A Warning to All Good Wives, That They Look Well To Their Linen

[gileonnen]

Title: A Warning to All Good Wives, That They Look Well To Their Linen
Author: angevin2
Play: Othello
Recipient: lareinenoire
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Hankies ruin everything. Especially people's marriages.
Warnings: Canonical racial dodginess and sexism; emotional abuse; improbable abilities attributed to textiles; some mild ickiness about wedding sheets
Author's Note

Comments

[lareinenoire]

Oh, Emilia! I love the voice you've given her here -- pragmatic and observant and desperately trying to rationalise everything because the alternative is too, too horrible. Your Iago also makes sense; nothing prompts his jealousy, it's just always there, gnawing at him. One of my Shakespeare professors in undergrad pointed out to me that what Iago suffers from is envy as much as jealousy, because he can't quite pin it down, nor is it restricted to just one person. And it ties in beautifully with Emilia's own description -- They're jealous for they're jealous.

Seeing Desdemona through her eyes is also wonderfully illuminating. I love that she's ordinary-looking and that her goodness is what sets her apart, what makes her seem more than she is. And then, this line:

Talking to handkerchiefs seems to have become an epidemic nowadays.

A new subtitle for Othello: The one where everybody talks to handkerchiefs. Because it's so true. I'm reminded of the Janet Suzman production, where Desdemona has the handkerchief through most of Act II and is constantly playing with it, especially when she's interacting with Othello.

Thank you so much! This is such a lovely glimpse into Emilia's mind!