It is Their Husbands’ Faults if Wives Do Fall
-Shakespeare’s Othello
The story of Othello is a tragic one. Although he is General in the Armies of Venice he is seen as an outsider because he is a black man. Iago serves under Othello in the army and hates him deeply. He sets in motion a plan to take Othello down. He claimes that Othello stole Desdemona in the night to marry her. This was a lie; Desdemona was in love with Othello. Iago spead lies and manipulated people’s emotions to ruin Othello. We don’t know for sure why Iago hated Othello so much because his reasoning was inconsistant. At first he said it was because the general passed him up for a promotion and later in the play believes that Othello had an affair with his wife, Emilia. Discussing his true motivation would be a fun conversation for another time.
Sarah Coppenbarger chose to perform this monologue by Emilia because “Though she is married to the play’s villain, in fact one of Shakespeare’s most devious villains, she is a good friend to Desdemona throughout the story, even berating Othello after he’s killed his wife, disregarding the danger to herself. In the end, she is the one who brings the men in the play to justice - even her husband, which results in her murder at his hands.”
“[Emilia] is a woman before her time,” Coppenbarger said, “and I think that’s shown in this monologue. She pleads the case of mistreated women everywhere and makes the (then controversial) argument that women are just as human and just as full of desire and emotion as their husbands. Despite the dire fate of all the women in this show - Emilia is an early feminist and one of Shakespeare’s fiercest female roles.” Well put.
Sarah Coppenbarger studied theatre at UW-La Crosse and some of her favorite roles there were Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Lotty Wilton in Enchanted April.
Sarah Coppenbarger as Emilia in Othello:
THE MONOLOGUE: OTHELLO, ACT IV SCENE 3, EMILIA BY SARAH COPPENBARGER
“But I do think it is their husbands' faults
If wives do fall: say that they slack their duties,
And pour our treasures into foreign laps,
Or else break out in peevish jealousies,
Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us,
Or scant our former having in despite;
Why, we have galls, and though we have some grace,
Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know
Their wives have sense like them: they see and smell
And have their palates both for sweet and sour,
As husbands have. What is it that they do
When they change us for others? Is it sport?
I think it is: and doth affection breed it?
I think it doth: is't frailty that thus errs?
It is so too: and have not we affections,
Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?
Then let them use us well: else let them know,
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.”
MORE ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE PROJECT
Our goal of Shakespeare from the Ground’s Monologue Project is to collect a library of Shakespearean monologues to share with our community for virtual entertainment while we are still socially distanced. You don’t need to be a professional actor to participate. If you’re inspired and ready to record, great! If you need help selecting your Shakespeare Monologue or getting it recorded, reach out and we’ll help you get the ball rolling. Are you ready to take to the boards once again…virtually?
