In Othello, writer William Shakepeare presentes the characters of Emilia and Desdemona as foils. The clear differences between the two women are highlight many times throughout the play. One of the main differences, however, is between the marriages of the two women. Emilia's husband Iago treats her very disrespectfully and has a very low opinion of her. On the contrary, Othello loves Desdemona deeply and believes that she is an angel sent from heaven. In Act 4, this difference is highlighted once more, but in reverse. A conversation between Emilia and Desdemona reveals the feelings of the women toward their husbands:
Desdemona: "Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world?"
Emilia: "Why? Would not you?"
Desdemona: "No, by this heavenly light!"
Emilia: "Nor I neither by this heavenly light.
I might do't as well i' the dark....I troth, I think I should...."
Desdemona: "Beshrew me if I would do such a wrong for the whole world."
Essentially, Desdemona says she would never cheat on Othello, no matter what or how much she was offered. Emilia, however, says that she could probably be convinced to cheat on Iago. This highlights once mroe the differences in the marriages of the women and the love they have for their spouses. These differences in the women's feelings are a direct result of the ways in which they are treated by their husbands. Thus, one could argue that Iago and Othello are foils as well.
P.S. - At the end of Act 4, why is Emilia speaking in prose at one point?
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