As a woman, Iago's wife, Emilia, is faced with stereotypes and is labeled as "dumb" and "useless." People generally overlook her character in William Shakespeare's Othello because of this aspect. Countless times she is neglected and ignored by other characters, making it seem that she is a trivial person who lives up to the stereotypes forced upon her. However, Emilia's appearance is quite deceiving, as she ends up being much more complex than it was deemed possible. Emilia's "stupidity" is proven wrong when she uncovers parts of Iago's plan without help and her "loyalty" to her husband and friend is certainly questioned when she betrays them both at the same time. She contradicts almost every assumption made about her, thus making her one of the most complex characters in the play, Othello.

Since she is a female, everyone believes that Emilia is unintelligent. Emilia is looked down upon...