Why Emilia?
The idea
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The monologue main source and starting point is Othello by William Shakespeare with an insight around the English poet Emilia Bassano.
Even though she has been involved in my research, my intention was not to
develop a character based on Emilia Bassano’s personal story: I wanted to explore the character from the play Othello, I wanted to give Emilia the chance to share her story.
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Backstory
After watching Othello several times, I got frustrated by the fact that Emilia dies in the end, killed by her husband Iago. Her actions led to increase Othello's blind jealousy and consequently Desdemona’s death. Emilia bears a guilt that she slowly becomes aware of but, when the truth unfolds, it’s too late for atonement.
So when I went back to the text in the play I realized her urgency to speak, to have a chance to let her words and feelings free.
Reading out loud Emilia’s lines, I felt there was always something more she wanted to add.
These first considerations led to an alternative plot development starting from Act 5 Scene 2 when Desdemona is killed by Othello and Emilia understands what happened.
As soon as Iago gets on stage, she begins to realise that her husband is the conspirator. Emilia does freely speak her mind in this scene, but is then killed by Iago.
My decision to change this part of the plot had been made in order to give more space to Emilia.
I kept Iago's intentions to kill her, bearing in mind the previous circumstances.
In the “updated” version of the plot, Iago tries to stab Emilia twice but then he accidentally drops the dagger and Emilia picks it up: with no hesitation, she grabs the dagger and stabs Iago.
The monologue explores this new scenario, a woman who has just committed a crime:
What brought her to do that? What choices could she have made? How the world she has been living in shaped her behaviour, values, ideas and emotions?
My intention with this piece was to analyze an exploration of humanity in terms of how much our choices are influenced by the world we live in and what consequences can the suppression of our feelings bring.
An analysis of society at the time, taking into consideration the one we are living in nowadays, pushed me to investigate the equality that we, as human beings, naturally have but don’t eventually meet.
I think Emilia carries with her a powerful contemplation not only on women and their “role” in society, but questions equality on the basis of what makes us all humans living through the same emotions and needs.
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Why
What I wanted to explore was Emilia realization, and confession, of what she has
been subjected to throughout her life.
I wanted the speech I was writing to be powerful because of its honesty.
I didn’t want Emilia to be perceived like a victim, nor Iago to be perceived too much as the “oppressor”. Part of Emilia’s “awakening” after killing Iago is that both her husband and herself have been living in a world where they have learnt to put the relationship husband-wife to a master-servant level because of the patriarchal society they are surrounded by.
Emilia’s need to speak is bursting into an anger that is meant to inspire not only reflection but also action. Her words and energy are vibrating through the audience to inspire men and women to find their equality as human beings.
Writing Emilia has marked a journey through my personal background and the creative learning process at East 15.
Her story in Othello and her voice have inspired my voice and, hopefully, will inspire those who listen to them.