In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, there is a double standard for race focused mainly on the main protagonists Othello and Desdemona. There is a drastic contrast between the way Othello is held with high esteem politically yet is ridiculed when brought into a romantic setting. The disdain that is brought upon Othello is one of the contributing factors for his spiral into a jealous rage and his own downfall. Perhaps one of the primary instances of a character presenting Othello as a negative character is when Brabantio discovers that Othello and Desdemona are married in Act I, Scene 3; it is his speech beginning with “a maiden never so bold…” that plants the seed of insecurity in Othello’s mind and reveals the true feelings of not just …show more content…
Othello not only served in the army but was a famous general despite his race, showing that there was nothing segregating him in that aspect. That entire mood shifts when Brabantio finds out about the secret marriage, wrenching Othello down from someone he bestowed trust in to someone beneath his status. In Brabantio’s speech renouncing the possibility that Desdemona could choose to love Othello in her right mind he accuses their relationship of being “against all rules of nature”, opening a broader concept regarding interracial relationships (Shakespeare I.iii.442). Brabantio takes a similar stance a few lines earlier in his impassioned speech when he emphasizes the way Desdemona chose Othello “in spite of nature, of years, of country, credit, everything” (Shakespeare I.iii.437-38). Not only does Brabantio mourn for the damage this union inflicts upon their reputation, but he also asserts that the possibility of their interracial relationship would be against the laws of nature, something completely different from the praise Othello received as a general. While Brabantio’s dramatization of his expectations for the marriage’s consequences does reveal his own viewpoint on the double standard of race, it also unknowingly reveals Desdemona’s stance as
Brabantio shows his racist ways clearly here; he feels that his daughter could never love Othello unless she had been somehow tricked! When one looks deeper into this mindset we understand how loving Othello, the Moor, could be seen as such an issue to her father. Then and even today color is associated with, “sin, damnation, and eventually, sexual promiscuity” (Hall, 182). White on the other hand is associated with, “purity, virginity, and virtue” (Hall, 183). For Desdemona to love Othello she must give up her innocence. For a “pure” and “virtuous” woman to love a man such as Othello she must be a “sinner” and a “whore.” This “realization” of his daughter’s lack of purity causes Brabantio to die due to pure grief as Gratiano explains to us:
Othello essay Insecurity is the dark void that everyone falls into, and get dragged in a certain way, slowly trying to seize you apart and everyone who comes near it. So insecurity is in everyone, making everyone's basic emotions such as sadness and jealousy. Insecurity can lead to suicide, and that topic represents insecurity to get worse prevalent in teenagers in this era, so insecurity is critical to analyze, to prevent it from getting worse, leading to negative thoughts like suicide. William Shakespeare's play Othello shows that insecurity is dangerous because it can lead to manipulation and immorality.
Ryan, Kiernan. “Racism, Misogyny and 'Motiveless Malignity' in Othello.” The British Library, The British Library, 15 Mar. 2011, https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/racism-misogyny-and-motiveless-malignity-in-othello
Othello’s insecurity about his skin color and heritage is a tragic flaw. He is the highly-respected general of the armies of Venice. He is not a native of Venice,Which makes him more likely to harassment from the people of Venice. Othello is easy prey to insecurities because of his self-consciousness about being a racial and cultural outsider. This is a tragic flaw because it leads to death. He is insecure about himself already, and when he finds out that the one person he truly loves and trusts has had an affair he instantly believes it because he believes that he is not good enough for her. He knows that he does not meet Brabantio’s standards, and that Brabantio does not want his daughter married to a black man. His insecurities are so
The fear of interracial marriage in Venetian society is used by Iago in an attempt to alienate Othello. Othello himself acknowledges the fact that interracial marriage is frowned upon and that racism still applies to him despite his position. A common attitude in Venetian society is that black men and women are inhuman and animalistic in nature; Iago capitalizes on this idea in order to aid his plan of antagonizing Othello. Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, is a prime example of the attitude of Venetian society as a whole, in the sense that he “loved” Othello as long as he remained a servant of Venice and would rather Othello not intermingle amongst the Venetian society. Initially Brabantio “oft invited [Othello]” to his home and “queston’d [him] the story of [his] life”, showing an admiration and sincere interest for Othello’s
Haply, for I am black/ And have not those soft parts of conversation/ That chamberers have, or for I am declin’d/ Into the vale of years (yet that’s not much) She’s gone. I am abus’d: and my relief/ Must be to loathe her” (III.III. 304-309). As the emanation of social interaction among various races appear within English literature, the vault of new beginnings and change takes hold. William Shakespeare’s Othello, is most notably recognized for the character, Othello. Through various texts of literature, the idea of racial construct and discrimination was never an easy topic to come by. Since the play was written in Europe during the 1600s, the emergence of slave trades in this area further divided races. The play itself follows the tragedy for Othello, and the transition from a military general to a tragic hero. The limitation of power plays a huge role in Othello’s ability to withstand the manipulation of multiple characters. Although he is Moorish general in the Venetian army, he is still indeed a Moor, a socially lower class, muslim man. From this, cultural collision of ethnicity influences how Othello is treated and the disadvantages he faces because of his color. Through the mere jealousy in which Iago, Othello’s standard-bearer, has for Othello’s life, he proposes the idea to manipulate his life by using the one difference between all men, race. When Iago awakes Brabantio, the father of Desdemona, he hopes to initiate his plan to take down Othello. His description
In Millicent Bell’s “Othello’s Jealousy”, she explores the idea that Othello’s downfall is ultimately caused by his distrust for and apprehensiveness towards society due to him being a racial outsider. He knows not only does he not fit in to this strict European society, but he probably never will. Bell argues Othello’s racial weariness was used and molded by Iago into sexual jealousy, a jealousy Othello was never able to recover from, as Iago accused Othello’s venetian wife Desdemona of cheating and ultimately convinced Othello of such to his demise. I argue, that Shakespeare made a point to exemplify not only the racial discord in society in 1604, but just how deep that disgust for racial outsiders ran, and how it could easily sway the individual to begin to feel the same way about themselves, along with the sometimes fatal consequences that can accompany those beliefs and insecurities.
A society consists of diverse cultures, looks, values, and beliefs. In a world with one predominant culture, those perceived as different from the norm are associated with negative images and treated inferior to the superior culture. The negative images associated with color, specifically blackness, has a detrimental effect on the victims who are racially stereotyped. The character Othello is a unique character in English literature, because unlike the other members of society, Othello is an outsider in Venice. He is a black man living in a white world, married to a white woman, and a leader of white men in battle. Othello is persuaded that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him, leading him to murder her. Some argue that because Othello was the typical black stereotype he killed Desdemona, but evidence suggests that Othello viewed his own racial identity as undesirable for Desdemona and killed her out of honor and self-hatred. Henceforth, the long-term psychological effects of racism affects an individual’s self-identity and his or her relationship with others.
Interestingly the same Othello, who was previously a favourite of Brabantio and he along with Desdemona had diner so many times with him, now becomes unacceptable to him when he dares to marry his daughter. Othello is shown that he is not fully acceptable in society. His services as a general is needed and indeed lauded, but still he is not acceptable as a son-in-law. So the matter becomes an issue in the Venetian council chamber where the Duke and the other senators are preparing for war against the Turks. There Othello speaks eloquently of his love for Desdemona and she speaks on his behalf, and the Duke exonerates Othello. But in doing so, the Duke obliquely denigrates Othello because of his race- apparently unintentionally in a Freudian slip- telling Brabantio “Your son-in-law is more fair than black” (ibid 1.3. 291) implying that fairness is indeed superior to
You act like it’s you against the world, but it’s really just you against yourself (Thingswesay). In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago showcases various insecurities produced by personal and sexual issues that upbring his duplicitous character. These insecurities play a key role in the development of the play and the making of Othello's catastrophe. Iago is an unreliable man that is spurred by his own particular insecurities.
In her article “‘To Love the Moor’: Postcolonial Artists Write Back to Shakespeare’s Othello”, Claire Chambers discusses the many adaptations of Williams Shakespeare’s Othello. Othello is just one example of a what Shakespeare is known for, writing plays that deals with themes that are uniquely human and extend beyond any geographical location or time period. Chambers writes about how during Shakespeare's time, there was great hostility towards “the great number of Negroes and blackamoors” that resided in England, and this resentment greatly influenced Shakespeare’s writings. Othello deals with this issue of race, as well as many others including gender, greed, jealousy and identity. The main character of this play is Othello, a black military
From time to time throughout history, race has played a key role in the way that some people view and interact with one another. In “Othello”, racial segregation is highly exemplified throughout the play by the way that Othello is treated by the people he comes in contact with or even by the way that people speak of him. Often throughout the play, race is a prevalent topic and a developing issue. Othello is referred to by racial slurs, treated unfairly when compared to how others are treated, and turns out to be a tragic hero.
Shakespeare’s play Othello is not only a tragedy of a man’s downfall but a tragedy of race as well. Shakespeare assigns Othello his black color and African characteristics to create a special distinction between him and the other white characters in the play but in doing so Shakespeare also demonizes the black race as individuals susceptible to manipulation and jealousy. It can even be speculated that Shakespeare designed Othello’s blackness as a source of comic relief and to pander to his Elizabethan audiences. In the play, Othello’s color and race is mocked and associated with wild animals and savagery by individuals who seek his downfall. Because Othello is black his marriage to the white Desdemona is called to question by his peers and
Shakespeare retells his play in a book called Othello. Othello is a general of venetian army who is in love with Desdemona daughter of Brabantio, who is a senator of Venice. Othello was a moor, that mean that he is black and barbarian and citizens of Venice never accepted him as one of them. Othello’s and Desdemona's marriage was very controversial because of his race, however Othello’s friend Iago uses the opportunity to become a higher rank soldier and tries everything to succeed.
In many of his works, William Shakespeare explores ideas of gender differences and racial tensions. Othello, a play whose characters are judged again and again based on appearances and outward characteristics, is one such work. The protagonist's different ethnic background provides a platform for probing ideas of racial conflict. Similarly, the presence of well-developed yet opposing female characters adds a dimension of gender conflict and feminist views. These seemingly separate themes of Othello-sexual difference and racial conflict-are closely connected because of similar ties of prejudgment and stereotype. The play's treatment of sexual difference and gender roles strengthens Othello's racist tones