And The Moral Of The Story Is...

And the Moral of the Story is… A Sociocultural Analysis of the Use of Consequence to Warn against Defiance of Societal Rules

Argument: Members of society are limited to a set of social rules of conduct and those who refuse to accept the limitation of their professional station, gender, and race face punishment for their actions.

Societal rules and limitations

Gende r

Race

Professio n

Obey your husband and father…

Obey your husband and father A women who attempts to defy the social role of a subordinate and obedient female cannot survive in a society that centers around the dominance of the superior males Evidence: “Come hither gentle mistress. Do you perceive in all this noble company Where most you owe obedience?” (1.3.176) Desdemona dooms herself by betraying her father (a superior male), a social crime during the time period. The piece portrays society’s disapproval of her action by showing how her actions lead to a marriage of

Peer Review “the greatest threat is the leveling of the status of men and women in relation to each other… it also would undermine the legitimacy of legal, social, and moral codes based upon these previously established assumptions about

Interpretation Desdemona dooms herself by betraying her father (a superior male), a social crime during the time period. The piece portrays society’s disapproval of her action by showing how her actions lead to a marriage of jealousy and murder. A society which cannot accept the equality of men and women is threatened when a women attempts to defy set limitations. Therefore it cannot allow this defiance to occur

Remember your Place…

Remember your place Society bars racial minorities from positions of power and affluence. Defiance of these conventions results in an inevitable downfall caused by social pressure and the mental stress of being treated as an outsider. Peer Review:

Evidence: “You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse” (1.1.109)

“This alien within, once precipitated, seeks relief by the exercise of destructive power. This malign power manifests itself mainly through the affected Venetian's intensified stereotyping of others and the sadistic persecution that stereotyping

“The established stage convention--that black(er) characters can represent types of villainous behaviour--is invoked to explore political ideas about rulership and treason that cannot be explored in terms of 'ourselves' because they are sensitive culturally and politically” (Distiller 1).

Interpretation Taking power, despite his race, Othello challenges social convention. The piece shows the error of this defiance as Othello’s position leads to his downfall. A person cannot simultaneously lead and question his/her own race. The results are self-destructive. Society will inevitably find more faults in the minority because they can separate this alien from itself.

Respect your Superiors… Yes Sir

Respect your superiors Society demands genuine loyalty to one’s professional superiors. A character who defies this command is deemed guilty of betrayal, one of society’s highest crimes. Evidence: “for now I shall have reason to show the love and duty that I bear you with franker spirit. Therefore, as I am bound, receive it from me” (3.3.193)

“role-playing, which exploits the reality of others, results in wholesale destruction and a self-imposed silence equivalent

Interpretation Iago betrays Othello, a superior officer, and fails to attain the position of power for which he aimed. The piece demonstrates the error Iago’s deceit by denying him the goal of his actions. A person who demonstrates false loyalty will destroy others and eventually his/herself

Synthesis Society limits how citizens live based on “defining” aspects of their lives. The strength of society makes it impossible to defy. No single person can live in opposition to its rules without eventually facing consequences.

Works cited: Thank you to… Distiller, Natasha. "'What signifies my deadly-standing eye': the politics of difference on the Elizabethan stage." Shakespeare in Southern Africa. 14. (Annual 2002): p11. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Franklin High School. 7 Dec. 2009 Hunt, Maurice. "Shakespeare's Venetian paradigm: stereotyping and Sadism in The Merchant of Venice and Othello." Papers on Language & Literature. 39.2 (Spring 2003): p162. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Franklin High School. 7 Dec. 2009 . Ikegami, Robin. "Femmes-hommes, she-bishops, and hyenas in Petticoats: women reformers and gender treason, 1789-1830." Women's Studies. 26.2 (Apr. 1997): p223. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Franklin High School. 7 Dec. 2009 . Melchior, Bonnie. "Gender and self-fashioning." Studies in the Humanities. 27.1 (June 2000): p35. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Franklin High School. 7 Dec. 2009 .