Matters Of Race In Shakespeare's Othello

Matters of Race in Shakespeare’s Othello Othello is one of William Shakespeare’s most noteworthy dramas. Othello, who is one of the main characters and can also identify with a few different character roles during the course of the reading, is predominantly described as a loyal, honorable, brave and successful war general. However, one of the most salient features of this play is the numerous references to Othello’s race, not only by Iago, but by other characters as well. At the beginning of the play, in fact, we don’t even know Othello’s name, but we are made aware that he is dark-skinned and different from everyone else in Venice. For just about every mention of his state of rank, there is an equal amount of mentions about Othello’s being

Before Othello and Desdemona secretly marry, Othello is, on numerous occasions, a welcomed guest in Brabantio’s home to share food, wine and stories of past times of war. Brabantio is also allured by the stories of Othello’s overall account of his life. He is not, however, fascinated enough to be willing to silently agree to a union between Othello and his daughter. After he is made aware that The Black Moor has Desdemona in his company as his wife, his admiration for Othello has corroded and is leaned more toward disgust. He suggests that Othello must have drugged his daughter or cast a spell on her in order to have won her affections. For most every attempt that Brabantio makes in his effort to persuade the Duke of Venice to believe that Othello has stolen his daughter away, his disdain for Othello’s race is the most apparent objection that he has against their union. His new son-in-law’s skin color is recognized as a natural barrier that makes him a very unwelcomed

“In 1594 Shakespeare confronted the Elizabethans with the dramatic figure of Aaron, a literate African trained in the classics. Shakespeare’s characterization of Aaron presented a striking departure from the established discourse of black inferiority. The novelty was calculated, in the first place, to unsettle the average Elizabethan theatregoer (Ungere).” Documents in London’s National Archive show that two years later, in 1596, Queen Elizabeth issued an “open letter” to the Lord Mayor of London, announcing that “there are of late divers Black Moors brought into this realm, of which kind of people there are already here to many,” and ordered that they be deported from the