How Does Shakespeare Use Race In Othello

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Theme of Race in Shakespeare’s Othello Othello is the one of a succession of tragic masterpieces that Shakespeare wrote in the early years of the 16th century. The race is the important element in the “Othello”. In this play, Othello, the main character was a black Moor and in fact, the image of black, white, light and darkness are most often repeated in the play, Othello. In the play Othello, his blackness makes him an outsider in the eyes of the Venetian society and also in his own eyes; and that is why he doubts himself as a proper match for the white Desdemona. This play is about Othello, the main leader, (Black man) secretly marrying a white woman (Desdemona). In the first scene of the play, Roderigo and Lago begin with Othello racial epithets, not …show more content…

For example, Lago said to Brabantio, “ Swounds, sir, you are 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” (1.1.84-86). “An old black ram is tupping your white ewe” is the racial language. Although not specifically named as “the Moor” race is indirectly mentioned in the introduction of the “black” ram versus the “white” ewe. Again, this statement is comparing “Othello” as to a ram as under the humanity. Next, logo says, “Your daughter covered with a Barbary horse, you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans” (1.1.107-110). This statement compares Othello to the horse, Lago say, your daughter has sex with African horse and your grandsons have same characteristic likes; high-pitched sound uttered by a horse, you will have a swift horse for cousins and a female donkey for germans. In the above statement, the speaker used racial connotation and animal imagery to compare black and white people. In

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