The Women of OthelloThroughout history, the role of women and their place in the mainstream has changed enormously. William Shakespeare's Othello was created at a time when the role of women and their collective worth was devalued in the Venetian and Elizabethan times. During the Venetian era, women were dominated by their sexual orientation. The Venetian era had a patriarchal society. In a patriarchal society, the father is the head of the family and men have authority over women and children. In the Elizabethan era, conduct towards women was vicious. Women were considered second-class citizens. Men only view women as possessions, forced to remain submissive and meek. Additionally, women should be calm, obedient to male figures and chaste. Women were either considered good wives or whores. There are only three women in Othello; Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca. Desdemona is Othello's passive wife who has a fairly idealistic view of life and marriage. Emilia is a cynical and insightful woman who seems to have a bitter view of her marriage to Iago. Bianca is depicted as the whore of the piece and she maintains relations with Cassio. Although each woman varied in their roles and personality, they all had one common trait: they lived in a patriarchal society and suffered together. Each of them lives in a society where it was ideal to think that women were psychologically and physiologically inferior to men, but in reality each of them knew their role in society. At first, Emilia's character is the ideal submissive wife. Iago treats Emilia quite badly during the first scenes of the play. He describes her as a nagging housewife and Emilia remains unmoved by his harsh allegations... middle of paper... Rentine, a man almost damned in a righteous wife” (Shakespeare II, 21-22). This could be why Bianca is portrayed as a whore and why she and Cassio are in a non-committed relationship. Women were not allowed to be educated, especially those of the lower classes, and so Bianca probably did not receive an education; and obviously did not marry. Bianca knows her role in society and has sadly succumbed to a life of prostitution. During the Renaissance, if women did not marry and depend on a husband to provide for them, they were left to fend for themselves and it usually just went away. them with the alternative of prostitution. Even though she is called a whore and a prostitute, she is also seen as a woman with a purpose. Bianca simply wants love and affection, but is independent to be with whoever she wants because she really isn't. devoted to anyone.