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| Frage | Antworten |
| “Good madam, do: I warrant it grieves my husband” | Emilia genuinely cares for Iago, but her affections do not seem to be reciprocated by Iago, who often belittles her and calls her a “foolish wife”. Emilia encourages Desdemona to help Cassio, believing this would make Iago happy. |
| “I nothing but to please his fantasy” | Emilia plays the role of a submissive wife. This is shown by how the pronoun “I” becomes the subject of her husband’s will. The noun “fantasy” could reflect the unrealistic expectations placed on women during the Jacobean era. |
| “The ills we do their ills instruct us so” | Emilia’s radical views are comparable to modern feminism. It would have been shocking to suggest that women’s infidelity could be the fault of her husband. However, Emilia does not yet openly challenge the patriarchal society and only voices her views to Desdemona. |
| “No, I will speak as liberal as the north.” | At the end of the play, Emilia betrays her husband Iago and refuses to remain silent. The natural imagery of the wind could reflect how the truth is too strong to contain. The “north” has connotations of the cold, implying the threat to the patriarchal society that is posed by the voices of oppressed women. |
| “The world’s a huge thing./ It is a great price for a small vice.” | Emilia says she would be unfaithful to her husband for him to have “all the world”. Like in Ancient Greek tragedies, domestic matters are presented on a titanic scale. |
| “They are all but stomachs, and we all but food;/ They eat us hungerly, and when they are full,/ They belch us.” | Emilia’s attitude towards men could be a reflection of her experience as Iago’s wife. This metaphor could show how women were expected to entertain and please their husbands, but were never truly valued by society. |
| “They are not ever jealous for the cause,/ But jealous for they’re jealous. ‘Tis a monster/ Begot upon itself, born on itself.” | Emilia believes that situations do not cause jealousy, and that jealous people will find a reason for their jealousy. Her words here are an echo of Iago’s warning to Othello, foreshadowing how Othello will become consumed by jealousy. This implies the upcoming tragedy is inevitable. |
| “I’ll be hang’d if some eternal villain … Have not devis’d this slander” | Emilia realises that someone is trying to “slander” Desdemona. The phrase “eternal villain” could be a reference to the devil. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony here, as the “villain” is actually Iago, who she is speaking to. |
| “He lies to th’heart” | Emilia starts to realise the role that Iago has played in Desdemona’s death, and reveals he is not the “honest” person the other characters believed him to be. Finally, Iago’s deceptive nature has been revealed. |
| “Ay, ay; O, lay me by my mistresses’ side.” | Emilia stays loyal to Desdemona until her death. Theatrically, Emilia’s death by Desdemona’s side could show their mirrored fates, as they were both killed by their husbands. However, there is no stage directions to show that Emilia’s final wish is honoured. |
| “I will play the swan,/ And die in music: [Sings]” | The idea that a swan would sing before its death lead to the expression ‘swan song’. In theatre, this was a farewell performance. Emilia’s rendition of the Willow song adds an eerie sadness to the scene. It could be argued that this shows how women were victims of society. |
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