companionate marriage, with both partners choosing each other freely, though she still acknowledges her 'duty' to him. This suggests they perceive their marriage differently. For Desdemona, Othello becomes integral to her identity, as she demonstrates through her powerful declaration of commitment.
Worked Example: Desdemona's Identity Transformation
Desdemona's complete devotion is evident when she states: "I saw Othello's visage in my mind, / And to his honours and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate" (Act I Scene III).
Analysis: She submerges herself within him, choosing to be faithful and submissive, making him central to her very identity.
However, Othello's perception of her as a companion shifts as Iago convinces him to embrace an old, patriarchal marriage model. This transformation becomes evident in his changing language and attitudes.
Critical Moment: Othello's Transformation
Othello's shift to patriarchal control becomes clear when he exclaims: "O curse of marriage / That we can call these delicate creatures ours / And not their appetites!" (Act III Scene III). He begins asserting control over her apparent sexual appetite due to fears about her sexual freedom.
This demonstrates the influence of other males (Iago), whose judgement he perceives as a question of honour. Othello refuses to be considered passive in his marriage, using violence to demonstrate this by striking Desdemona publicly. Her alleged infidelity represents a betrayal affecting his honour, gradually causing their marriage to deteriorate. As a result, Desdemona succumbs to his violent assertions, losing her identity that she had established at their marriage's start.
While Desdemona lost her identity through her marriage's deterioration, Emilia gained a stronger sense of identity. She recognises her husband's true nature and does not morally justify his treatment of their abusive marriage. Her deeper insight into the complexity of patriarchal views on marriage ultimately leads her to convict and alienate herself from her villainous husband.
Feminist perspective analysis
The institution of marriage has faced criticism from feminists worldwide throughout recent years. The play reflects its historical period, being inherently influenced by social attitudes regarding marriage and women.
Feminist Theoretical Framework
Feminists such as Mary Wollstonecraft argue that "the divine right of husbands is like the divine right of kings" (A Vindication of the Rights of Women), suggesting that men within marriage receive god-like treatment from women. The subservient behaviour expected from women towards both men generally and their husbands appears in Desdemona's conduct towards Othello.
Emilia may be considered a proto-feminist, discussing marriage as an institution requiring equal responsibility for success or failure. She claims that marriage should be based on equal responsibility rather than accusing and marginalising women for wrongdoings.
Example: Emilia's Proto-Feminist Voice
Emilia challenges traditional blame patterns when she argues: "But I do think it is their husbands' faults / If wives do fall" (Act IV Scene III).
This represents a radical departure from conventional thinking that automatically blamed women for marital failures.
Since the Renaissance, marriage perspectives have changed dramatically, with declining numbers of marriages and arranged unions. Most couples choose to cohabit now, with domestic duties performed by both partners. Similarly, more women now participate in the public sphere of commerce and politics, reflecting massive societal and cultural transformations since Shakespeare's time.
Courtly love traditions and marriage
Traditions surrounding courtly love suggested that men were supposed to cater to the women they pursued. Particularly, it was normal for men to be almost submissive to fit women's desires rather than asserting their authority. This appears in other literary works such as Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale, where women were more active and men passive.
Courtly Love in Othello
In Othello, Desdemona demonstrates having a voice of her own as she asserts herself against her father by marrying her choice, ignoring stereotypes surrounding Othello's race. Similarly, Othello listens to Desdemona and sees her as his equal; this balance of respect and love makes their marriage initially stable.
Throughout the play, marriage remains central in portraying love, betrayal and sexual appetite. The adherence to principles established by courtly love proved very important to lovers wanting to follow social conventions and idealising marriage as something romantic. During Shakespeare's writing period, the concept of courtly love was slowly fading away; however, he still incorporated these ideas into his play to provide conflict as well as emotional vulnerability to the action.
Using such concepts associated with courtly love, Shakespeare introduces certain themes and tropes, highlighting them for the audience. By allowing courtly love ideas to influence Othello and Desdemona's marriage, he brings out themes such as cuckoldry, humiliation, and the loss of female voices.
The concept of the Petrarchan lover
Othello fails to maintain the courtly lover ideal because he slowly transforms into the Renaissance idea of a lover - the Petrarchan lover. This type of lover seeks love that is not physical but spiritual, condemning sexuality or desire as something requiring repression. This stems from the poet Petrarch, who during Shakespeare's time wrote very romantic and melodramatic poetry about their lover, usually a woman.
Understanding the Petrarchan Lover
This type of lover is at the mercy of the one he loves, suffering in his own state of excessive love. Othello descends to this type of obsessive lover negatively by becoming too involved with his wife's sexuality. This makes Desdemona become less and less active in their marriage, portrayed through the lack of lines she speaks in his presence as their marriage progresses in the play.
Iago and Emilia's relationship dynamics
The marriage of Othello and Desdemona begins positively but slowly disintegrates into something sinister and toxic. Shakespeare depicts Emilia and Iago's relationship as the contrasting image of the protagonists' marriage. From the beginning, audiences notice the apparent lack of affection that Iago displays towards his wife.
Contrasting Marriage Models
Othello and Desdemona: Physical and verbal affirmations portray an uncommon love dynamic where love drives their relationship.
Iago and Emilia: While Emilia obeys the social conventions surrounding femininity and ideals of being the 'perfect wife', Iago conforms to the role of the authoritative husband but shows no real affection.
Shakespeare emphasises that there is no real, strong and visible bond connecting Iago and Emilia through love - instead, he objectifies her, using her trusting and obedient nature to his own advantage.
Iago's Misogynistic Treatment
Iago treats Emilia poorly in both public as well as private spheres. He shows no concern about being physical or demeaning towards her in front of others, suggesting the comfortability of being able to look down upon his wife without harsh repercussions. His misogyny becomes further highlighted when he believes that Othello cuckolded him, which is a false accusation and another justification to bring him down.
His wrath and dismissiveness affects his wife, with lines such as 'Speak within doors' (Act IV Scene II) and 'You are a fool, go to' (Act IV Scene II). These portray the lack of love he feels for his wife, threatening her consistently with these short, snappy comments while also erasing her voice and taking her sense of self.
Women's dependence in marriage
The imbalanced marriage dynamic found within Iago and Emilia's relationship suggests that Emilia only exists when necessary to her husband.
Theoretical Framework: Women's Liminal Space
According to Simone de Beauvoir in The Second Sex, "Iago's inability to see her as an equal partner partly leaves her within a liminal space in which he has the power to define who and what she is." This depicts the socially constructed nature of the hierarchy imposed upon marriage, as Beauvoir asserts: "one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman."
Although their marriage may be termed abusive, Emilia portrays her love for Iago through passionate acts that highlight her devotion to him. Particularly, the theft of the handkerchief proves essential in showing this because it emphasises her loyalties at that point in the play. Instead of returning it to Desdemona, who places great value on the material, Emilia uses this as an opportunity to gain her husband's favour.
Emilia's Complex Characterisation
It remains questionable whether Emilia's loving nature towards Iago can be a redeeming quality. Contemporary readers may consider this the response of someone who has been emotionally manipulated to the point of blind devotion. On the other hand, Emilia's trusting demeanour and loyalty can be seen as a great trait, making her a very sympathetic character to the audience.
Bianca and Cassio's relationship
While Iago and Emilia's relationship presents itself as less than ideal, the relationship between Cassio and Bianca is complicated by problems of occupation and class. Bianca is presented as a prostitute, seeing Cassio in a more loving way than she would any other 'customer'. Cassio appears less interested, only considering her in a more sexual way as he complains: "she haunts me in every place" (Act IV Scene I).
Unlike the male jealousy witnessed so far in the play, Bianca is the only female who has a jealous disposition. This becomes clear when she finds the handkerchief in Cassio's possession, suggesting that it must be "some minx's token" (Act IV Scene I). In some ways, this parallels Othello's jealousy as she becomes suspicious after he fails to visit her for a week.
Marginalised Characters and Social Commentary
Othello and Bianca are both marginalised characters in their own rights. Bianca represents the epitome of the male, sexualised gaze and can be easily forgotten, reflecting the lack of importance placed on female characters who are not virgins or chaste. Similarly, Othello's race alienates him from society, making him more prone to criticism and more easily provoked.
However, unlike the other couples that experience a tragic end, Cassio and Bianca's relationship has some hope. They are seen together before he gets hurt, and she cries out: "Alas, he faints! O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio!" (Act V Scene I). This suggests the strength of her love for him and his covert love for her - she is not a crude prostitute that would have been popular in other plays during Shakespeare's time, but a woman who can be a faithful partner.
Marriage in contemporary context
Shakespeare's depictions of marriage varied between all characters. Othello and Desdemona's love was unconventional yet true, persevering through criticisms until Iago reinforced social critiques on inter-racial marriages. Othello's insecurity about his wife's sexual desires reflects the amount of control husbands wanted to retain over their spouses.
Historical Evolution of Marriage
Over the next few centuries, marriage was used as a political and economic tool to ensure certain bonds and relationships were kept clear - especially for the upper class. Love played a small role until the end of the eighteenth century, as love and marriage were not idealised as something that went hand in hand. Women saw marriage as a necessity for wealthy men to assume a social standing - financial stability was the main objective.
At the start of the 1900s, marriage and love became equated with each other as partners wanted to feel a sense of fulfilment with the person they would spend their entire life with. This can also be linked to the popularity of romance fiction and poetry, creating new expectations regarding courtships.
However, the digital revolution of the 21st century, socio-economic developments and changing cultural norms have transformed how marriage is perceived today. The rise of feminism and its pressure to change how women are treated has greatly influenced how marriage functions. Key changes include:
- Women now marry much later than before, prioritising their career before settling down
- The introduction and availability of contraception meant that reproduction was no longer a pressure point
- There is lower tolerance for empty or unfulfilling marriages - as divorce is easier to attain
- More diverse marriages representing individuals from various ethnic backgrounds
Overview and significance
In conclusion, the theme of marriage is central in portraying characters' relationships. Emilia and Iago's marriage is a direct contrast to the one of Desdemona and Othello, consisting of lies and unequal power dynamics, where Emilia serves only as a pawn in Iago's twisted games.
As we have seen, Emilia's loyalties slowly change during the play - she starts to side with Desdemona more, enabling her to occupy an identity of her own. At the end, she makes her distance clear as she exposes Iago's lies. This act of independence and rebellion reflects how she has broken free from the bonds of marriage that tied her to her husband.
The Handkerchief as Symbol
From the start, readers are made aware of the loving nature that is present within Othello's marriage through the language and symbols of love they both use. As the play progresses, these symbols, such as the handkerchief, are tarnished and transformed by Iago's revenge plan, culminating in the inevitable consequence of Desdemona's murder.
Desdemona and Othello's marriage can be seen as progressive for the early Jacobean era as their marriage goes against social norms and boundaries. Today, marriages are less bound by tradition but are more centred around individual perceptions of love, including LGBTQ+ rights and much more diverse representations of individuals from various ethnic backgrounds.
Key Points to Remember:
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Marriage in Othello reflects Renaissance patriarchal structures where women were treated as property transferred from father to husband, but the play also shows emerging companionate marriage ideals based on mutual love and respect.
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Power dynamics and identity are central to marriage relationships - Desdemona loses her independent identity as Othello becomes more controlling, while Emilia gains strength and ultimately rebels against her abusive husband Iago.
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The play contrasts different marriage models - Othello and Desdemona's initially loving but ultimately tragic union versus Iago and Emilia's dysfunctional relationship built on lies and control, with Bianca and Cassio representing hope outside traditional marriage.
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Feminist perspectives reveal how marriage oppressed women in Shakespeare's time, with characters like Emilia showing proto-feminist awareness that challenges traditional gender roles and expectations.
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Marriage serves as a vehicle for exploring themes of jealousy, honour, and social expectations - the breakdown of Othello and Desdemona's marriage reflects broader tensions between love and social prejudice, particularly regarding interracial relationships.