Role Of Race In Othello

According to an article published in the Times Literary Supplement, “Elizabethan audiences who saw Othello would have expected the ‘Moorish’ character to have been portrayed with devilish and underworld associations. Instead, they witnessed a remarkable inversion. In this play, Shakespeare created a sophisticated Venetian, Iago, who is associated with the devil and a Moor who is Christian and fights for the Christians” (Bate). It is really ironic that William Shakespeare had the insight and knowledge to take the preconceived notions about those of African descent and to make them seem completely foolish. He unapologetically mocks these beliefs and finds a way to humiliate his audience because the Elizabethan audience consisted of mostly people who felt the same way about Othello has the ones in the play felt.

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

Shakespeare was a literary pioneer and was able to inspire conversations about race in a predominantly white European society while living in England through his play Othello which is unique in the sense that it features a non-white hero as the protagonist. Although race is not at the center of Othello, it plays a pivotal role in deciding the course of the play and explains the actions and motives of the characters.

Three sources analyze the racial conflicts of white actors playing colored parts, and all agreed that it was not a trivial situation, for audiences, or actors. Racial tensions are very popular with the media. While there is some minor tension today, the movies and plays of Othello top the charts for most racial conflicts. First, The article, “Othello: the role that entices and engages actors of all skin colours,” by Andrew Dickson shows the history of the actors that played Othello, and when the actors were black, they were either not cast, due to segregationists, or were criticized in their performance for the same reason. Also, this article uses diction to convey the seriousness of white vs. minority crisis. Next, the video, “SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED White Actors Playing Othello” by PBS, shows the performances of many Othello actors that were white. Additionally, the video shows one white actor who used makeup to make himself more than than black. The video uses hyperbole to describe the absurdity of Othello movies. For example, Laurence Olivier, the 1964 Othello was black-top showing how far film industries will go to cover-up racial tensions, and the narrator describes the makeup as ridiculous,and dramatic. Finally, the last article, “Aladdin: putting a white character in Disney’s live-action remake is offensive,” by Hannah Flint displays that film industries feel obligated to please a white audience, keeping the minorities second fiddle by adding characters white people

Had Othello not been black, Iago’s ploy of questioning his manhood may have not been as effective. There is a sense of intersectionality between the understanding of the racial tensions and the feelings of inferiority as a man. It is because Othello is black that Iago is able to question his manhood. Race is the issue that drives Iago, that makes Othello question, and pushes Desdemona away hereby creating the tragedy that is seen in the end. Othello’s race is what drives the tension of the play and yet he still has a place in society. His blackness is not “enough” to render him a total outcast or too low to conceivably woo a virtuous white woman. Yet he is addressed throughout the play as an Other. The reader and the audience are never allowed to forget that he is black and thus lower within the racial hierarchy. Critic Arthur Little argues that by killing himself, Iago reaffirms the racial hierarchy within Venetian society. Othello’s death is used to end the racial anxieties of the play and restore the hierarchy of comfort, “Because the physical blackness of this ‘fair’ courtier is always visible to the audience, he threatens the proper codes of Venetian discourse. As a mercenary he helps return this Venetian culture to its deeply embedded racial codes by smiting himself, the Other” (Little 322). Othello’s blackness is never forgotten or ignored. His role as a racial inferior

Iago makes the most racist comments compared to the other characters as another reason to hate and blame Othello. In Act 1 Scene 1, Iago uses racism to enrage Brabantio to turn against Othello by comparing him

He turns against his friend, Othello, and labels him as a lesser person because of his race. Iago's easy provocation of an important Venetian senator by using Othello's racial characteristics shows how prevalent racism is in the play.

When Iago makes a point of including Othello’s race in a conversation with a confidant, it proves that he feels that Othello’s race is the reason for his actions. There is an obvious abhorrence for Othello based upon his race. Later in the play, Iago goes on to say “If she had been blessed, she would never have loved the Moor” (Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum “WRAC” ). This statement shows that Iago is jealous of Othello because he won the love of Desdemona and is cause for insecurities on his part. Iago must now question his marriage and whether or not Othello is cause for infidelity. These insecurities act as extra motivation for Iago’s actions.

William Shakespeare reveals society’s assumptions about race due to the role the characters play in his work Othello. In the play, Shakespeare demonstrates, through his elaborate character placement, how some individuals are valued over others by race to show how society places an imaginary hierarchy to represent the values of an individual by looks rather than personality and their human nature that eventually lead the individual to believe those remarks. Shakespeare represents the main character as a black individual unable to live his life with those he lives around due to the color of his skin, Othello remains the main character, hints the name of the book, but at the end of the play the assumption that a man will begin to belittle himself

It is obvious to him that he is a man of color in a society that is dominated by White people who prides themselves on money and title. Iago capitalizes on this as he is constantly referring Othello’s blackness through animalistic imagery that degrades Othello as a person. Not only does Othello acknowledges his status as an outsider he often times struggles to come to terms with the fact that he cannot do anything about it. One thing that Othello tries to do is ensure himself that his own beliefs will help him overcome what the people of Venetian think of him; “Not I; I must be found. /My parts, my title, and my perfect soul /Shall manifest me rightly. Is it they? (Act I.ii.30/32).” Othello’s is always putting his “trust” in everyone which is a reflection of his belief that the best way to help overcome discrimination is to let his actions define who he is, not his skin color. Although he tries his best to fit in, the reality is that Othello knows that he can only do so much because he is an outsider to the Venetian society. The fact of the matter is that he is a colored soldier in a society defined by wealth and title, as White people dominate

Race was not the full extent to Othello's downfall; Iago was the most deceiving towards Othello. Where in the Elizabethan society, prejudice was thought of lightly, and the cultural view of Africans refers Othello who shows a strong portrayal of the African references throughout the play. Although Othello is not named as being African or Negro, Othello’s “thick lips” and black skin are pointed out on several occasions (Act 5) as well as a “lascivious Moor” (1.1.127). A strong African with Othello's social rank in the Elizabethan period would not have felt inferior towards the society because of nasty comments aforementioned due to his true modern demeanor. Although Othello's race plays a loud role in his character analysis, Othello's downfall

In his article “Othello’s Alienation” Edward Berry says that Shakespeare portrays Othello as a Moor because racial tension and anxiety pervade the atmosphere of Venetian society, and Othello himself, in his aspiration towards assimilation and anxieties about his blackness, internalizes a false dichotomy that can only dehumanize him (330). His otherness caused Venetians to assault him. The reason lies behind this can also be the fear Europeans have for Islam which was the religion of the most powerful empire of that time, the Ottomans, and the territories it controls. Since many African countries were controlled by the Muslims, Othello is probably coming from an Islamic background. Edward Said stated in his Orientalism: “For Europe, Islam was a lasting trauma. Until the end of the seventeenth century the "Ottoman peril" lurked alongside Europe to represent for the whole

One of the major issues in Shakespeare's Othello is the impact of the race of the main character, Othello. His skin color is non-white, usually portrayed as African although some productions portray him as an Arabian. Othello is referred to by his name only seventeen times in the play. He is referred to as "The Moor" fifty-eight times. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) states that a Moor is "Any individual of the swarthy races of Africa or Asia which have adopted the Mohammedan religion. In Spanish history the terms Moo, Saracens, and Arabs are synonymous." This indicates that Othello is constantly being degraded and set up as an evil person throughout the play. What this really means is that

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

Racism is a glaring problem amongst the characters of the play. Othello is clearly affected by it and feels that he must prove himself equal to everyone else. Iago cleverly feeds Othello’s insecurity by constantly reminding him that he is racially distinct. He points out the obvious differences between Othello and Desdemona. He tells Othello that Desdemona will eventually regret that she hasn’t chosen someone of her own ethnicity and will desire someone,