The above picture is of the moment Emilia confronts Othello after he killed Desdemona. The first picture in the comic has Othello saying “Are you mad woman, Desdemona had to die. Your husband said she was cheating on me.” To which Emilia sarcastically responds, “My husband”? Iago holds a sign saying kick me with pieces of tape sticking out, illustrating his intention to stick it on Othello’s back. The second picture shows Iago taking candy from a crying baby while Othello defends him. Then the third shows Iago with a sinister look on his face responding to Othello’s question as to whether or not he is a pure gentle soul. Lastly, he is shown kicking a puppy. The comic illustrates how Iago executes his evil plans in plain sight.
The comic aims to highlight how naive Othello is. Iago managed to skillfully cloud Othello’s judgment so much that he was blind to things happening in front of him. The artist chooses each scenario to show the audience that Iago’s character was so blatantly evil but Othello just could not see it. Despite his naivety, Emilia emerges as the unsung hero of the play. shortly after her “my husband” response, she connected the dots and an unexpected turn revealed Iago’s deception. She knew it was her duty as a woman to obey her husband and it took strength and courage to speak up against him. She says,
“O thou dull Moor! That handkerchief thou speak’st of
I found by fortune and did give my husband;
For often with a solemn earnestness,
More than indeed belong’d to such a trifle,
He begg’d of me to steal it” (Act 5, scene 2, lines 239-243).
The revelation cost her life but she made the decision to defy what was expected of her and stand up for what she believed was right. In that moment, Emilia challenged the idea of what it meant to be a woman. She was the opposite of submissive Desdemona who even in her dying breath gave her husband an alibi. Emilia did not do what was she should do, she did what she wanted. Go Emilia! you totally rock girl!
http://litbrick.com/comic.php?date=2011-08-01