Othello, By William Shakespeare

It the only thing that makes him estranged from all the other characters. In the opening scene of the play, Shakespeare “exoticizes Othello with [his] references to him not by name but as, "the Moor," and as an "extravagant and wheeling stranger" (1.1.58 and 1.1.37)”(Aubrey 1). During that time black people were slaves which is why the racism in Othello was definitely racism and one of Iago’s forms of control. Othello earned his status despite his physical appearance, so its lowering to use that description of Othello when he is more than that. Furthermore, not only is Othello being outcasted in the play but also to the audience. It is set by Iago that the idea of a black man and a white woman together is inhuman. He constantly uses derogatory terms to describe to Brabantio To corrupt Othello and Desdemona’s relations. Iago claims that Brabantio will “have [his] daughter covered with a Barbary horse. [He’ll] have [his] nephews neigh to [him]. [He'll] have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans” (Act 1 scene 1 line 125-127 )if he does not do anything to stop them. Iago says this to describe to Brabantio what his mixed would look like. Moreover the animals he uses are not pure breeds which is what he want to emphasize to Brabantio that the act itself of Othello and Desdemona being together is bestial nut having his grandkids being mixed is something that Brabantio cannot stand to think about. Iago

Iago uses racist insults during the time he awakens Desdemona’s father; Brabantio. “Arise, Arise! An old black ram is mating with your white ewe.” (Act 1, Scene 1) He compared Othello with an animal thus degrading another human being and himself. Iago then referred Othello as a “Moorish horse.” (Act 1, Scene 1) who is making a “beast with two backs.” (Act1, Scene 1) Iago uses this horrifying imagery to manipulate Brabantio into believing Othello was inhuman and has animal-like sexuality. Shakespeare intentionally included this particular scene because it highlight the fact that Iago’s jealousy and hatred towards Othello helps intensify Iago’s racism; where he compares the innocent Othello to a pitiful animal. Society shows no signs of racial acceptance, as outsiders or people with different pigments are continuously being degraded and are unaccepted by

Othello or The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare is a tragedy of race. Shakespeare creates a hero who does not fall under a racist stereotype, Othello is a nobleman, a decorated soldier, very well respected by his men (with the exception of Iago). One of the few characteristics that harms, rather than helps him, is that he is dark-skinned in a society utterly dominated by men prejudiced against those with dark skin. At the start of the play, he appears confident that, "My parts, my title, and my perfect soul / Shall manifest me rightly." (Shakespeare, 1, 2, 36-37) But Iago makes sure to use Othello's race against him as much as possible. As a brave soldier from Africa and recently instated supreme commander of the Venetian army, Shakespeare still allows Othello to succumb to the subtle racism that surrounds him. Most of it comes forward through the dialog, and is directed toward Othello. Shakespeare makes no effort to hide this colorful language, nearly every character uses a racial slur to insult Othello at some point in the play. Even Emilia, who doesn’t trust her own husband, sinks to the level of insulting Othello based on the color of his skin. Though the main character to make racist remarks in Othello is Iago, making him a representation of white supremacy. The effect of racism on Othello is quite evident and is one of the main causes of his insecurity about his marriage. These black stereotypes show up in the play and lead to the problem with trying to produce

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

Shakespeare 's complex play Othello holds numerous pressing issues within its intricate layers that seem to leap out to modern society. One such issue seen by many is the representation of women. Women within the play can be characterized as submissive possessions and temptresses. This ideology, though commonplace in this time period, appears controversial to the modern eye as we deconstruct the characters of this play. This dominate patriarchal society present within the setting merely conditions this belief further as it is prevalent within the characters dialogue.

The play, Othello, is certainly, in part, the tragedy of racism. Examples of racism are common throughout the dialog. This racism is directed toward Othello, a brave soldier from Africa and currently supreme commander of the Venetian army. Nearly every character uses a racial slur to insult Othello at one point in the play. Even Emilia sinks to the level of insulting Othello based on the color of his skin. The character that most commonly makes racist remarks in Othello is Iago. It is very apparent that Iago uses racism as a scapegoat to hate and blame Othello. Societal racism takes its toll on its victims. The effect of racism on Othello is quite evident and is one of the main causes for

The importance of reputation in a societal and political background is mainly seen through the antagonist Iago. Iago was overlooked by Othello and was unable to ascend in ranking in the military as a Lieutenant, and was instead brought down to an ancient as explained in Act 1 Scene 1. This was the main action that provoked Iago to inflict revenge upon Othello so that he could also feel the pain he felt. Hidden behind that reason exists another which is racism. Iago repeatedly refers to Othello as the “Moor,” a racial slur that sprouts from Othello’s background. In society, it was undoubtedly certain that those who are white were superior over those who are black. Because of this, Iago does not accept the fact that he is serving a black man as it is damaging to his reputation as dominant white male. Shakespeare puts a twist in this play by allowing an interracial marriage between Othello and Desdemona, a white female Venetian. Their relationship was kept in secret due to the unwritten rules in society that whites should not romantically interact those who are black. Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, is no exception to this case as he openly admits that he is against their marriage. With Iago and Roderigo’s inappropriate actions and sexualization of Desdemona, Brabantio is made aware of the secrecy from his pure daughter, “... you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse. You’ll have your nephews neigh to you. You’ll have coursers for cousins and gennets for germans” (1.1.115). With the

Therefore, even before Othello is physically presented to the audience, the Elizabethan audience would already have an image of Othello being wild and “moorish” since they would have the similar notion as Iago and Rodrigo towards black men. Therefore, Shakespeare establishes the racist concepts from the very beginning of the play to set the base for the tragic downfall of Othello. Racist language is not only limited to the beginning of the play; it is constant throughut the play. Iago uses racist words when he wakes up Brabantio to inform him about Desdemona’s marriage. Iago says an “old black ram” is “tupping” Brabnatio’s “white ewe” which is highly racist and reveals the Elizabethan society’s prejudice against black men. The Elizabethan era believed that black men have animal-like and sexual nature and Iago uses this notion to make Brabantio fear about the mixed marriage and persuade him to stand against Othello. Also, Iago makes use of the racist Elizabethan notion that the colour black meant evilness by calling Othello as “the devil”. This is ironical because in the play, Iago is the one who is playing the role of “the devil” whereas Othello just the biggest victim who is manipulated by Iago. The irony adds on as Iago, white man, is the most evil one in the play where normally according to Elizabethan racist notion, black men are the one who should be the

To Roderigo, a “lavicious Moor” should not deserve the “fair daughter” of Brabantio (1.1.127,136). In this statement, Roderigo first draws the invisible line of physical boundary that Othello, being a black man, cannot surpass; Othello’s character is successfully established in the “Other” category because he is a visible minority. Then Roderigo, representative of the English at the time, viewed Othello as “contaminating and threatening” (6), instilling a need to save Desdemona from the black hands, and put her where she naturally belongs, with a white man, preferably himself. This fear of the exotic and lesser-known being is what drives the racism in this play.

It then hit me that through Iago’s judgments Othello is “the Moor” and should therefore exemplify the common idea of a moor, which is not admiration, self-worth, and fortune; it is one of disconnectedness and dependency. When he says that “nothing can or shall content his soul/ Till he is evened with the Moor, wife for wife” (Act 2: Scene), he means that he is satisfied until Othello’s life is made equal with his involving feelings of inadequacy and jealousy, which are all qualities fitting to a “moor”. Throughout the play Iago repetitively uses derogatory remarks when speaking of Othello so to encourage certain people in the play to endure racism and confirm that it was the norm. Even so, some of Iago’s semantics reveal his own prejudices. For example, Iago only refers to Othello as a “Moor” with the exception of when he refers to Othello as the “black Othello” (Act 2: Scene 3). Iago hates Othello because he is “the Moor” yet does not symbolize the expected role of what is thought of to be a black man in these times. There is neither reason nor logic behind his hatred, but discrimination against one seldom has reason, for it is characteristically irrational thinking. Iago is a clear illustration of what racism is and will justify his irrational thoughts with anything, just as Iago contributes to Brabantio and Rodrigo’s reasoning behind their actions and Othello’s reasons for acting out on

No matter the context, genre or theme, throughout centuries literature has been a reflection of the culture of various nationalities and people. This is no more evident than in Othello, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1603, where many social groups are marginalized, excluded or silenced. In particular, the black race is portrayed as inferior and troublesome. Shakespeare highlights this racism by having other characters refer to Othello, the main character, in a degrading way that takes aim at his skin color, and by showing Othello beginning to believe he is inferior and refer to himself in a similar way. Such treatment highlights the general publics’ views at the time of writing of the play, as Shakespeare makes little attempt to serve as a voice for the oppressed.

Women, especially Desdemona but Emilia as well, are obviously targets of male violence in Othello. For some reason Shakespeare’s play often put the emphasis on the role of the female characters and their influence on the main male characters. For instance, the result of the passionate love of Romeo for Juliet, the effect of Ophelia’s insanity had on hamlet, and so on. In Othello, Shakespeare made Desdemona and the other women in the play no different; Othello’s jalousie and love made the play a tragedy. Shakespeare made Desdemona the faithful wife of Othello. She was such a kindhearted and wished to make everything work even when the situation where she lost her handkerchief she tried to fix the situation and calming Othello. However, her innocent sympathy towards Cassio made lago’s lies more credible. Overall, one can say that her naïve nature causes her to become a target for the men in the play.

In Scene 1, Iago wakes Brabantio with the news that his daughter, Desdemona, has run away with Othello. Iago says to Brabantio, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!” (1.1.94-95). In these two lines Iago is referring to Othello as an “old black ram” which is an animalistic, racist slur. Not only is Iago criticizing Othello based on his color but he also manages to insult the African American culture as a whole

Iago wakens Brabantio (Desdemona’s father), “Even now. Now… an old black ram…white ewe…” Iago wakens Brabantio (Desdemona’s father) of news that his daughter has eloped with Othello. He uses racial slurs (white ewe, old black ram), Iago’s imagery of animals also makes reference to Othello’s supposed untameable sexual urges and bestiality which were common beliefs about ‘moors’ or ‘blacks’ during the Elizabethan era. Brabantio’s mind is shaken as Iago manipulates his (Brabantio’s) fears of inter-racial marriage/sex. Iago also refers to Othello as the devil (which is ironic due to Iago being more likely to be likened as such, with his ‘motiveless malignity’ and Machiavellian schemes.) which plays on the Elizabethan notion that black men were evil and the devil often took the shape and form-factor of a black man. Brabantio later accuses Othello of using Black Magic to win Desdemona’s hand, which may be in reference to said notion. The Duke of Venice, in defence of Othello says,“ And, noble signor, ... far more fair than black” , Not all Venetians see Othello in the same light as Brabantio, The Duke and the senators are obviously filled with veneration for the great military leader. Shakespeare plays with light and dark imagery here, although the Duke speaks of Othello in a highly virtuous and courteous manner, he still treats the notion of ‘blackness’ as an undesirable feature, or bearing negative connotations. Rather

Along with critics making references to Othello’s race, many characters in the play do as well. The characters that are most racist refer to Othello by his real name less than the people who are least racist. “Othello’s blackness is not only a mark of his physical alienation but a symbol, to which every character in the play himself included must respond” (Berry, 1990). Othello does not refer to himself as African but rather as an exotic Venetian. Other characters do not see Othello as that. Many characters call Othello numerous names other than his real one. “For Iago Othello is an old black ram, the devil, and a barbary horse” (Berry, 1990). Many see Othello’s blackness as a symbol of ugliness, bestiality, treachery, and demonic. None of those words describe how Othello really is. Those words are the stereotypical definition of what a black man is. This stereotypical definition puts Othello is a predicament and makes his acceptance in the Venetian society difficult. “Once such critics conclude that Othello is not a stereotype, he tends to lose his individuality as a Moor and to become a representative of humanity” (Berry, 1990). The stereotypical image of a black man plays an important role in the play’s ending.