127k views
2 votes
Advice to Newly Married Lady," think about how well Desdemona and Emilia follow the advice. Explain how her decisions influence the outcome of the play. Would women be advised this way today? Why or why not?

User Latrina
by
4.5k points

1 Answer

2 votes

Answer and Explanation:

"Advice to Newly Married Lady" was a text written by Samuel Jennings where he gives advice to newly married women to promote happiness and wellbeing in their weddings. In short, the text proposes that a marriage is only happy when the wife makes her husband and the house their only source of happiness and entertainment, and must be submissive and obedient to their husbands and accept the way they wish to treat them.

Both Desdemona and Emilia, in Othelo, follow this advice well and keep their wives obedient, dedicated and ready to obey their husbands. Emilia, even participates in her husband's lying plans that cause Desdemona's death when Othelo, Desdemona's husband, because of the lies of Igor, Emilia's husband, made him think she dishonored him by betraying him.

Desdemona's obedience to her husband was of no use, since he easily believed that she betrayed him and murdered her. This fact caused Emilia to abandon the submission to her husband, disobeying him and telling the whole truth to Othelo and being murdered by her husband as a punishment for disobedience.

Currently, the advice given by Jennings would not be followed by women, as current women seek independence and respect within marriage, establishing a relationship of partnership and not submission between them and their husbands.

User AllenG
by
4.1k points