EXTEND – Emilia’s voice

Emilia claims her right to speak and will not be bullied into silence. Match the answers she gives to her husband Iago when he tries to silence her. Write the correct letters (A-C) in the gaps.

1 IAGO Villainous whore! ________
2 IAGO Filth, thou liest! ________
3 IAGO Be wise, and get you home. ________

A EMILIA By heaven, I do not, I do not, gentlemen!
B EMILIA I will not.
C EMILIA She give it Cassio? No, alas, I found it,

Complete the text on Emilia and her evolution from silence to speech with the words given.

Initially, Emilia appears as a relatively ________ character. She remains silent about the handkerchief, a crucial piece of evidence in Iago's plot, even though she knows its significance. This silence can be interpreted as a product of several factors. Firstly, ________ to her husband: as Iago's wife, Emilia may have felt forced to obey him, even if it meant participating in his schemes. Secondly, it could be due to a lack of ________ of the full extent of Iago's plan. Emilia might not have fully understood the gravity of her actions or the devastating impact they would have.
A turning point occurs when Desdemona is murdered. Grief and rage drive her transformation. She moves from passive obedience to active ________, breaking free from her husband's control.
Emilia's final speech is a powerful denunciation of Iago's actions and a clear accusation of male ________. She exposes Iago's deceit, revealing the truth about the handkerchief and the true nature of his character. This act of speaking the truth, even at the cost of her own life, is a powerful assertion of female ________.

Complete the text with the words given. Then look at the prompts in brackets and write some extra reflections in your exercise book. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.

Reading the paragraph on 'Style' in section 3.19 in your textbook, we learn that Othello is very much a play of ________. (Refer to the paragraph mentioned and give examples of the different types of speech.) This is true not only of the male characters but also of the ________ ones as we can see from the passage 'Emilia's voice. Indeed, Emilia and Desdemona, in their own ways, challenge the prevailing order and, through their words, call attention to the importance of ________, morality, and justice. (Refer to the passage and the previous STEPS to show Emilia's awakening from silence.)
In the passage 'Love and Death', Desdemona's simple question, 'Will you come to bed, my lord?', anchors the conversation in the present moment, in the physical ________ of their shared space. It represents an attempt to ________ communication and understanding between herself and her husband. (Refer to the passage for further evidence of this function of Desdemona's speech.)
This contrasts sharply with Othello's speech, which has become a weapon of ________, fuelled by Iago's manipulations. His words are filled with suspicion and imagined betrayals which create a ________ between himself and the truth. (Refer to the passage for further evidence of this function of Othello's speech.)

Read the passage and choose the correct alternative to complete the sentences.

1 By saying 'as liberal as the north', Emilia states that she wants to ________.
2 When Iago draws his sword on her, she ________.
3 Gratiano's reaction to Iago drawing his sword on Emilia is one of ________.
4 Emilia reveals that the handkerchief was ________.
5 Iago reacts ________ to Emilia's accusations.
6 In her final comment to Othello, Emilia shows her growing ________.