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Othello: 'Tis a wrong in your own world

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Actresses Kate Mulvany and Eryn-Jean Norvill in performance of Othello
Othello: 'Tis a wrong in your own world

SUBJECTS:  Arts, English

YEARS: 7–8, 9–10


Othello Act 4.3 (edited) 59–104


What's good for the goose is good for the gander, so the saying goes.

But does everyone agree with this?

In Act 4, scene 3 of 'Othello', Emilia and Desdemona discuss the concept of fidelity. In doing so, they raise moral questions about gender and equality in Shakespeare's times.

Listen as Kate Mulvany and Eryn-Jean Norvill from Bell Shakespeare present the playwright's expression of this subject through the eyes of his characters.


Things to think about

  1. 1.A central conflict in this play is Othello's jealousy of his wife Desdemona and her supposed infidelity. What do you imagine attitudes to infidelity would have been like in the 17th century? Do you think attitudes are different today? Do you think people regard women who cheat on their partners differently to men who do the same? Why might this be?
  2. 2.Throughout this scene, watch Desdemona's response to Emilia's arguments. For what reasons might Emilia consider being unfaithful to her husband? What faults of husbands does Emilia list? Why, according to her, might wives respond to their husbands' misdeeds with their own improprieties? What point is Emilia making in her series of rhetorical questions? Can you describe Emilia's change in tone towards the end of this scene?
  3. 3.

    How do Emilia's and Desdemona's attitudes towards infidelity differ? Why does Emilia feel that women's infidelity can sometimes be justified? Should 'grace' win out or are women entitled to their 'revenge'? What are your thoughts on Emilia's views on the equality of the sexes? Explain whether or not you regard her as being ahead of her time.

  4. 4.

    'And have we no affections/Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?/Then let them use us well, else let them know, /The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.' If uttered today, would you regard Emilia's comments as being in support of the independence of women or of subverting it?


Teachers

Visit Bell Shakespeare's website

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Download a PDF with the full synopsis for each play.

Full plot summaries of Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, and Romeo and Juliet.


Acknowledgements

Created by ABC Splash in collaboration with Bell Shakespeare.


Production Date: 2014


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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