Othello by William Shakespeare: a deep dive into the human mind’s tendency to fall into jealousy. The story primarily takes place on a ship, where a captain is manipulated by his flag-bearer into believing his wife is disloyal. Seeds of jealousy sprout in Captain Othello’s mind, and eventually he kills his lover before the truth comes out too late. Although not a main focus in the story, Emilia, the ship captain’s maid, is developed by Shakespeare in the best way possible – from a submissive, obedient servant to a woman sure of herself and her morals. As Shakespeare weaves out the personality of Emilia, her wit and yearning for justice make her a person who resonates deeply with her emotions and thought processes.

At the beginning of the novel, Emilia is introduced merely as Iago’s wife, quiet and seldom having a line in the play. As readers, we tend to characterize Emilia as a person similar to Desdemona – obedient and polite – from her interactions at this point in the play. Indeed, readers are only able to get a tiny first impression of her, and it is mostly her husband speaking about his wife, not herself: “(Iago) Sir, would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue she oft bestows on me, you would have enough” (35).When a man talks for his wife, people seem to assume that the wife is quiet; this is quite the case for this part of the play, where Emilia’s husband does most of the talking instead of her. This resonates with audience members, as Emilia appears to be powerless in this relationship, even being unable to speak in public; it strikes a chord in many people’s hearts as they recall times they’ve felt helpless and empathize with Emilia’s apparent confinement in this relationship.

Halfway through the play, Emilia is shown conversing with others in animated conversations where her politeness is diminished. In these acts, Shakespeare enhances her characterization by allowing readers to revise their initial reaction to Emilia’s behavior – she is, in reality, closer to the contemporary female than originally thought, interacting with male characters as an equal rather than their superior by returning their jeers. Emilia’s new side of comfort in conversation is demonstrated when she finds Desdemona’s handkerchief, and she teases her husband: “Oh, is that all? What will you give me now for that same handkerchief?” (68). As the audience has seen glimpses of Emilia’s husband’s insults, this type of attitude is rather surprising – it’s almost unheard of for women to talk back at their husbands and argue with them at this time in history. As a result, it’s shocking for the audience to find this courage in Emilia to respond to a male like this, and it creates the idea of Emilia having enough gall to test others around her despite her status as a female. Additionally, instead of obeying her husband’s commands to give the handkerchief to him, Emilia first questions him, hinting again at her resistance to oppression: “What will you do with’t, that you have been so earnest to have me filch it?” (69). In these almost trivial scenes, William Shakespeare expertly develops side characters, such as Emilia, allowing the audience to fully recognize her distinction from other females, like Desdemona, in Renaissance Italy. Emilia’s sudden similarity to the modern woman creates sympathy for her from the female audience as they realize they share a struggle even through time’s division.

Emilia’s character development is complete at the ending scene, where her ability to resist male leadership is startling compared to the downfall of Desdemona, highlighted in the same scene where her husband murders her while her friend confronts him. At this point, Emilia reveals what happened the whole time on the ship, even when threatened at knifepoint. We see another contradiction of social norms when Emilia states, “‘Twill out, ‘twill out! I peace? No, I will speak as liberal as the north; Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, all, all cry shame. against me, yet I’ll speak!” (118). At this moment, the audience experiences Emilia at her mosticonic moment, and not only does she resist male superiority, but she also speaks in the face of danger and defies the command to be silent, a shocking action for a female at this period. She outright ignores him and makes it clear that she will talk, even if Iago kills her. This highlights her courage and strong sense of survival, as she uses an extremity to show that Emilia will do anything to ensure a situation is brought to light, something that’s admirable even in today’s times. This scene forces audience members to recognize Emilia’s bravery once and for all as she. is the one to finally spill out everything that’s happened, making her, in a sense, a type of hero for everyone in the story, despite her being a side character. Readers sympathize with Emilia’s feelings of distraught and sorrow as they silently root for the story to be brought to justice.

As readers travel through time and witness the tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare, a side character stands out: Emilia, not just a servant of Othello, but a brave individual who becomes the eventual hero that draws the story to a close, despite all forces being biased against her. Her actions and depiction in every section of the novel spark sympathy from the audience as they understand and resonate with her emotions and thought processes. Shakespeare’s Emilia is fully developed in every moment of Othello and ultimately fosters a deep connection of the audience with characters spun out of words.