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Racial analysis of othello
Analysis of racism in the play Othello
Analysis of racism in the play Othello
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The theme of racism has played a paramount role in works of literature throughout the ages. Othello by William Shakespeare is no exception to this. Race takes up many different roles in order to have a major effect on the play. Viewing the play through a racial lens one can see; the prejudices of Shakespeare’s time, Shakespeare’s own prejudices, the true meaning of Othello’s “blackness”, and the effects of each characters own prejudices. Racism leads to Othello’s downfall and other tragic endings and is thus a highly prevalent theme in Othello.
If one wants to examine Racism in Othello one must first look at the historical background of the period in which it was written. The way Othello is addressed in Venetian society clearly displays the racist tendencies of the period. He is known to the people within Venice and throughout Europe as The Moor of Venice (Bloom 67). After the conquest of the Moors throughout Europe most Europeans had come to dislike them. By creating Othello as a black Moor it made it very easy for Shakespeare to create characters with racist beliefs and in turn it was easy to create a play in which racism played a key role. Othello is constantly subjected to the racism within Venetian society. As he is more and more exposed to it, he effectively embodies the stereotypes that the people give him (Adelman 125).
Shakespeare had his own personal beliefs about racism, and he transferred those beliefs into Othello. The play actually begins with a white male, Iago. None of Shakespeare’s other plays put the main character through such scrutiny before he even appears in the play (Adelman 125). Before Othello even sets foot on stage Shakespeare brings forth Iago to set the prejudice tone of the play. Iago states the f...
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...perfect/That will confess perfection so could err/Against all rules of nature,” (Shakespeare ). Here Brabantio argues that Desdemona’s love for Othello is not natural and that it makes no sense for her to marry someone that she should fear to look at. Brabantio’s racism eventually leads to him dying of a broken heart.
As one can see, racism and prejudice leads to almost all of the characters’ downfalls. Brabantio, Iago, Desdemona, and Emilia all seal their fates because of their racist beliefs. Othello epitomizes the stereotype that both the story and the Europeans of the period gave him and he brings his downfall upon himself. Othello is, in reality, a play about the way prejudice can affect people. Shakespeare goes to an extreme and ultimately kills all of the main characters to drive his point home. Overall, racism lead to multiple downfalls and tragic endings.
Othello, a play written by William Shakespeare in approximately 1603, focuses on two opposite characters named Othello and Iago. Othello is a respectable army general who tragically dies in the end. The readers believe that his flaw is jealousy, which ruins his calm and makes him believe Iago, a character nobody should trust. The antagonist of the play, Iago, is a cunning liar who lies and tricks almost every other characters in the play to ruin and manipulate Othello. The play starts on the street of Venice where Iago convinces Roderigo to plot against Othello by planning falsely accuse Othello’s wife, Desdemona, of cheating. Interestingly, another specific detail critics usually look at is that Shakespeare choose to make the character of Othello a dark-skinned man, which was not a common feature a hero should have during the Elizabethan. Some of the common themes in Othello are the role of race and racism, the effects of jealousy, and the differences between genders during the Elizabethan.
Racial prejudice against Othello is introduced early in the play and is present throughout. Iago and Roderigo approach Brabantio with news about his daughter Desdemona. They inform Brabantio his
The motif of black is a big theme the characters are always mentioning. Othello is a black character in a white dominated society. “What full fortune does the thick lips owe”(1.1.62). At the beginning of the play, Roderigo and Iago only refer to Othello in a racist way, such as the Moor and thick lips. The characters are certainly trying to get the point
Racial barriers are often used as a means to manipulate a member of a minority group. in The tragedy, Othello, was written by William Shakespeare(1564-1616) an English poet and playwright, who is often contemplated as the greatest writer in the English Language. The story begins with Othello, a black general in the Venetian army who secretly marries Desdemona, a white woman. Early on, Othello promotes Michael Cassio as his lieutenant over Iago, fostering mass jealousy. Desperate to get even with Othello, Iago creates elaborate plans to ruin his marriage with Desdemona. Iago’s effective manipulation skills lead Othello to take his wife's life and then his own. Iago is successfully able to deceive Othello because of their many differences, mainly racial, and Iago's understanding of how manipulation works.
With clear references to Othello’s ‘thick lips’ and ‘old black ram’ being linked very closely to his portrayal and respect that he has in this play. The argument that has disputed the involvement of either all white or all black characters, but I believe that it is important to keep the cast the way Shakespeare wrote it because of the clear divide and isolation it makes it commendable and stimulating. It could be argued that Shakespeare was indeed creating racial difference or that he was allowing Othello’s personal flaws to instead create his isolated and jealous breakdown. Othello is presented as having inherent bravery and virtue, yet he is corrupted and ironically ‘blackened’ by Iago the white male character whose manipulative lies and deception eventually destroy him. Othello’s last obituary is resonant and controlled. It is seen that in fact this emotional explanation of his love life, last moments and his great deed was actually problematic for the audience to accept due to the speculation that these ideas were in fact false throughout this
By analyzing this play, we can come to understand the dangers of racial injustice. If I may take the liberty of paraphrasing: "O beware, my lord, of racial prejudice! It is the green-eyes monster, which doth damage the society it thrives in." In the character of Iago, Shakespeare demonstrates the dangers of holding racial prejudices. Othello is the victim of the pervasive social stereotypes which lead to his downfall. This play should serve as a warning of the horrid plague of racism which festers in our society.
Essential to the success of Othello is the fact that the issues and themes explored in this tragedy, written by Shakespeare in about 1604, are still relevant to the modern audience. The interest of an audience is held by themes that are fundamental to the human condition, as these reflect our world and examine human nature. Othello explores the issues of racism, gender, domestic violence, the supernatural and the pathology of the entirely evil person, which are all remarkably relevant to our time. Thus the interest of the audience is held, as issues that affect the viewers and readers of the play spark individual opinions, reflection and thought.
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 ...
To begin, race is the first and clearest of differences between Othello and other major characters. However race is also the least seen issue in the play. Racism is, as stated by Martin Okin “confined to Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio” (Orkin, “Othello: and the”). Emilia herself has her moments of racism, going from using Moor as a describer of Othello to using it as an insult. Brabantio shows this racism when he discovers that Othello has wed his daughter stating:
In Act 1, Scene 1, Iago effectively uses racism to turn Brabantio against Othello. He is the catalyst for all the destructive events throughout the play, starting from the very beginning. Iago uses viciously racist slang to enrage Brabantio, saying that Othello has wed his daughter.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Adelman, Janet. “Iago's Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly 48.2 (1997): 125-44. JSTOR. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
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.
Adelman, Janet. “Iago's Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly 48.2 (1997): 125-44. JSTOR. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
5 J. Adelman. "Iago's Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello," Shakespeare Quarterly v48 Summer 1997: 130.
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.