Emilia

Since my last article was more what Dr. Allen wanted for this one, I’m just going to write what I should have written for the last one. I’m going to write about Emilia. Although not a main character, I think Em has a significant role. After all, the reason Iago decides to destroy Othello is because he believes that Em had been cheating on him with O. The first time Em is really involved in the story, Cassio is kissing her in front of Iago. What kind of a kiss is subject for interpretation. During this section, we can infer some ideas about Iago and Em’s marriage. She seems to be the nagging type, they have little respect for each other, and Iago may have reasonable grounds for his jealousy.

In Act II, Scene III, Em is with her mistress, Des. She seems to trust Des enough to admit that Cassio’s downfall has upset Iago. On the other hand, when Em find’s the handkerchief (napkin) that O gave to Des, she doesn’t immediately return it, she gives it to her husband. We see that Iago and Em don’t have the healthiest relationship, but it’s difficult to tell why she favors him. Options: Em could naively believe that he’s not going to do anything wrong; she could have an inkling of what he’s planning and is deliberately trying to hurt Des, O, or both; or she could have an inkling but is choosing to ignore it because she wants Iago to love her. However, keep in mind Em’s speech on jealousy in reference to O. Can she be speaking of Iago as well?
In Act III, Scene II, when O is accusing Des of infidelity, Em staunchly defends Des, and there is reason to believe she knows exactly what Iago’s thinking and been doing. Em says in front of Des and Iago, "I will be hang’d, if some eternal villain, Some busy and insinuating rogue, Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, Have not devised this slander." She also says to Iago, "fie upon...some such squire he was That turn’d your wit the seamy side without, And made you to suspect me with the Moor."

In Scene III, Em and Des discuss if they would cheat on their husbands. Em would, and Des wouldn’t. Em reasons that if husband abuses, or is unfaithful to his wife, he’s the one to blame. This begs the question: has Em cheated on Iago, and if so, what did he do first?

In Scene IV, we return to THE question: Does Em really think Iago is at fault? She says to him (concerning O), "He says thou told’st him that his wife was false: I know thou didst not, thou’rt not such a villain." When Iago admits he did, Em tells everyone what really happened, and Iago kills her for it.

So this is my analysis: I don’t know if Em was self or truly deceived, but I think that she is the most REAL character of the whole play. Em seems like the everyday person caught in a bad situation. I read a quote by a famous author, and the jist of it stuck with me. He said that in fiction, the more fantastic the situation, the more basic and everyday the main people have to be for your story to stay believable. I think Emilia, though not THE main character, is what really grounds this story.