Mariusn French asserts that Shakespeare constructs only two types of women, the “virtuous subhumans or the deceptive subhumans”. In combination with the Elizabethan expectation of an "acceptable version of the feminine woman", a passive, obedient and chaste woman, Shakespeare constructed Desdemona as a "virtuous subhuman". This supports the feminist critique that “literary representations of women repeat familiar cultural stereotypes.” Desdemona is seen by the male characters as a non-entity, a "subhuman" tool to be used and possessed in the form of a wife or daughter, because the male characters, according to Kate Millet, are "disparaging , exploitative and repressive”. their relationships with women. The role of submissive daughter and obedient wife is the expected role of an Elizabethan woman in a patriarchal society. Women who do not conform to these expectations are portrayed as deceptive seductresses. Shakespeare's construction of Desdemona's fall, Othello's perception of Desdemona as a seductress who is no longer pure and chaste and thus kills her, coincides with the contemporary view that female independence "leads to aversion and rejection" because independent women who are not pure or submissive are not considered an "acceptable version(s) of the feminine woman". The goal, according to Bertens, is to prolong unbalanced power relations between men and women in order to preserve the mechanisms of patriarchy. However, it must be noted that it is Desdemona's "acceptable" feminine nature that makes her susceptible to Iago's plots which ultimately lead to her downfall and thus, it can be inferred that what is considered "acceptable" in terms of feminine woman is actually unacceptable. according to Shakespeare, when considering the survival of women in patriarchal societies, thus perhaps making Shakespeare a proto-feminist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayToril Moi defines the ideal female character as a “passive, docile and above all altruistic creature”. Desdemona's constructed role as wife and daughter, her passive, selfless and obedient behavior as well as the value placed on her chastity, embodied through the symbol of her handkerchief, are a product of Othello's patriarchal society, reflecting the ideal of the feminine woman as thought. by Elizabethan society. The angelic connotations surrounding the religious language associated with "The Divine Desdemona" emphasize her purity and angelic qualities and contribute to her construction as an acceptable feminine woman, whose personification of femininity will meet patriarchal expectations, as well as 'to the public's expectations of his character. Feminist critics debate whether a society's concept of femininity arises from biology, in the sense that it is what makes them feminine, or from social conditioning. Barry states that these feminine traits are underpinned by conditioning and "socialization", so we can infer that Desdemona's statement, "I am obedient", is the result of social conditioning imposed by a patriarchal society where her duty is to obey her husband and her father. . Thus, she conforms to her society's expectations of her as a virtuous subhuman. Desdemona recognizes the duty she owes to her husband and father and the ritual transference of this duty as "as many duties as my mother showed/To you, preferring you above all." his father,/I dispute so many things to be able to profess him/Because of the Moor, my lord. This ritual change of duty canbe interpreted as a change of possession. She was her father's property until her marriage when she was "won" by Othello, thus becoming his property. The image of her as property, subhuman, is further emphasized by Iago's use of animal imagery, referring to Desdemona as a "white sheep", an animal belonging to her master. This not only highlights the perception of her as a possession and tool, but also denigrates her status and position in society, maintaining the position of men as superiors. This objectification of women is a strong characteristic of any patriarchal society, as it might have been in Shakespeare's time. Thus, it can be inferred that Shakespeare's intention behind its construction is to reveal to women which version of female behavior is acceptable in order to find a husband, which was considered the goal of every woman. We can then affirm that the intended message Behind the death of Desdemona, as Bertens says, lies the fact that “dependence leads to indulgence and respect while independence leads to aversion and rejection”. Desdemona lives while her chastity and purity remain intact. However, when she loses her handkerchief, the symbol of her chastity, she is perceived as a "deceptive subhuman" by the leader of the patriarchal world in which she lives, Othello. Shakespeare reveals this change in language associated with Desdemona, who is no longer angelic and divine, but crude and wicked, as Othello calls her a "trumpet" and a "cunning whore." As a deceptive temptress, she becomes a threat to the mechanisms of patriarchy and so “she must die, or she will betray more men.” Desdemona's growing independence from her husband contributes to "dislike and rejection," as Bertens predicts, as she hides her intentions regarding Cassio's restoration to her husband's favor. This independence becomes evident as Desdemona and Othello struggle to understand each other's use of language, with Othello's generally calm and measured use of blank verse replaced by verbal intimidation, echoing the disintegration of their marital harmony. Independence and deception form the basis of the theme of jealousy in the play, which ultimately leads to Desdemona's demise. The structure of the play also supports the hypothesis that it was Desdemona's acts of deception and hiding the truth from her husband that led to her death, as we are initially presented as a righteous embodiment of the "version acceptable to the feminine woman.” and at that moment she is safe. However, as her actions transgress and she separates from her husband, becoming seen as an unacceptable version of womanhood, she dies. This suggests that Desdemona is constructed in order to reveal the importance and security afforded by embodying acceptable feminine traits and the dangers of straying from them. However, Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony, in that we as an audience know that Iago and Othello's accusations against Desdemona are false and that she is not guilty of adultery and that that she remained obedient out of duty to her husband throughout the play, changes the reception of the construction of Desdemona as an acceptable feminine woman who dies because of her transgressions. Desdemona now appears as a “victim of the impossible ideals” expected of women. It may therefore become apparent that it is her supposedly "acceptable" feminine behavior of conforming to the expectations of the patriarchy that leads to her death, as her femininity and angelic self-sacrifice mean that she is incapable of saving herself from death, which implies that the behaviorSupposedly acceptable feminine behavior is unacceptable if you want to survive in a patriarchal world. Therefore, it can be argued that Shakespeare reveals "a skepticism about the nature of women" as to whether the nature assigned to women by patriarchal societies is acceptable or not. Desdemona's feminine nature and emphasis on the ideal, acceptable woman being "selfless" makes her incapable of saving her own life because she is "typically female" and "cannot plead for herself." Desdemona blames herself for his death by admitting that she "did this deed" herself and still seeks forgiveness from her husband, asking Emilia to "recommend me [Desdemona] to my kind lord". Even at the end, her character is unable to find fault with her husband for killing her. We can therefore determine that Shakespeare is adopting a proto-feminist position by implying that it is a woman's so-called "acceptable" feminine nature that will lead to her downfall, just as it is the unfailing sense of duty of Desdemona towards her husband which will lead to hers. Thus, we can infer that Shakespeare instead constructs Desdemona as an example of an “unacceptable version of the feminine woman” since the supposedly acceptable feminine version of her culminates in her disappearance. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayShakespeare obviously constructs Desdemona as an "acceptable version of the feminine woman" in terms of what a patriarchal society would consider "acceptable." But, despite her virtuous character traits and her "acceptable" feminine nature, she dies at the hands of men, thus lending further credence to the argument that Shakespeare illustrates, through Desdemona's disappearance, what a woman should believe to be acceptable if it wishes to survive. It can be determined that Shakespeare implicitly indicates that women should not conform to the expectations of a patriarchal society or their social conditioning as feminist critics say; it is just a way to control women and recreate them as insignificant, “subhuman” entities to be used as tools. Thus, it is evident that Shakespeare constructs Desdemona, to the fullest extent, as the “acceptable version of the feminine woman” of Elizabethan society; however, this is only done so that Iago's character is able to manipulate her and carry out his plans which lead to her downfall, thus indicating to women the dangers of conforming to patriarchal constructs and expectations and thus subverting the presumed intention behind literary depictions of women repeating cultural stereotypes. This suggests that Shakespeare is illustrating female behavior that is unacceptable in his eyes because it will only lead to the demise of women and therefore sends the message that women should be stronger, whole characters who embody both virtues and morality. deception in order to protect themselves. dominant patriarchal societies.ResourcesBarry, P. (2002) Beginning Theory (2nd edition), (pp. 121-123), Manchester University Press. (Critical anthology). Bertens, H. (2010) Literary Theory: The Basics, (Class Politics: Marxism), (pp. 94-5), 97-99, Abingdon: Routledge. (Critical anthology). Dreher, Diane Elizabeth. (1986) Domination and defiance: fathers and daughters in Shakespeare. University Press of Kentucky. Kemp, Theresa D. (2009) Women in the Age of Shakespeare. Greenwood.Lauren Cygan, Sexist Themes in Othello, The Taming iof the Shrew and The Tempest, (english.illinoisstate.edu/rlbroad/archive/teaching/studentpubs/OneWishENglish/cygan.pdf) (accessed March 20, 2014) Me, Toril . (1990) “Women writing and writing about women.” In Sexual/Textual Politics:.