Emilia

If you order your custom term paper from our custom writing service you will receive a perfectly written assignment on Emilia. What we need from you is to provide us with your detailed paper instructions for our experienced writers to follow all of your specific writing requirements. Specify your order details, state the exact number of pages required and our custom writing professionals will deliver the best quality Emilia paper right on time.

Out staff of freelance writers includes over 120 experts proficient in Emilia, therefore you can rest assured that your assignment will be handled by only top rated specialists. Order your Emilia paper at affordable prices !

Emilia The Forgotten Maiden

In Shakespeare's Othello, Desdemona's servant Emilia plays a crucial role in the tragic plot of this literary work. Although the importance of Emilia's part does not rival that of Othello or Iago; Emilia's significance tends to be overlooked/overshadowed. Emilia is underestimated and virtually ignored by the entire cast of characters. Her desperation, loneliness, insight, intelligence, and strength left uncalculated. The only character that utilizes Emilia is Iago and he ultimately exploits her to serve his own interests. However, at the end of the play, Emilia exposes Iago as the true villainous mastermind. Thereby, Emilia redeems herself for aiding Iago and catapults herself to a heroine status. The purpose of this paper is to show Emilia as the strongest and the most capable female character in this particular Shakespearian work.

Emilia is a desperate woman and the contextual evidence supports this statement.

In act II 1 of Othello, Emilia shows signs of her longing for affection; specifically from a male. This lack of male affection is illustrated by, Cassio greeting Emilia with a kiss in front of Iago (Othello pg. 6). This kiss surprises and startles Emilia that indicates that she has not experienced such an act in quite some time. Emilia is undoubtedly uneasy as well, considering that her husband is watching this take place. Iago reacts with a bit of sarcasm and not a hint of jealousy. This strikes the audience as a somewhat odd response, a husband showing such indifference after having witnessed another man kiss her rather inappropriately. At the very least, Iago might have jokingly threatened Cassio or made reference to Emilia's irresistible charms. Next, rather than Emilia replying to his sarcastic and cold response, Desdemona speaks on her behalf. Interestingly enough Desdemona says, "Alas, she has no speech (Othello pg.6)!" This seems ironic since later in the play, Emilia's casual conversation/conspiring with Iago leads to Othello's dissent into madness. Desdemona fails to see Emilia's true self, as a lonely desperate woman that has only one loving companion, Desdemona her mistress. Desdemona's perception of Emilia's life seems to be one of disinterest; she seems consumed by her new love with Othello to observe Emilia's unhappiness. Iago continues to insult and speak about his wife. Finally, Emilia replies, "You have little cause to say so (Othello pg. 6)." This statement, displays Emilia's discontent with her husband and her marriage. Later in this scene Emilia addresses Iago again by saying, "You shall not write my praise (Othello pg.7)." This also shows Emilia's ability to defy others close to her and it foreshadows her eventual betrayal of Iago. Emilia's decision to defy her husband and Desdemona's refusal to defy Othello separate these women categorically.

The audience tends to perceive Desdemona as being superior to Emilia. This perception is no doubt a result of the obvious class distinctions, Desdemona being from a much higher social class than Emilia. There is also the matter of Desdemona being young and beautiful according to descriptions offered by the other characters. Emilia is not depicted in a similar manner and being a servant it is natural to envision her as far less glamorous than Desdemona. Furthermore, Desdemona expresses a thirst for knowledge and adventure; an unconventional woman. These factors naturally sway the audience to rank Desdemona far above the level of Emilia but that judgment is problematic. Emilia, although a servant to Desdemona, is the one person with the insight to comprehend the situation as it unfolds. Unlike Othello and Desdemona, Emilia is not blinded by emotions. She has been lonesome for such an extended period of time it seems, her disposition is permanently repressed. It's as if Iago conditioned Emilia to accept a state of numbness as normalcy. Due to this conditioning, Emilia is the only character that knows Iago's genuine identity and complexity. Perhaps, if Emilia did not still desire Iago's affection, she could have prevented the horrific course of events that occurred. Thus meaning; not stealing the handkerchief and exposing his motives/schemes earlier.

Toward the end of Act II 1, Othello and Desdemona are reunited after having been apart from one another for a considerable amount of time. The newly married couple share embraces and loving anecdotes with each other in the presence of Emilia. This is key because this behavior is foreign to Emilia. Iago, her husband, does not treat her in the same regard. These affectionate displays bother Emilia. The love that Desdemona and Othello share makes Emilia uncomfortable. It causes her to reevaluate her marriage therefore stirring up some sense of sadness and failure. More importantly, Emilia becomes envious of Desdemona's relationship with Othello on two levels. First, Emilia clearly wishes her marriage brought her the kind of joy that Desdemona initially experiences. Second, Emilia feels abandoned by Desdemona. Even though, Desdemona is Emilia's boss the two women are close friends. Emilia does experience some sense of rejection by Desdemona who is completely focused on Othello.

Emilia should be a seemingly obedient looking character at the onset of the play. In Act II 1, it would make the most sense for Emilia to stand behind Desdemona, slightly off to the side. She should be close enough to hear the conversation but her positioning should plainly indicate that her inclusion would be limited. Her body language needs to echo that of a subservient individual but she does want to convey a hidden flare upon engaging in the discussion. Emilia's spark should be apparent within the delivery of her words mainly thru emphasizing tone and pitch. She should use subtle facial expressions, mostly her eyes to reinforce her meaning. Emilia would not use major movements such as placing her hand on her hip or a head jerk; nothing extreme. She should ideally be played as subdued but not comatose. When Cassio kisses Emilia she would be stunned, nervous, flattered, and even aroused simultaneously. As a result, Emilia would look flustered; she should blush after the kiss and look directly at Iago. Upon hearing his reaction or lack there of, she would focuses on fixing her appearance while still feeling disheveled. Her movements should consist of tucking small pieces of her hair behind her ears and dusting off her bosom. She would also make direct eye contact with Iago after him and Desdemona start speaking. Emilia should stare at Iago with a resentment that does not occupy her complete attention; therefore her eyes shift depending on who is speaking. While Desdemona and Iago speak she would stand mildly fidgeting as well as listening to them talk. Once Othello enters Emilia should stare intently at him and Desdemona. In fact, Emilia should start smiling and her eyes should be fixed in awe. As they exit, Emilia would look back at Iago on stage, and she would snare; it would go undetected.

This scene is critical for various reasons. First, it reveals to the audience that Iago is truly cold because he shows no emotion toward his wife. Iago mocks her in public and acts indifferent toward her in general. Second, Emilia appears as a loyal and obedient servant but alludes to her future defiance. Lastly, the audience sees the reason for Emilia's disloyalty to her mistress via the exaggerated embracing session between Othello and Desdemona. As a result of Emilia's behavior in this early scene, the audience can already assume that she and Iago are not in love with each other. Moreover, Emilia is capable of acting in a rebellious manner. Othello and Desdemona's love, their bond upsets Emilia along with the other characters.

In conclusion, Emilio demonstrates the most courage considering the three primary female characters. Desdemona although an unconventional woman by some standards, she eventually does submit to her husband. She not only submits to Othello by accepting his rash behavior and violent outbursts; but also in her own murder. Desdemona entertains Othello's wish to kill her. She barely fights Othello, signaling that she may deserve this punishment. Bianca, the prostitute, by her mere profession submits to men nightly. Emilio is the female character who opposes the evil doer (Iago) and is then murdered for her bravery. Emilio does not willingly invite Iago to kill her as did Desdemona with Othello. In fact, Emilio was taken by surprise with Iago's attack. Her dialogue may not have been substantial but Emilia offered much depth to this play; more than she is accredited with.

Please note that this sample paper on Emilia is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on Emilia, we are here to assist you. Your cheap custom college paper on Emilia will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.

Order your authentic assignment and you will be amazed at how easy it is to complete a quality custom paper within the shortest time possible!