CORINNENOTES
QUESTION 2
WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT ACT 4 SCENE 3?
Act four Scene three provides a domestic interlude to the chaos and violence of the scenes preceding and following it.Through this scene Shakespeare has not only increased the dramatic tension of the following scene,but has enhanced Desdemona's status in the play,contrasted the relationship of Desdemona and Emilia with that of their husbands and increased the audience's understanding of Emilia
Desdemona's innocence throughout the play is a key factor in creating sympathy for both her and Othello.Despite the fact that Othello has actually hit her in the previous scene Desdemona still claims that "my love doth so approve him/That even his stubbornness,his checks,his frowns/....have grace and favour".Desdemona's innocence is equally shown in this scene by the fact that she is unable to believe that women commit adultery, "I do not think there is any such a woman".For all that Iago has destroyed Othello's innocence,Desdemona has remained unaffected and her innocence remains.This helps create the contrast between Desdemona and Iago,with Iago representing everything which is evil and Desdemona representing purity and goodness.
Without this scene it would have been easy for the character of Emilia to have been regarded by the audience as being simply Iago's accomplice to the demise of Othello.After all Emilia is aware of the result of the missing handkerchief in Act 3 Scene 3.However Emilia is redeemed by this scene.She contrasts with Desdemona due to her lack of innocence.Her speech on the double standards of men provides insight into how she,like Desdemona,has suffered from the emotional brutality of her husband.This explains why she helped Iago in obtaining the handkerchief and equally prepares the audience for her reaction to Iago in Act 5.Unlike Desdemona however,she is actually aware of the existence of this double standard,showing her lack of niavety which endears her to the audience as much as Desdemona's niavety does.
The relationship between Emilia and Desdemona,shown in this scene contrasts with the relationship between Othello and Iago,creating a further understanding of Emilia.Unlike Iago's role as the controller in his relationship with Othello, "think so Iago?",there is no attempt by either Emilia or Desdemona to manipulate the conversation.This does not however mean that their exchanges reveal less about their characters than the exchanges between Iago and Othello. The gossip shared by Emilia and Desdemona shows the nature of their relationship,preparing the audience for Emilia's reaction to Desdemona's murder in Act Five.Emilia's reply to Desdemona's "Mine eyes do itch/Doth that bode weeping?", " 'Tis neither here nor there" shows how their relationship transcends the social barriers which are present in the relationships between the male characters-Emilia is not merely Desdemona's attendant,she is a mother figure aware of the vulnerability of Desdemona.Desdemona's "Prithee unpin me" provides physical contact between the characters which suggests intimacy and understanding.This relationship creates sympathy for both characters.
One of the key uses that Shakespeare made of this scene is that of heightening tension. The scene is full of omens for Desdemona's death,which due to Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony the audience is able to recognise.The line "If I die before thee,prithee shroud me/In one of these sheets" is prophetic due to the fact that the audience is already aware of Othello's intention of murdering Desdemona in her bed.The "willow song" which Desdemona sings equally points to her(and Emilia's)death.The story which precedes the song can be paralleled with the stories of both Desdemona and Emilia.For like the maid Desdemona is forsaken by the one she loves and her attendant,Emilia,dies singing the "willow song".The fact that Desdemona states that "That song tonight/Will not go from my mind" adds to the anticipation of the audience for Desdemona's death.Added to this willow symbolises grief for unrequited love or the loss of a mate. Desdemona's "Let nobody blame him" echoes her reply to Emilia's questioning on her death bed, "Nobody.I myself".
The imagery in this scene also links to Desdemona's murder.Images of light and dark are used extensively throughout the play.Desdemona is referred to in terms of light by Othello before he murders her, "put out the light".Light therefore represents everything which is pure and good. Emilia's talk of committing adultery "i' th' dark" links with all the other sins committed in the play and is echoed in the next scene by Iago's "Kill men i'th' dark?".Darkness is used to represent evil and a number of scenes,including the attempted murder of Cassio and the actual murder of Desdemona,take place in the dark to emphasise the evil which is being done.Emilia's unwillingness to commit adultery in the heavenly light links especially with Othello committing murder.Othello too is unable to commit his sin when there is light and is forced to "Put out the light" before he is able to commit murder.
While this scene lacks the pace and action of the scenes surrounding it,it is no less powerful. This reduction in pace increases the tension of the following scene and allows for Emilia's speech on double standards and the "willow song".The language of the scene is more eloquent and less aggressive than that used by the male characters in the surrounding scenes and yet it is from this scene that the strength to defeat the evil of Iago is found.As the evil of Iago effects Othello, Desdemona's goodness equally effects Emilia,making her strong enough to stand up to her husband.This scene shows the "feminine" values which finally triumph over Iago and Othello's "masculine",military,values.One critic even labelled this scene as the "emotional peak" of the play.
The overall significance of this scene could be easily understated.There is no great action and most of the talk between Desdemona and Emilia seems to,at first glance,have little significance.Without this scene though the role of Emilia would never have been properly explored and her actions in Act 5 scene 2 would not have been fully explained.The scene also enhances Desdemona's status,after all that has happened her innocence remains and the scene creates the image of an almost childlike figure who needs the protection of Emilia.It also heightens the tension of Desdemona's impending death,with it's poignant omens.Finally it helps create the emotional core of the play and shows the values which finally triumph.