A Feminist Perspective of Othello Throughout Shakespeare's tragedy Othello there is a constant undercurrent of sexism. It originates from not one, but rather several male characters in the play, who display prejudicial and discriminatory attitudes towards women. In the opening scene, while Iago expresses his hatred for General Othello for having chosen Michael Cassio as lieutenant, he devises a plan to partially take revenge ("I follow him to serve him my turn"), with the help of Roderigo, alerting his father of Desdemona, Brabantio, of his daughter's escape with Othello: “Call her father, / Wake him: follow him, poison his delight [. . .] .” Implicit in this move is the fact that the father takes control over his daughter's choice of spouse. It closely follows Iago's warning to the senator: “'Zounds, sir, you are robbed; for shame, put on your toga; / Your heart burst, you lost half your soul. This statement also implies that the father has authority over his daughter. Brabantio's admonition to Roderigo implicitly expresses the same message: Worse reception: I commanded you not to frequent my doors: With honesty and simplicity you heard me say My daughter is not for you [. . .] . (1.1) Iago's constant concrete assessments of the situation all seem to give the father the power to make decisions for his daughter. Roderigo even defines Desdemona's action as a “revolt” against paternal authority: “Your daughter, if you have not given her permission, / I repeat, has made a gross revolt [. . .] .” Having verified the daughter's absence from home, Brabantio urges the father all...... middle of the sheet ......veduta, LXIV, 1 (winter 1956), 1-4, 8-10; and Arizona Quarterly (Spring 1956), pp.5-16.Mack, Maynard. Everyone is Shakespeare: reflections especially on tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968. Neely, Carol. "Women and men in Othello" Critical essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (pages 68-90) Shakespeare, William. Othello. In Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No lines nos.Wayne, Valerie. "Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello." The question of difference: materialist feminist criticism of Shakespeare. Ed Valerie Wayne. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1991.