Representation of Elizabethan women in William Shakespeare's Othello

This research explores Shakespeare's Othello as a complex play that explores the essence of womanhood through its characters. This research focuses on Desdemona, the central female figure, aiming to uncover the roles that Shakespeare crafted for women in Othello and the influences on these roles. Cultural feminism theory has been applied as a critical lens in this descriptive qualitative study. The study has yielded two main discoveries. Firstly, women in Shakespeare’s Othello play the roles of wives, caretakers, and peacemakers. Secondly, the researcher finds that the roles of women in the play are shaped by relational and personal factors. This research is qualitative in nature. Theories presented by J. Bingham and I. Maylani supports this research to analyze its text. Here, the researcher examines the roles that women play in Othello by Shakespeare as a point of reflection for those who are interested in the study of women. In addition, the researcher educated the public through this study on the various feminist critiques, including cultural feminism. This study aims to investigate the roles played by women in Shakespeare’s Othello and the elements that influence those roles.