Gender Roles in Shakespeare's OthelloOthello represents an excellent example of Shakespeare's ability to develop relationships between the sexes in order to demonstrate the weaknesses of those relationships. In Othello, the sexes are divided by misconceptions and self-centered views of the opposite sex. The men in the play, particularly Othello, maintain a patriarchal and chivalrous view of the sexes, while the women in the play aspire to be more involved in their husbands' affairs. This is how the main idea of ​​the play emerges from “the opposition of attitudes, points of view and sexes”. (Neely 214) One of the critical factors in the relationship between the sexes is the clear separation between them in the play. It is rare for men and women to interact intimately or in person on their own behalf; "Roderigo never courts Desdemona directly, Iago never confronts Emilia about his suspicions of an affair between her and the Moor, and Othello refuses to confront Desdemona about Iago's allegations and his suspicions." (Neely 217) Indeed, Othello and Desdemona are rarely seen together alone on stage. Much of the intimacy between the Moor and his wife tends to be talked about rather than acted upon: after responding to the Venetian senators, he tells Desdemona that he has little time to spend in love with her before having to go into battle; after dismissing Cassio, he sends Desdemona offstage to bed again; and the many names Othello uses to refer to his wife – “chuck”, “darling”, “sweet” – are never clearly explained to the audience. It is only during her death scene that Desdemona and Othello spend a lot of time on stage alone. Due to this alienation between Othello and Desdemona, as well as the other male...... middle of paper..... .cate creates in them the seed of tragedy. Works Cited “Cuckold”. The Norton Shakespeare Workshop. Mark Rose, ed. CD-ROM. WW Norton, 1998. Greene, Gayle. "'What You Call Love': Sexual and Social Tragedy in Othello." in Shakespeare and Gender: A History. Deborah E. Baker and Ivo Kamps. New York: Verso, 1995. 47-62. Mason, H. A. Shakespeare's Tragedies of Love. New York: Barnes and Noble. 1970. Neely, Carol Thomas. "Women and Men in Othello: 'What should such a fool do / with such a good woman?' In Broken Nuptials in Shakespeare's Plays. Carol Thomas Neely. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985." Othello's occupation. "The Norton Shakespeare Workshop. Mark Rose, ed. WW Norton, 1998. Shakespeare, William "Othello"., 1997. 2100-2172.