Many centuries have passed and almost everything has changed except one and that is discrimination . Discrimination is everywhere in the world, whether it is of caste, creed or color but it exists. It varies from place to place, country to country and from civilization to civilization but it exists. There are so many laws to stop it. But, it exists and it will exist no matter how hard we try to abolish it until there are a majority and a minority of people in imp this world. In
Othello there is discrimination with Othello on the basis of his color and in The Importance of
Being Earnest there is discrimination of class with Jack. In Othello there are many references to
Othello’s race, not only by Iago, but by other characters as well. Same as in The Importance of
Being Earnest there are many references related to the class used by characters. In both of these plays characters are more responsible for discrimination and authors are also the contributors for discrimination in plays.
In Othello racism starts from the first scene of the play where Iago is angry about the decision of Othello and then Iago starts talking to Roderigo in that conversation he says about
Othello that “I⎻⎻God bless the mark!⎻⎻his Moorship’s ensign”(1.1.32). Again Iago comments about Othello “whether I in just term am assigned To love the Moor?”(1.1.38-39). Afterwards, when Iago and Roderigo went to Brabantio’s house Iago uses racist words when he wakens
Brabantio with the news that his daughter, Desdemona has eloped with Othello “an old black ram Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!”(1.1.88-89) and he also compares him to the thief.
This is not the first time, Iago is pointing Othello’s color he again points out about Othell...
... middle of paper ...
...allowed to marry Gwendolen because he is of lower
class according to her mother, Lady Bracknell. As we all know that there are many laws to
control discrimination, but that laws are useless because now discrimination has become the
common ideology of every person. We have to remove this thought. We all are equal and have
equal rights to live. Color and class are all decided by the god, not by us. Although, we all are
just the puppets of God, we should live peacefully.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Michael Neil. Toronto: Oxford UP,
2008. Print
St. Rose, Marjorie. "Race and Patriarchy in Othello" The International Journal of
Bahamian Studies 11. 2008, 25-32 .Academic Search Complete.Web.12 March 2014
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Ed. Samuel Lyndon
Gladden. Broadview Press. 2010. Print
After hearing Iago speak, Brabantio has had his eyes open to a new perspective of the situation. Iago then begins to uses a new manipulative strategy, he starts using bestiality to describe Othello.
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
William Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragedy about revenge through jealousy and deception. Throughout the play, Iago is constantly pitting characters against each other in order to satiate his anger from being denied the promotion to lieutenant that Cassio was granted. As a catalyst for all the conflicts that arise during the play, Iago merely uncovers the underlying insecurities characters such as Othello, a notable war general in Venice, are struggling with. Animal imagery as well as the use of light and dark to differentiate between race is very prominent and is used to drive a wedge between the newlyweds, Othello and Desdemona. Although Othello is a highly accomplished and well respected war hero, the notion that Venetians, including Desdemona, are a superior race, prevents him from ever feeling truly secure in his marriage, ultimately leading to the demise of several people close to him, and finally himself.
The color imagery of Othello influences many characters; some are influenced to hate or love Othello because of “black” and “white,” while Othello himself is driven to murder, particularly with red imagery. While each color plays its own role throughout the text, they all greatly contribute to the characters' behaviors and actions … leading to the play's tragic end.
Foremost, Iago first plan to ruin Othello is to use Roderigo?s weakness to help him remove Cassio from his lieutenant position, which will in turn lead to both Othello?s and Cassio?s demise. Iago tells Roderigo to "put money in thy purse" (Shakespeare 53). Iago urges Roderigo to earn money now so that he can win Desdemona?s heart. Iago tells Roderigo what he wants to hear in order to enlist his help. Iago states that he would never associate with someone like Roderigo except to gain his own ends. ?Thus do I ever make my fool my purse--/ For I mine own gained knowledge should profane/ If I would time expand with such a snipe/ But for my sport and profit? (Shakespeare 55). Iago feels that Roderigo is a foolish man who exists only for his use. He manipulates Roderigo to his fullest extent then says he does so for his own ?sport and profit.?
the father of Desdemona, to tell him that Othello has. taken his daughter Desdemona, and as they speak. making love to her,. Iago was attempting to instigate a fight between Othello and Brabantio, using Desdemona as the bait. Iago stated, “Your heart is bursting. You have lost half of your soul.
One could even argue that Iago’s first scene when he incites Desdemona’s father to go and take revenge on Othello by using racist and bestial slurs is very similar to the first talks of war in the Senate and the general being told he must leave his homeland to defend Cyprus from the Turks. .. “An old black ram is tupping your white ewe,” (1.1.98) Iago shouts to Brabantio, at the same moment that Othello is being informed of his new assignment.
Later he carries out his plans for Othello’s destruction. He makes Othello believe his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with his friend and former Lieutenant Cassio. Upon hearing the accusations which Othello deems true, he gets enraged leading to him doubting himself and blaming his failed marriage on his race. He says “And yet how nature, erring from itself—”(3.3.233) further emphasising on Brabantio's point that the love between Othello and Desdemona is unnatural. Othello believes Desdemona has returned to her ‘true nature’ by falling in love with and being with Cassio, a white man rather than being in an ‘unnatural’ relationship with
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. .
Othello is driven so mad with jealousy that he completely submits to Iago. When Iago suggests that he should have Cassio killed and kill Desdemona himself, Othello readily agrees. Iago's manipulation of Othello relied much more heavily on jealousy rather than racism. The theme of racism in Othello is clearly very important.
Everyone at some point in their lives attempts to convince someone to behave certain ways and to do specific things that ultimately will only benefit the person doing the convincing. Throughout the entire book, Othello, Iago attempts to convince numerous people in order to in the end only benefit and help himself. In this scene, Roderigo is explaining to Iago how he no longer wants to love because he is without Desdemona’s love. Iago then focuses on convincing Roderigo not only out of suicide, but also into getting Desdemona back. If Iago was unable to encourage Roderigo to go back after Desdemona, his plans would have been ruined. In lines 296-395, Iago uses many different uses of language in order to convince Roderigo to do what he wants him to do.
Adelman, Janet. “Iago's Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly 48.2 (1997): 125-44. JSTOR. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
The actions of Barbantio initiate the interest in the race issue in Act 1 Scene 1 more so than Iago's foul abuses because the type of hidden racism is actually present in modern society. Barbantio disapproves of his daughter ever marrying Roderigo who has not got a good reputation with him but after listening to Iago tell him that his daughter is seeing a moor he wishes Roderigo,
	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.
...t Fielding tends to mock the upper class more and it can be argued they are the ones with worse characteristics however he also ridicules lower class characters such as Mrs. Slipslop, the middle aged plump lady's maid who is also a bully ; Peter Pounce, the swindling skinflint, Mrs. Tow-wouse, the scolding innkeepers wife and Pamela's hypocrisy in the sense she once saw Fanny as her equal but now deems herself to be superior. In conclusion we see that Fielding does not so much then make a distinction between class, but shows us that hypocrisy, vanity, unkindness and cruelty are vices that belong to all members of society and it is only those who see the goodness in humanity and who treat all others with kindness and respect regardless of class that are superior individuals.