The relationship between Desdemona and Emilia
Contrast between Emilia and Desdemona (response to injustice)
Emilia torn between her loyalty to Desdemona and her obligations as a wife
Emilia plays the role that Othello should have played for his wife - educates her
Differing attitudes towards the idea of objectifying women. These attitudes are the concrete manifestation of their different levels of female consciousness. Desdemona is voluntarily constrained by the social framework through being the property of men and regarding this servility as part of her marriage. She fulfilled her duty as a daughter, until marrying Othello, and tells her father "To you I am bound for life" and says he is "the lord of duty". She regards her father as superior and doesn't doubt the subordination of women to men. She is a typical product of patriarchy as she is willingly burdened with a patriarchal system, fulfilling the duty of being obedient to men. However, Emilia questions the objectification of women and criticises the gender inequality of the era. Emilia criticises male-domination by saying "let husbands know their wives have sense like them". She suggests women are equal to men on the basis of humanity.
Emilia may be seen as a proto-feminist, speaking of marriage as an institution in which equal responsibility should be taken for its success or failure "But I do think it is their husbands' faults / If wives do fall" (Act IV Scene III). She claims that marriage should be based on equal responsibility rather than accusing and marginalising women for wrongdoings.
Desdemona asks whether Emilia would ever cheat on Iago, and Emilia, much older and more cynical, tells her that plenty of women cheat. She says you could justify cheating in lots of different ways. Desdemona declares again that she can't believe there's a single woman in the world who would cheat on her husband.
Peter Hollindale about Desdemona “Desdemona is not sexually naïve”. Desdemona is extremely naïve, but we can believe that she has been faithful and has never thought of straying from her husband. When Desdemona says “Dost thou in conscience think-tell me Emilia-that there be woman do abuse their husbands in such gross kind?”. This is very naïve of her.
Encompassing all the good traits, a lady of spirit, intelligent, devoted, a loving wife, but she fails to justify her love to her husband and is murdered by her husband in a fit of jealous rage. Desdemona is one of the most direct and honest speakers throughout the whole play. However, she gets involved in flirtatious behaviour, which may be considered impure and experienced, rather than innocent and naive.
Unlike Desdemona, who cannot believe that women can ever be unfaithful to their husbands, Emilia suggests adultery is a "small vice". However, we know Emilia is actually a virtuous woman because she says she would not commit adultery for "a joint-ring". Desdemona proves herself to be faithful when she says, “Beshrew me if I did such a wrong for the whole world”. Desdemona is basically saying that she would never cheat, not even if she was offered the whole world.
The passive Desdemona and the defiant Emilia foil each other, since, in the patriacrhal society, the former stoops to conpromise, while the latter revolts against oppressors. However, their unjust deaths suggest that there is no match for the oppression of power, the tragic consequences for women are inevitable, whether they are obedient or rebellious under the society in which men are seen as superior.
Desdemona takes credit for her husband's death, instead of denouncing Othello's crimes of killing her. She talks about the murder to Emilia, saying "Nobody; I myself. Farewell" which shows that she remains loyal to Othello by defending his reputation, even thought he murdered her out of jealousy. However, Emilia dares to defy Iago by revealing his plot against Othello. She says that she will "speak as liberal as the north". Emilia is outspoken in her criticism of Iago's scheme as he indirectly murdered Desdemona. She rebels against her husband rather than caring about her required obedience. Hence, the opposite reactions to their husband's offences means that Desdemona covers the reality while Emilia discloses the truth.
The play’s central female friendship between Desdemona and Emilia inspires resistance and the courage to speak the truth, resulting in Iago’s exposure and Desdemona’s exoneration. Friendship offers protection, solace, and—finally—redemption as Desdemona and Emilia struggle to navigate and survive in a violent, male-dominated world. Emilia and Desdemona are fundamentally ‘unlike:’ maidservant and gentlewoman, older and younger, sexually experienced and naïve. But the qualities they share are more important than what sets them apart: both are wives and women, isolated and alone in a foreign land at war. Desdemona and Emilia turn to each other for companionship and comfort, and discover an equal in intelligence, virtue, loyalty, and generosity. As the play progresses, the bond between Desdemona and Emilia is strengthened by shared experiences of abuse and increasing fear of male violence.
Carol Thomas says ""friendship between women is established" with Desdemona and Emilia. Bloom says "Emilia's loyalty to her friend... is what remains whole in the debacle of Othello". Carol Thomas says "Emilia is the foil for Desdemona and corrects Desdemona's occasional naivete". This suggests Emilia is essential to help Desdemona navigate an adult world.
As the world Desdemona thought she understood and the man she thought she loved unravels, and the play descends into violent madness, Emilia’s friendship represents a lifeline for Desdemona. Desdemona’s despair culminates in Act 4, Scene 3—also known as the Willow Song scene—one of the few scenes in Shakespeare’s canon where women occupy the stage alone and unobserved. The Willow Song scene provides a much-needed respite from chaos and violence as the wrenching, pure pain of Desdemona’s song underscores her innocence and fidelity. Affection for and duty to her friend inspires Emilia to speak freely and courageously, regardless of propriety or the threat of retaliation. She calls upon her role as friend to shake Desdemona from all-encompassing despair and to mount an attack on pervasive, insidious male hypocrisy "I do think it is their husbands’ faults / If wives do fall".
The two women are expected to obey and submit to their husbands in exchange for financial security and protection, but as Othello’s jealousy builds it falls to Emilia to educate Desdemona on the realities of married life. She tells Desdemona "They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; / They eat us hungerly, and when they are full / They belch us”.
After picking up Desdemona's handkerchief, she goes to Iago - her husband- and tells him "I have a thing for you". Emilia makes it clear that she knows the significant of the handkerchief as she follows by saying "the Moor first gave to Desdemona". It may appear that Emilia's loyalties lie with Iago since she steals the handkerchief and follows his orders of "give it me". Even when Emilia is a bystander to Othello's rant about the handkerchief, she doesn't help her friend by admitting to taking it. However, with the context of the time, she may have not considered the possibility of opposing her husband's orders since wives were submissive. On the other hand, Emilia shows proto-feminist ideals and so may have not followed this tradition.
Despite Iago’s mistreatment of her and his obvious disinterest in her, Emilia seems eager to please him. Part of her loyalty and obedience may come from her duty to him as his wife, but in her sole soliloquy, she explains, “I nothing but to please his fantasy,” (Act 3 Scene 3), suggesting there is a part of her that still craves affection and attention from her husband. As a result, for the first half of the play, Emilia appears to be pathetically submissive to her husband’s desires, doing as he wishes without asking for justification. She appears to be just another pawn in Iago’s master plan, and we perhaps may even view her as complicit in it. However, her confidence and voice build, and she starts taking control. She unknowingly sees through her husband’s guise, correctly predicting some “villainous knave” has turned Othello against Desdemona for personal gain (Act 4 Scene 2); you may believe she has repressed her suspicions of her husband, or that she truly doesn’t suspect him until it is too late. Either way, it is only once the full extent of Iago’s wickedness comes to light that Emilia is able to reject him. Even then, she has to ask Othello multiple times, “My husband?” (Act 5 Scene 2) before she accepts the terrible truth. We can see that she holds some affection or love for Iago that has blinded her to his true nature.
Another way that Shakespeare challenges our first impression of Emilia as the submissive wife and unwitting accomplice is through her fierce loyalty to Desdemona. When Othello’s mood sours and Desdemona loses her assertive spirit, Emilia steps up to defend her friend. She isn’t afraid to defy men - her superiors - to do so, telling Othello, “I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest, / Lay down my soul at stake,” (Act 4 Scene 2) when all he wants to hear is that his wife is guilty of adultery. Similarly, she challenges her husband’s dismissal of Desdemona’s tears, saying, “Would it not make one weep?” (Act 4 Scene 2). She is willing to risk her own safety to stand up for her friend, and this is put to the test in the final scene of the play. Alone, confronted with her friend’s murder, and knowing that Othello is dangerous and capable of murdering her, too, she still chooses to raise the alarm: “Help! help! ho, help! / The Moor hath killed my mistress,” (Act 5 Scene 2). She dies so that she can clear Desdemona’s name of guilt; as she dies, she requests, “Lay me by my mistress’ side,” (Act 5 Scene 2), choosing her friendship over her marriage once and for all.
Emilia is a maid who is older with more sexual experience than Desdemona, her mistress. Desdemona has little sexual experience due to her young age, making her more naïve about the expectations as a woman. These differences are superficial, however; as they both share the same experiences of being women in a strict, male dominated sphere and of being wives who have to adhere to certain social codes. Their bond is also emphasised by the location; the fact that they are far away from home in Cyprus suggests that they feel lonely and need each other as companions. This push that forces them towards each other allows them to see their similarities, highlighting their equal sense of virtue and intelligence. Throughout the play, their friendship blossoms even more because of the abuse in their marriages and anxieties surrounding the aggression of their husbands. Emilia’s experience allows Desdemona to find comfort in her words. This shows the development of love through friendship – platonic love.
As her friend dies by the hands of her husband, Emilia exclaims the pain she feels as a friend and shows how much she loves Desdemona by discarding her own sense of safety: ‘O gull! O dolt, / As ignorant as dirt! Thou hast done a deed— / I care not for thy sword, I’ll make thee known, / Though I lost twenty lives’ (Act 5, Scene 2). She does not care what happens to her, as she has lost her form of comfort, a friend who was innocent. It is through Emilia that Othello and Iago are held accountable, as she re-affirms that Desdemona was an ‘angel’ and ‘the sweetest innocent / That e’er did lift up eye’ (Act 5, Scene 2). She further blames and highlights Othello’s villainy in destroying his wife, as she says: ‘Moor, she was chaste. She loved thee, cruel Moor. / So come my soul to bliss as I speak true’ (Act 5, Scene 2). Emilia is the voice that Desdemona was not allowed to have, expressing her friend’s innocence and redeeming her from her alleged unfaithfulness. At the end of the play, both women are lying side by side after succumbing to the male violence that they were both trying to deal with. Their bodies, which stay on stage as the play concludes, are a reminder for the men that their false allegations lead to the murder of those that loved and cherished them the most. While they are physically gone, their friendship is still strong in death, solidifying a relationship that was stronger than the patriarchal domination they were subject to. Emilia defends Desdemona like a husband should.