Characters Emilia


Although Emilia is a loyal wife to the play’s villain and unwittingly helps Iago to ruin Othello, she redeems herself by the end of the play. Her unwavering loyalty to Desdemona drives her to bravely expose her husband’s villainy but she pays for this honesty with her life.


A Largely Astute Character Although Emilia doesn’t fully realise Iago’s malevolence until the play’s end, she comes tantalisingly close to understanding the truth. It is Emilia who first recognises Othello as jealous and it is she who suspects that Othello is under the influence of a liar. This suggests a character with worldly experience and astuteness. Where Desdemona is romantic and naïve, Emilia is realistic and worldly. As Othello begins to


act strangely towards his wife, it is Emilia who recognises the hallmarks of jealousy. Desdemona argues that Othello has no reason to be jealous but Emilia draws on her experience of the world, pointing out that jealousy is often irrational: ‘But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. ’Tis a monster Begot upon itself, born on itself’ (Act 3, Sc 4).


Emilia clearly is familiar with the pattern of jealousy. It is easy to imagine that she has seen something similar to Othello’s behaviour in her own husband. She understands that jealousy thrives on empty suspicion, that it is ‘a monster / Begot upon itself, born of itself’. Later in the play (Act 4, Sc 2) Emilia astutely recognises that Othello is being influenced by


‘Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.’ She unknowingly and ironically provides an accurate description of Iago as he stands beside her: ‘I will be hanged, if some eternal villain, Some busy and insinuating rogue,


Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, Have not devised this slander.’


However, astute as Emilia is, Iago’s cunning blinds her to her husband’s true nature until Othello’s final scene.


A Dutiful Wife (for most of the play) Iago is suspicious of his wife and often speaks harshly to her. Despite this, Emilia remains dutiful to him up until the closing scene. We first see this constancy as she stoically absorbs his put downs with little complaint. Iago, partly in jest, complains that Emilia talks too much: ‘I find it still, when I have list to sleep. Marry, before your ladyship, I grant, She puts her tongue a little in her heart, And chides with thinking’ (Act 2, Sc 1).


Emilia responds meekly with: ‘You have little cause to say so.’ Iago also calls Emilia a ‘foolish wife’ and a ‘wench’ (Act 3, Sc 3); Emilia dutifully does not complain. Emilia’s loyalty to her husband is most evidenced when she steals Desdemona’s handkerchief


for Iago without really questioning his motives: ‘What he will do with it, heaven knows, not I: / I nothing but to please his fantasy’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Emilia’s misguided loyalty is instrumental to the success of Iago’s scheme. Although she doesn’t know what Iago is planning, she dutifully turns a blind eye to her husband’s scheming. Like the other women in the play (Desdemona and Bianca) she loves a man who does not deserve that love.


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Emilia


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