Marriage in Elizabethan Times
Even though an unmarried woman sat on the throne in Elizabethan England, the roles of women in society were remarkably limited. Elizabethans had quite clear ideas about the role of men and women. Men were expected to be the family’s breadwinners, and women were expected to be homemakers and mothers (Pritchard 2021).
The birth of a child was recognized a great honor for a woman since children were considered a blessing from God, and Tudor women were proud of motherhood. Elizabethan society was patriarchal: it was assumed that men would be leaders and women would be subordinated (Shahwan 160). Women were regarded as the “weaker sex,” not only in terms of physical strength but also emotionally. They were always supposed to need someone to take care of them. If they were married, their husbands had to perform these duties. If they were single, their fathers, brothers, or other male relatives provided this kind of support.
The man was believed to be the head of the family, and he had the legal right to punish his wife. However, it is essential to understand what this “primacy” represented. As one might assume, this did not mean that the husband was able to order his wife to do whatever he pleased, in other words, to be a petty tyrant (Pritchard 2021). He, as expected, should take care of her, make sure that she does not need anything, and, most importantly, should love her and be a good father to his children. If the husband felt the need to punish his wife, then he was not allowed to be cruel or cause serious bodily harm (Kesselring 34). If he inflicted injuries on his wife, he could be prosecuted.
If the couple genuinely wanted to break up, then they could get a court decision declaring the marriage invalid and illegal from its beginning. Most of the problems at that time were experienced by women who did not want to be married, such was the Queen (Silva 7). Tudor society did not provide enough opportunities for single women, and after the Reformation, there were even fewer of them. It is worth mentioning the fact that before, single women could become nuns; however, during the Reformation, the nunneries were closed (Lyon 2018). Single wealthy women (heiresses of property) had a certain power in society, but the only long-term career for poor women remained serving (Lyon 2018). That is why it was not surprising that most women were eager to get married. Marriage was considered the only desirable state for both men and women, and single women were treated with suspicion.
Marriage in “Othello” by William Shakespeare
The verbal images associated with the themes of love and jealousy in the late tragedy “Othello” help understand the characters’ psychology and penetrate the patterns of these powerful passions. These images differ from the metaphorical style in the early tragedy “Romeo and Juliet” — there, they convey the spontaneous power of a feeling that suddenly flared up, which seems to the heroes something sacred. “Othello” is a tragedy about the grave and terrible trials to which the sublime and deep love of two beautiful people was subjected. The noble Moor, who absorbed the culture of the Italian Renaissance, an experienced warrior, appears to be powerless before the intrigue of Iago, loses faith in Desdemona, and tormented by the jealousy, kills her (Shahwan 162). On the contrary, the love of the young Desdemona withstands all tests, and she forgives her husband even after her death.
The love of a character like Desdemona is the highest value of life. In Shakespeare’s eyes, Desdemona is a rare and heroic nature. Cassio answers the question of whether the governor of Cyprus is married: “An inviting eye, and yet methinks right modest…She is indeed perfection” (Meyer and Miller 796). Brabantio is convinced that his daughter is a victim of witchcraft because she was a modest and quiet girl. However, it becomes evident to readers that their marriage is not like what happened in the Elizabethan times. The main difference is that it was not possible for the girl to raise her status. In this case, Desdemona had feelings for Othello related to his nature. The famous maxim of Othello speaks about Desdemona’s love: “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them” (Meyer and Miller 782). Thus, the reader can observe a different level of emotional attachment. In this case, a woman is not perceived as dependent on a man. Othello and Desdemona complement each other, reflecting their needs from their relationship related to filling their internal needs.
Desdemona asks the senators to allow her to accompany her husband to Cyprus, and she speaks of her love: “I saw Othello’s visage in his mind, / And to his honor and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate” (Meyer and Miller 784). In her words, there is not only compassion but also admiration for an extraordinary person. Othello admits that he had only the last few months when he did not think about military duty and service in his whole life — and he met Desdemona. He mentions that if he had not fallen in love with her, he would not have agreed to restrict his limitless freedom for all the world’s riches.
These confessions along the way help readers to understand how deeply Desdemona and Othello are connected by love. The main character mentions that his soul experienced such complete and perfect happiness and peace that he would like to die at this moment so as not to expose his happiness to an unknown future. Desdemona replies that their love will be even more potent (Meyer and Miller 785). Thus, this scene becomes another proof that they are connected on a different level. Despite the fact that Desdemona is in every way in a lower position than Othello, she is still perceived as his equal.
The fact is that this character is not dependent on Othello’s actions. The reason for her death is jealousy, which the main character was artificially subjected to. For him, this was not a reason not to love Desdemona since their marriage is genuinely sincere. In addition, it is worth noting that the girl was perceived by Othello as intelligent and talented, which is confirmed by his statements about her. Paying attention to Elizabethan times, then, as already mentioned, women were perceived as weak emotionally. However, for Othello, Desdemona is on an equal level of perception, as she makes sure in every possible way of her intelligence and resourcefulness, which confirms the emotional and psychological independence of the girl.
Conclusion
Summing up, it should be said that Shakespeare perceived the relationship between a woman and a man a little differently than his contemporaries. The fact is that in Elizabethan times, marriage was rather evidence of some agreements between the spouses. Thus, in such situation, the sincerity of feelings is subject to some doubt. This is because unmarried women were perceived ambiguously by society, and it is the evidence that they were forced to marry, as it provided at least minimal opportunities. Even financially independent women were exposed to this influence. Despite their position, they remained dependent on men who had to take care of their wives. Thus, it must be said that the key term, in this case, is dependence, on which he depended in the Elizabethan era.
However, in Othello, the reader can see an alternative view of the relationship between a woman and a man. In this case, it becomes evident that Desdemona has a much more extensive emotional and psychological independence. For her, marriage with Othello is not a way to avoid negative attitudes from society. Their relationship is a demonstration of sincere desires and aspirations to complement each other. This is due to the fact that even despite the motive of jealousy, Othello perceived Desdemona as an equal person. Othello’s last speech cannot soften the gravity of what he has done; but it testifies to his complete rebirth as a man. He will not beg for mercy, reminding of his former greatness; he makes a final, objective judgment about himself and others. The main character carries out his death sentence, sacrificing himself to the one he loved, since this is the only way for him to meet her again.
Works Cited
Kesselring, Krista, and Tim Stretton. Marriage, Separation, and Divorce in England, 1500–1700. Oxford University Press, 2022.
Lyon, Karen. “Wooing and Wedding: Courtship and Marriage in Early Modern England.” Folger Shakespeare Library, Web.
Meyer, Michael, and Quentin Miller. Literature to Go. 4th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019.
Pritchard, Richard. Sex, Love and Marriage in the Elizabethan Age. Pen and Sword History, 2021.
Shahwan, Saed. “Gender Roles in the Merchant of Venice and Othello.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 12, no. 1, 2022, pp. 158–64.
Silva, Olivia, “’Send Me No Husband’ How Succession Anxiety in Elizabethan England Influenced the Marital Politics in Shakespeare’s Comedies” (2021). Scripps Senior Theses. 1623. Web.