My essay

   By:MUNIRAH BINTI MUNAWAR ALI

There are themes that correlate between two of Shakespeare’s famous plays; Othello and The Winter’s Tale. Both plays are about the two main female figures, Desdemona and Hermione being treated in an undeserved state of affairs. By having the same story line, both plays appeared to have same themes; discrimination on gender, power abuse, issue of adulteress and jealousy.

Discrimination of gender is a situation where females are seen as “the Others” in community. Furthermore, females in these two plays, Desdemona and Hermione have been discriminated in an unfair setting. If readers can view this issue from different point-of-view,  it shows the depiction of women in that era. The reason why women in that period were considered as “the Others” because women usually glimpse as an object to satisfy men’s desires. Refer to Othello’s text Act 3 Scene III Line 183-186;

“ ’Tis not to make me jealous To say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company, Is free of speech, sings, plays, and dances well; Where virtue is, these are more virtuous”.            

Critically read and observe the 32 words in dialogue above. Shakespeare has depicts in detail the physical vision of Desdemona [fair, feeds well, free of speech, sings, plays and dances well] and this is the basis for Othello to fall in love with Desdemona. In Othello, Shakespeare used literary words to give a  picture of Desdemona for readers to imagine it. Another example of women as “the Others” is the conversation between Emilia and Desdemona. This conversation has portrayed the position of women in that period. Refer to Act 3 Scene 4 Line 105-107;

“They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; They eat us hungerly, and when they are full, They belch us.”

On the other hand, in The Winter’s Tale, even though Hermione is a daughter of the Emperor of Russia, but she is still being treated in an unjust situation whereby the charge made by her husband caused her to be sent to prison straight away without any trial. All this happened due to patriarchal system which governed during Elizabethan era. According to Dobie (2009), patriarchal is creating an imbalance of power that marginalizes women and their work. The lines below depict the discrimination which happened in The Winter’s Tale.  Refer Act 3 Scene II Line 124-126

“The Emperor of Russia was my father. O that he were alive, and here beholding His daughter’s trial!”  

Nonetheless, there is still a criteria where one can salute upon Hermione as a female who lived in patriarchal society. Even though she is sad, but she still has the courage to face her beast husband. Refer to Act 2 Scene I Line 129-133;

“I am not prone to weeping- as our sex commonly are- the want of which vain dew perchance shall dry you pities…”  

Next theme is the abuse of power. In both plays, as we can see the importance of the  male figures, Leontes and Othello who abuses power infinitely. In Othello, when Cassio was drunk after he won the attack from  the Turks, Othello strips away Cassio’s position as lieutenant without having any trial first. The same situation of power abuse also applies in The Winter’s Tale but in different context. Hermione has been accused as whore and the Majesty who happened to be her husband, Leontes King of Sicilia send Hermione to prison without having any trial too.  Refer to Act 2 Scene II Line 92-94; “But be’t known, From him that has most cause to grieve it should be, She’s an adultress”.

Third theme which correlates between these two plays is the issue of adulteress. Even though both plays have the same issue, but Shakespeare stages it in different style. In Othello, the sensation on the issue of adulteress appears in Act 4 Scene II, Othello accuses Desdemona as a whore;

Line 71-72 : “ Was this fair paper, this most goodly book, Made to write ‘whore’ upon?”

Line 84 : “ Are not you a strumpet? ”

Line 89: “What, not a whore?”

The protagonist Othello used different tactics and manipulation of words in order to get Desdemona’s confession upon the accusation of having an affair with Cassio. However, Desdemona denies the accusation because she did not have any affair with Cassio, the lieutenant. Othello was angry and cannot control his anger anymore which has caused him to suffocate Desdemona to death.

In The Winter’s Tale, the female protagonist Hermione has been accused as adulteress and commits adultery with Polixeness, her husband’s good friend. Refer Act 2 Scene II Line 92-94; “But be’t known, From him that has most cause to grieve it should be, She’s an adultress”.

The final theme in both plays is jealousy whereby the readers can notice it throughout the whole play. In Othello, the jealousy aura is scorching especially in Act 3 Scene III when Iago manipulating Othello by accusing Cassio was having affair with Othello sweet-heart, Desdemona. Refer to Line 94 till Line 238. These lines show that Iago is using strong words such as “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock…”.

Furthermore, Iago too added few more words in the same conversation to support his prompt upon the naïve Othello in order to make Othello consider and believe his words, “That cuckold lives in bliss Who certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; ”.  These are the few words actually that strengthens Othello’s believe that actually Desdemona is having affair with the lieutenant, Michael Cassio. 

While in another play The Winter’s Tale, jealousy scene took place in the beginning of the story, Act 1 Scene II whereby Leontes, the King of Sicilia misunderstood the conversation between his wife, Hermione and his close friend Polixeness, King of Bohemia, refer to line 100-103;

“Th’ offences we have made you do we’ll answer If you first sinned with us and that with us You did continue fault, and that you slipped not With any but with us”.

 In conclusion, the themes of discrimination of gender, power abuse, the issue of adulteress and jealousy have brought these plays; Othello and The Winter’s Tale as Shakespeare’s famous plays.      

       

REFERENCES

Bate, J. & Rasmussen, E. (2009). The Winter’s Tale. United States of America:

Modern Library.

Dobie, B,A. (2009). An Introduction to Literary Criticism: Theory Into Practice.

United States of America: Wadsworth Cengage Learning:

Shakespeare, W & Snodgrass, E. (2008). Othello. United States of America:

Wiley Publishing INC: