The play Othello by Shakespeare is set up in Venice, during the 1500s. At the time blacks were deemed and dehumanized due to their complexion. Non-westernized people were also seen as savages. Having one black character (Othello) in this story presupposes that there will be tension between Othello and a white male. Therefore, when Othello promotes Michael Cassio to lieutenant Iago becomes infuriated and filled with jealousy. Iago becomes enraged because he feels that he should have been the one to be promoted. He claims to have more experience in the field. He then strives to get rid of Cassio in hopes of attaining the position he desires in doing so he also manipulates Othello and fills his soul with jealousy and insecurity. Othello’s insecurities and jealousy eat him alive and lead him to his downfall. This play denies blacks a full complexion furthermore; it dehumanizes them and belittles them making them resemble savages in order to illustrate European problems.
Othello’s physical appearance is emphasized through out the play, but paints him and blacks negatively. Othello is a well-respected man due to his talent in warfare. He is a general and well respected by his army and Venice for defending it. However, even though he has earned his title he is still targeted and deemed as an inferior just because of his phenotypes. Rodrigo refers to him as thick-lip. This is a racial slur that dehumanizes him due to his physical appearance. Moreover, the scene when Desdemona father discovers that her and Othello are married demonstrates that a black body should not affiliate itself with a white one in any way. There is an invisible race boundary that exists and Othello is breaking it by being with a white woman. He is stealing a white w...
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...with the Devil, it is an unorthodox practice and Othello living in a Christianity realm can easily be convicted and killed for such practice.
The play Othello revolves around the theme of race, this play dehumanizes blacks in order to explore white ambiguity. Even though the ending of the play is open Iago still lived to see another day. If Iago did not put to much faith into Rodrigo he would have been able to pull out his plan and attained his desired position. Because Othello was black and self-conscious about his race, he was weak mentally which led to his demise. This play paints black as weak beings that can be easily deceived and self-conscious about their race. It shows that blacks do seem themselves as inferior to white. This play is a racial play that just uplifts whites by portraying them as superior and being able to easily manipulate a black individual.
Othello is also the protagonist of the play, nevertheless he was still considered the hero as well. Othello’s refusal to face reality lead to his downfall. His flaw is his insecurities as a Moor and his inability to accept the success he has earned, the importance he has places in his honour and reputation caused his ultimate downfall. Iago easily manipulated Othello because Iago knows Othello’s flaw. Othello cannot stand the thought of his reputation being marred as a general and a Moor in the Venetian army. Like a soldier, honour was what Othello hold dear to his heart. Although Othello is a highly respected general in the Venetian army, he is still a Moor. Because he has been a soldier his entire life, his way of thinking have affected his confidence in perception. As a black man in a white people’s world Othello was discriminated and considered an
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
The verse and prose he spoke in were usually heard from high status characters, but Othello easily coped with this language even to his isolation. This indicates that even if Shakespeare did want to display this racial difference in Othello, he kept the language of high status to indicate that although Othello is black, he is still an accepted Venetian soldier. With all this racial discrimination one would take have to take into consideration that the Elizabethan theatre would have been in a period where Shakespeare was dealing and addressing with the customs of society, such as black people not even being permitted on stage. White characters were painted black to represent the black race. With this in mind Shakespeare would have had to mirror society’s strong beliefs and extreme behaviours against the black race. Shakespeare is presenting the message that whether you are part of the white or black race, society is constantly isolating outsiders in a situation that they never deserve. Cowhig critiqued Othello and said that “It should not be forgotten that Othello was the black noble whose humanity eroded by cunning and racism of whites” (Cowhig 7), he was a black noble man who was seduced by white evil: Iago. The actual black villain here is arguably
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.
Othello seems to have a really rough time finding the truth in people. The reasoning behind this is simply the way he acts around people. Although Othello is a cultural and racial outsider in Venice, his skill as a soldier and leader is nevertheless valuable and necessary. He is after all a man in high power and is respected for that simple fact. Essentially, the first impact that is made upon the reader of Othello is not one of high quality. He was called many names of which had to do mostly with his racial background some of these names include “the Moor” (I.i.57), “an old black ram” (I.i.88), and “a Barbary horse” (I.i.113). The two characters that begin the cruel introduction of Othello are two trusted comrades, one being Iago. Right from the start, Iago already begins the demise of Othello. Now since Othello made this decision to trust and simply see the good in everyone rather than the truth in everyone his life got turned upside down and started to take ...
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 ...
Iago longs to hurt Othello. He is Othello's footsoldier, an ancient, his right-hand man, and long-time friend. Iago was enraged when Othello did not promote him to lieutenant, choosing instead the handsome, young, affluent, Cassio. Iago felt that he was more entitled to the position than Cassio. Cassio was a brillant strategist, but had very little experience on the battlefield. Iago, on the other hand, had an abundance of battle experience and felt that he was passed over only for appearances' sake. This idea may very well be true. Othello needed someone who would make him look better in the eyes of important state officials and people of high standing in the community. The Moor was a black man, a fact that is often referred to in the play and which also causes Othello much insecurity. He saw his race as a drawback and something that could prevent him from gaining further success. So Michael Cassio was the perfect "face" to bring along to state functions; the perfect white face. He was a very presentable, educated, good-looking man from a middle-class background. To get back at the Moor, Iago decides to poison his mind against his wife and against Michael Cassio, by conjuring up images of an illicit sexual affair between the two.
Othello’s race makes him an easy target for Iago and causes insecurities within him. Iago thinks it evil for Othello to marry a woman who is supposed to be a higher status than people of his skin color; twisted ideologies like this are an integral part of Iago’s identity. He wants to transform Othello into a monster so everyone’s racist superstitions will be affirmed. Synopsis: Kiernan Ryan shows different aspects of the inherent racism in Shakespeare’s
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." (1, 2, 36-37) But Iago makes sure to use Othello's race against him as much as possible.
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.
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.
	Throughout the first act of the play, Othello is shown as many different characters depending on who is speaking. Iago complains of Othello's pride and "bombast circumstance" and is angered by the appointment of Cassio, an educated military theoretician of Florence to lieutenant, instead of himself. As Iago speaks to Brabantio about Othello, he uses the term "white ewe" to represent Desdemona, and "black ram" when referring to Othello. By using these terms, it shows that he is trying to give a bad impression of Othello when he is speaking to the royal family in Venice, because Othello is a Moor, or a Negro. Iago shows his black hatred for the Moor and his jealousy of Cassio in his first soliloquy and also reveals his evil intentions.
Othello: The Moor of Venice is probably Shakespeare's most controversial play. Throughout this work, there is a clear theme of racism, a racism that has become commonplace in Venetian society which rejects the marriage of Othello and Desdemona as anathema. The text expresses racism throughout the play within the language transaction of the dialogue to question the societal ethos established by Othello, thereby making him nothing less than a cultural "other." Furthermore, the character of Desdemona is displayed as mad, or out of her wits, for marrying such an "other," and the audience sees her slip from an angelic state of purity to that of a tainted character. Also, the menacing Iago, a mastermind of deviant rhetoric, is able to play Othello and Desdemona against one another until their marriage fails, while at the same time destroying his adversary and friend, Cassio. Thus Iago has a specific agenda, not only to get back at Othello for choosing Cassio instead of him, but also to make Cassio the victim of his plan to destroy the forbidden marriage referred to by Brabantio as a "treason of the blood" (1.2.166-167). Essentially, Iago is a representative of the white race, a pre-Nazi figure who tries to inform the public of the impurity of Othello and Desdemona's marriage. He demonstrates how this miscegenation is threatening to the existing social order. Thus, through analysis of racism, the play represents the hatred possessed by mankind -- a hate so strong that society sees the mixing with an "other" to be a curse to humanity and a terrible threat to Aryan culture.
The director uses specific language and tone to stress the issue of race in Othello. The controversy of racial relationships is expressed through Brabantio's negative attitudes and words. He refers Othello to a 'foul thief, implying that his daughter could never love a man of a different colour, and that therefore Othello has stolen her from him. Brabantio compares Othello to someone that no one would want and he is disgusted that Desdemona would "run from her guardage to the sooty bosom". Thus implying that Othello is dirty and undesirable. The choice of language from the director highlights the other characters pessimistic and disrespectful attitudes towards Othello due to his skin colour.
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.