The first text that is comparable to Othello is One Thousand and One Nights, because of the recurring themes of women’s infidelity. Women are portrayed as having insatiable sexual appetites in both stories. In both stories, men resort to violence to remedy their situations. In both cases, the wives’ cheating was about more than her taking another lover, it was about what that meant about the men in their lives. In One Thousand and One Nights, the King angrily says, “by god I am the king and sovereign in Samarkand, yet my wife has betrayed me and has inflicted this on me” (559). It is clear the King thinks his status makes him less deserving of being cheated on. Between the lines, he is saying that if he can get cheated on, no man is safe. He murders his wife and her lover in cold blood and receives no satisfaction. In fact, he only feels relief when he sees his brother’s wife cheating. The realization that he isn’t the only one to suffer from female deception is the only thing to offer him comfort.
Othello’s anger about Desdemona’s alleged infidelity is similar in circumstance. Being a military leader, he needs to command respect from his subordinates. Knowing that his wife was unfaithful would reflect poorly on his character. Othello is a man who cares deeply about how he is perceived. So, the only way to redeem his reputation is to take her life. He says, “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men” (act 5, sc 2, line 6). In this speech, Othello expresses some doubts about having to murder the love of his life, but he can’t be weak and let her live because she will only hurt other men. He has to make the sacrifice for the greater good.
The lives of women mean so little compared to the reputation of a man. She isn’t even afforded individual rights. Every single action is judged as if she represents the entire female gender. No one ever says that a woman (singular) can’t be trusted, they say women (as in all women) can’t be trusted. They use the actions of one woman to justify the mistreatment of all women. They can argue that other women are just as likely to do the same thing.
can we say…
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