Othello Research Paper

• A fear of foreigners during Elizabethan times fostered misogynistic and racist values, which is evident in the way Othello’s blackness becomes a symbol of alienation to which all characters in the play must respond.

Shakespeare is prominent in his use of recurring themes throughout his works, particularly those of love, death, and betrayal. All these themes are present in Othello. Most dominant, however, are manipulation and jealousy. Jealousy runs the characters’ lives in Othello from the beginning of the play, when Roderigo is jealous of Othello because he wishes to be with Desdemona, and to the end of the play, when Othello is furious with jealousy because he believes Cassio and Desdemona have been engaging in an affair, but manipulation the prominent action that fuels the jealousy within Othello. Some characters’ jealousy is fashioned by other characters. Iago is involved in much of this, creating lies and implementing confusing situations.

Although Othello is set in Venice and Cyprus, the attitudes and values shared in the text are probably reflective of the attitudes and values of Shakespeare's own society. It is difficult to assess the attitudes and values of people in sixteenth-century Britain to the relatively few blacks living amongst them. We are given an insight into those attitudes and values through the representation of race and

Othello by William Shakespeare raises the issue of how rampant beliefs and attitudes in a society can cause a person to question their sense of self. In a society where racial equality is near non-existent, Othello, a black skinned foreigner in the Venetian society, is constantly reminded of his status as an outsider. Othello, however, is not depicted in a stereotypical manner and despite occupying a highly respected position he is often confronted with blatant racism throughout the play. The prevailing attitudes and beliefs of Venetian society towards Othello are exploited by Iago in order to manipulate Othello’s self confidence and emotional state.

“Othello” is a tragic play of jealousy, racism and struggle for power. Right from the beginning, Shakespeare has created vigorous dialogue and conflicting situations. There is a direct contrast between black and white in this play, with black meaning something negative and evil and white meaning pure and fairness. The clash between these two colours leads to severe hatred and enmity between a few people.

Racism is a theme that is prominently evident throughout Shakespeare's Othello. Through this theme, there are several perceptions of an individual's race which are exhibited to establish the

A lot of things change over time but not always what we want to change. A 400 year old burden has followed us into 2018 Racism has many different forms, many of which we see in Othello. All cultures and races have become victims to racism in 2018. Racism can be used in forms of nicknames, assumptions because of different origin and this one specifically is used early against Othello who happens to be the only black man in any sort of power in Venice.

Patrick Challenger 2/20/15 Othello Essay Period 4 Othello Outline I. “Hell is empty and all the devils are here” (Shakespeare). A. In Othello, Shakespeare expresses color imagery in order to display race and its effect on confidence. II. Shakespeare uses Othello’s skin color to show he is insecure due to racial inequality. A. Othello is insecure because of the color of his skin.

The themes relevant in the text that are still applicable to the modern interests of today are as follows; Betrayal is the key issue related with the text and consequently defines the term ‘tragedy’. Betrayal is portrayed in Shakespeare’s “Othello” all through the act and even from the very beginning; Act 1, Scene 1- Iago and Roderigo are discussing their hatred towards Othello. During this discussion, the racism and sort of indirect betrayal is brought out in the play as Iago explains to Roderigo his manipulating scheme leading to the betrayal and downfall of Othello; their captain and supposed ‘respected’ leader. Betrayal- in however many forms it may pursue- is sadly displayed regularly in life, and through many unwarranted situations varying even from day to day. Racism is a major issue associated in the reigns of the context of this script. The period of this Shakespearean text was also situated at the time of increase in hatred, discrimination and racism towards black ethnic races. In Act 1, Scene 1, we read of Iago’s racism towards Othello as a ‘fat lip(ped)’’savage’, as he tends to marry a smart, prized, beautiful yet white woman. All through the play Othello gets referred to as a savage or

Throughout time, writing has evolved such that gender, race and creed have taken on a more pivotal role in fiction. Some people argue that race in William Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Othello,” is hardly an issue. However, to many people, race is everything in “Othello. The challenges that Othello, the lead character, faces are directly attributed to his “Moor” complexion and if he were of a different nationality, the outcome of his situation would have been drastically different. These claims are supported by the articles of “Othello’s Alienation” by Edward Berry and “Race Mattered: Othello in Late Eighteenth-Century England” by Virginia Mason Vaughan that argue that race is a major element in “Othello.”

Both Othello and Oedipus are stories that revolve around the concept of tragedy. The two characters have different stories, yet appear to also have similar characteristics. Oedipus is the story of a young man who becomes a fearless warrior and king (Nassaar 147). However, he realizes that he has been cursed and has to ban himself from his kingdom in order to save it from a looming doom. On the other hand, Othello is the story of an army man who falls in love only to realize that his love is doomed (Hedrick 641).

In Shakespeare’s Othello, he characterizes the eponymous protagonist of the drama, a black general, in terms of the stereotypes of black people upheld at the time he was writing. During those times black people were perceived as animalistic, evil, and lower in status than a white person. Throughout the course of the tragedy, Shakespeare affirms these stereotypes and uses “The Moor” to represent someone who is not viewed as an equal to white people in the social hierarchy.

Racism seems to be a big concern in Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello. Because the hero of the play is an outsider, a Moor, we have an idea how blacks were regarded in England, in Elizabethan times. There are many references that bring about the issue of racism from the very beginning to the end. In the tragedy, where Othello is coming from is not mentioned, yet through the descriptions the reader is informed that he belongs to one of the Eastern nationalities such as African, Ottoman Turk or Arab. In this paper I am going to analyze some episodes involving a prejudicial, racist attitude and try to discuss whether Shakespeare was a racist or not. Even though the play is full of offensive definitions of black

Shakespeare’s Othello takes place in Elizabethan Venice, a time in which racial tensions were high and ‘outsiders’ were treated dismally. In the words of Paul Robeson, the first African American actor to portray Othello on Broadway in 1943, “In the Venice of that time [Othello] was in practically the same position as a coloured man in America today [1930]” (Shmoop). As the parallel suggests, Moors at the time were very unsuccessful in society compared to their contemporaries, and were thought of very lowly. Othello, however, is considered at the start of the play to be different from the other members of his race. He has become a successful general, and much of the dialogue surrounding Othello emphasizes the amount of respect and honor that he has accrued.

Whilst looking on the internet many people ask 'Is Othello, by William Shakespeare a racist play,' in my opinion yes, yes it is. Despite todays' hate on racism, during the time of the play, 1622, racism is considered amusing and part of day-to-day life. Othello by William Shakespeare, first began on a cold night in the town of Venice, two gentlemen, Rodrigo and his close friend, Iago, stood on the streets discussing recent events of when Iago was denied the promotion he had longed for. He was frustrated by the news, as he needed the promotion to pay back Rodrigo, as he owed him a lot of money.