Yes, each of the women speak out, but aside from Othello
listening to Emilia's proclamation of Iago's guilt at the end of the play (when all the
damage has been done), none of them are heeded.
Desdemona
does spend the majority of the play pleading with Othello for Cassio's reinstatement.
However, she does this using her feminine wiles, not through directed confrontation and
reason, and Othello playfully dismisses her at first, and then adds her pleas to his
list of reasons for being unfaithful. She also stands up to Othello when he accuses her
of being the "whore of Venice," but her even her straightforward and dignified refusal
gets her nowhere.
When Iago manages to get Desdemona's
handkerchief from Emilia, she does wonder what he'll do with it, but quickly puts it
from her mind. This dismissal is a key moment in the play, as much of the "evidence" of
Desdemona's unfaithfulness hinges on this prop. So, Emilia may speak the truth at the
end of the play when it is too late to save Desdemona, but she does not speak out when
it is more crucial to do so.
Bianca does not really have
any possibility of speaking out and being taken seriously. She is a whore, and as such,
not at all taken seriously by anyone. When Cassio is attacked in her earshot, she does
run out and fall all over him with "O, Cassio," etc., but she is in no position to have
any effect on the events of the play. She completely lacks the knowledge that could
assist Cassio, and, because of her position in society, no one would listen to her if
she did speak out.
So, each of the women speak out, but it
doesn't seem that they really have a voice, since none of them are able to turn the tide
of the tragic events that transpire.
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