The role of the maid in William Shakespeare's : twelfth night and Othello

Abstract EN

This paper focuses on the role of two minor characters , the maids , in two of Shakespeare's works : Twelfth Night and Othello .

It shows how they influence the whole action of both plays .

The paper is divided into an introduction, two sections, and a conclusion.

The introduction provides a brief explanation of the effective role of the maids in these plays and how the minor character can be sometimes equally important to the sequence of events as the major one .

The first section deals with Twelfth Night .

The role of the maid is represented in this play by Maria , the servant of the countess Olivia .

Maria creates a second plot to the play through her plan of the forged letter .

The character of the maid in the second section is represented by Emilia , the servant of Desdemona in Othello She steals the handkerchief of her lady to satisfy her husband .

This handkerchief becomes the tangible proof that leads to the murder of her lady Desdemona and the tragic end of the play .

The conclusion summarizes the outcomes of the research .