Women's Inequality in Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at Shakespeare's "Othello", Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House", and Susan Glaspell's "Trifles" and shows how each focuses on the issue of inequality for women. The paper explains how each piece of literature can be seen as a dramatized argument for the equality of women in male-dominated societies.

From the Paper:

"Shakespeare's play "Othello" is mainly a play about deception, where Iago deceives Othello as a means of seeking revenge. This then also becomes a play about women because Iago chooses to deceive Othello into believing that his wife Desdemona is having an affair. As Iago begins his plan of deception, Othello becomes consumed by jealousy. This continues to the point where Othello suffocates his wife. One of the interesting aspects of the play is that Othello never looks to his wife to determine what is happening. Instead, he believes what Iago is saying and looks for proof of the affair. This shows a general lack of trust toward women. This also shows that the relationship between man and woman is not an open one based on equality and honest communication. If the relationship was like this, Othello would approach his wife and ask her about the suspected affair."

More papers on Women's Inequality in Literature:

• Analytical Essay # 67921 : "Inequality in Literature"
• Term Paper # 110160 : "Inequality in Marriage in English Literature"
• Analytical Essay # 57761 : "Oppression in Literature"

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