Comparing Othello Burlesques, And The Performance Of Blackness '

683 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Theme of racial discrimination in Othello

In the article, “Acting Black: Othello Burlesques, and the Performance of Blackness,” MacDonald writes about the fear and ridicule the black population faced during the early 1800’s. Shakespeare's Othello and MacDonald’s essay, “Acting Black: Othello Burlesques, and the Performance of Blackness,” demonstrate transgressive elements of blackness while a lover through the white community’s disapproval of interracial marriage because of their view of black men as monstrous, bestial, and dangerous.
The characters in Othello such as, Desdemona’s father Brabantio, Othello’s ancient Iago, and others such as Roderigo speak derogatively about Othello throughout the play. Beginning in act 1, scene 1 of the story, Iago and Roderigo run to Brabantio in the middle of the night and wake him from his slumber. They come to spread the news …show more content…

Iago states, “Sir, you’re robbed! For shame, put on your gown. Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul. Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe” (Shakespeare 4). The audience’s first impression of Othello is that he is a dirty animal stealing Desdemona away from her father. Brabantio, who seemingly trusts Othello as a leader does not want him married to his daughter. When Brabantio gets proof that Iago is telling the truth, he refuses to believe it and says, ”O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her! For I’ll refer me to all things of

Show More
Related

  • Harlem Duet

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the personally written introduction to her play, Sears locates and comments upon a recognizable ideological gap. In 1965, Othello was produced with a white actor, Laurence Olivier performing the role of the titular character in black face. This event is what Sears says she writes Harlem Duet in direct response to; her play is an exorcism, to purge this event from her memory. There has historically been a long tradition of white people performing Blackness on the stage and in film. Needless to say, this is problematic for so many reasons. Black people became a costume, and performances actively worked to belittle the intelligence and capability of people of African descent. White people inserting themselves into Black roles had been common practice; in the 60s black actors were simply not cast in theatrical roles. Even now, as it is socially acceptable for Black actors to be cast in the role, Othello still haunts the racial climate of the theatre as a Black man commits violent atrocity of murder against a white woman. The story itself feeds into and reinforces a cultural/racial narrative about the threat that Black men pose against white women. In the original presentation of Othello, Shakespeare wrote Othello as a Moor. This signifies some sort of Other figure, someone who is distinct from the original European audience. It is within this racial tension where Sears locates the “gap” for her adaptation to occupy. She changes the character’s names to some extent, and takes a few of them off the stage entirely. Desdemona is written as a white woman, and her name is changed to Mona, but she is never seen as completely on the stage. It removes Mona from the equation, and reorients the story to focus solely on a new character named Billie, Othello’s first wife, and a highly intelligent explicitly Black woman. The play takes place at the corner of Malcolm X and Martin

    Read More

  • The Comment That Brought Forth the War

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    The events occurring in others scenes in Act I lead Brabantio to speak that mind-morphing line to Othello. Brabantio wakes up abruptly by Roderigo and Iago telling Brabantio that his daughter, Desdemona, marries Moor Othello without Brabantio's blessing. Iago yells, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe […]” (I.i. 90-91). The harsh wording creatively constructs nefarious imagery in both the audience’s and Brabantio’s minds. Othello’s and Desdemona’s open disregard for Venice’s laws casts both of them as morally corrupt in the eyes of Renaissance society. Like now, rules are not to be broken, but the people of Renaissance dealt with lawbreakers more severely than current society does now. Shakespeare by placing Brabantio in Othello serves as the opinions of the majority during the Renaissance towards Desdemona’s reckless behavior.

    Read More

  • Othello - Manipulation To Gain Power

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    	Iago uses a different tactic to manipulate Brabantio. He changes Brabantio's way of looking at the marriage of his daughter Desdemona to Othello. He awakes Brabantio by saying "Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! Thieves! Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags! Thieves! Thieves!" (I.i.76-78) By saying this, Iago shows a new perspective to Brabantio by insinuating that Othello has stolen his daughter. Iago reinforces this when he say's,

    Read More

  • Free College Essays - The Father/Daughter Conflict in Shakespeare's Othello

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    Consequently, Brabantio is extremely upset when he learns that they have eloped. Brabantio's anger at Othello's "thievery" leads him to entreat the Duke and Senate to annul the marriage. It is also true that the scene involving Iago and Roderigo telling Brabantio of his daughter's eloping does much to develop the character of Iago as a meddling weasel early in the book. The scene in which Othello and Brabantio argue their cases before the Duke is the culmination of the underlying conflict between Desdemona and Brabantio. Desdemona's direct part in the saga is less important than the effects of this conflict on Othello, who emerges an honorable and lawfully wedded man after his appearance before the Senate.

    Read More

  • Othello Reflects the Context and Values of its Time

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    Brabantio also endeavours into placing a seed of doubt in Othello’s mind as a result of his jealousy. Consequentially Brabantio objectifies Desdemona when he states, “Where has thou stow’d my daughter?” exemplifying how he deems her as a possession, which can be stolen like any other. Othello prolongs this objectification through asserting that he “won his daughter” portraying Desdemona as a prize to be won, and a possession to be owned and argued over by husband and father. Desdemona is depicted early on in the play as the “angel” wi... ...

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Othello - Character Development of Iago, Desdemona and Othello

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iago proceeds to tell the news of Desdemona and Othello's marriage to a shocked Brabantio. He uses offensive imagery, showing the extent to which he will go to win Brabantio's support against Othello. While not in the company of either Othello or Brabantio, Iago debases the marria...

    Read More

  • “How does Shakespeare Encourage the Audience to Pity the Character of Othello?”

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the beginning of the play, the audience is made aware that Othello is a Moor working in the service of Venice. During the time the play was written, racism was strong. Despite Othello’s carefully built up life in which he managed to rise from being very poor to a powerful general, he still experienced racism from characters such as Roderigo and Brabantio. In Act One Scene One, Brabantio is appalled at the idea of his delicate daughter Desdemona secretly marrying a black man without his consent. He openly insults Othello, oblivious to Othello’s power: “That thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals.” Brabantio is accusing Othello of witchcraft and trickery, and suggesting that no one could ever love him without the influence of his evil witchcraft. The audience feels pity for Othello because they know that Othello loves Desdemona and that he is a kind man, and is receiving these insults because of his race. The audience realises that he is already at a ...

    Read More

  • Racism and Cultural Differences Exposed in Othello

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    Orkin, Martin. “Othello and the “plain face” Of Racism.” 2nd ed. Vol. 38. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 166-88. Shakespeare Quarterly. Folger Shakespeare Library in Association with George Washington University, Summer 1987. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Racism in William Shakespeare's Othello

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 his insecurity about his marriage. However, Othello is not wholly the tragedy of racism. The theme of jealousy is also extremely important in Othello. Racism may play a large part in the tragedy, Othello, but it certainly does not adequately explain the entire play.

    Read More

  • Racism in Othello by William Shakespeare

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    Have you ever thought about how much Othello’s race and the racism around him affected his life? Othello struggled a lot during the play because of his dark skin color. He was called several racist names like “the Moor,” “old black ram,” “Barbary horse,” and “thick lips” (Shakespeare 1.1.40; 1.1.88; 1.1.111; 1.1.66).The term “racism” has been around for several years; it started in the twentieth century (Bartels 433). By the way the Elizabethan era viewed black people was similar to how racism is today with all of the racial comments, and stereotypes. Being a black person in a mostly white ethnicity area at that time had to be challenging based on Othello’s experience. Othello was the black sheep crowded around a herd of white sheep, he was an outcast. Racist comments were made by many of the characters like Iago, Brabantio, Roderigo, and Emilia. If there was an award for most used racial comment towards Othello, Iago would win. Racism in Othello had a tremendous impact on Othello. He was judged by the color of his skin and not his personality. Othello’s race and the racism around him affected his life by ruining his marriage with Desdemona, alienating him from everybody in Venice, and by making him an easy target to be manipulated by Iago.

    Read More

  • Brabantio the Protective Father in Shakespeare's Othello

    548 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brabantio is a very protective father. He makes sure that his daughter Desdemona lives a sheltered life under his care. She is his only child so he treats her like a prized possession. He also made certain to keep her under a tight leash, especially with male callers. When Roderigo tries to court her, he disapproves, "The worser welcome!/ I have charged thee not to haunt my doors./ In honest plainness thou hast heard me say/ My daughter is not for thee" (1.1.93-95). Brabantio is in disbelief when Roderigo instead tells him of Desdemona's elopement with Othello and says:

    Read More

  • What Way Would A Modern Audience React To The Way Race And Racism Is Portrayed In 'Othello'?

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Sixteenth century, as we see clearly from Othello and other works of both Shakespeare and Cinthio's original version of Othello, race was a topic of great debate and discussion. Today, in the twenty-first century the debate retains its controversy and passion. However, attitudes towards race have taken a dramatic turn during the last century. In the developed world people are now living in an increasingly cosmopolitan society would undoubtedly be more tolerant and would reject or even be offended by racial discrimination to any person or sections of the community. Openly 'racist' people today are seen as outcasts. Taking this into account, the way a modern audience would react to race and racism in Othello is dependent upon the way in which that modern audience would interpret 'Othello'. This prompts the questions of what sort of message Shakespeare wanted to send to his audience and was Othello the moor portrayed as a tragic hero or did his character eventually come to resemble the prejudices of which he was a victim. Shakespeare also discusses the issue of race with other characters such as the hateful Iago and the prejudices hidden deep in Barbantio.

    Read More

  • Iago’s Manipulation in Act One of Shakespeare's Othello

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    The audience at this point know nothing of Othello that is gained by their own opinion, instead we are lead to believe from Iago’s race related description that Othello is a threatening and evil moor, whose beastial sexual appetite, conveyed by Iago’s cries to Brabantio, telling him that ‘an old black ram is tupping’ his ‘white ewe’ (1.1.89), is something of a rapist. Iago’s coarse animal related language conveys Iago’s feelings against Othello’s marriage in a much more pronounced way. The image of an ‘old black ram’ gives the audience nothing but negative images of Othello, especially when this ‘old black ram’ is being associated with the innocence of a ‘white ewe’. Iago then associates Othello with the image of ‘the devil’ (1.1.92) because of Othello’s colour, Iago warns Brabantio that he has ‘lost half [his] soul’ now that Desdemona is married to Othello. Iago here emphasises the biracial nature of the marriage, already showing his ability to manipulate people, in this case he is manipulating Brabantio, to believe in Iago’s own opinions and in theory to eliminate all thoughts that Brabantio might of had of his own about the marriage.

    Read More

  • Othello: An Outsider

    475 Words  | 1 Pages

    In spite of the fact that a few utilize it and denote no hurt, but when Iago and Brabantio used, “the Moor,” they turn into a bigot slur, to weaken and outlaw Othello from society. Moreover, expressions like the devil and lips, from Iago are utilized to play on Othello’s outwardly diverse physical appearance, supporting the idea that Othello is distinctive, and an untouchable in their community. Shakespeare investigates the relationship of an outsider is through the suggestions given by different characters that Othello scarcely human, "An old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” Between these lines, Iago leads the audience to consideration to the distinction in both skin colour and age of the two, and suggesting that a devating Othello is taking the tidiness and guiltlessness of Desdemona.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Human Nature in Shakespeare's Othello

    2304 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the tragedy Othello, Shakespeare creates a mood that challenges the way a person sees his or her self and the world. Subjects like racism, sexism, love, hate, jealously, pride, and trickery are thoroughly developed in the play of Othello to enable the audience to view the characters and also themselves. The Shakespearean tragedy of Othello was written in a time of great racial tensions in England. According to Eldred Jones, in 1600 just three years before Othello was written, Queen Elizabeth proclaimed an Edict for the Transportation of all "negars and blackmoores" out of the country ("Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays 39). It is in this atmosphere that Shakespeare began the masterpiece of Othello, a drama about a noble black Arab general, Othello, who falls in love with and marries, Desdemona, a young white daughter of a senator. From the above knowledge one may conclude that Shakespeare wrote Othello to express that all people, of all ethnicity, are basically the same in human nature. Shakespeare borrowed the idea of Othello from an Italian love story by Giraldi Cinthio. However, Shakespeare focuses more on the differences in color and age between Othello and Desdemona than Cinthio. Shakespeare does this to escalate Othello’s isolation from the rest of Venetian society and to display Othello’s vulnerability due to his color. In the tragedy not only is Othello susceptible to weaknesses but so is every major character . The tragedy reminds humans that even one’s good nature can be taken advantage of for the worse. The drama Othello expresses, through relationships and emotional attitudes, a theme that all humans are vulnerable to destruction even if they are in positions of power and glory.

    Read More

More about Comparing Othello Burlesques, And The Performance Of Blackness '

Open Document