Racism and Interracial Marriage in Othello
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 play is structured so that the climax, or rather the main premise of the play, appears near the beginning; al...
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The early modern definition of race very much differs from the current usage and definition of race today, according to Margo Hendricks, “the word race referred not to the linking of character with physical appearance, but to family and lineage” in addition to cultural customs. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is esteemed for his military power; he is welcomed by Barbantio, and invited into his homes to tell of his adventures. Yet, in many instances the fact that he is a moor takes precedence over any military prowess he may possess. As a general in the Venetian Army, it is expected that utmost respect be shown at all times, yet this is not the case for Othello. Regardless of his acclaimed position of general in the Venetian military, the prejudices held by Iago and Barbantio outweigh his credentials as a civilized human being. His ally Barbantio questions his methods of getting Desdemona to marry him, and concludes that it had to be of some sort of Moorish witch craft or drug. Othello is also disrespected by Iago, a trusted confidant; his very essence is degraded and compared to that of a wild animal while Desdemona is seen as a pure white lamb, whom Othello has corrupted. Iago purposely uses the preconceived notions about Moors to convince others that his culture represents chaos, sexual immorality, and corruption. Iago also preys on Othello's jealousy to twist Othello’s emotions and convince him that Desdemona has been unfaithful.
...oolwork and go out with their friends. It is important that a student interacts with others because it boosts self-confidence and helps maintain social stability in their lives. Lastly, rule number five when dealing with stress is using relaxation techniques. There are many relaxation techniques such as: listening to music, daydreaming, sleeping, writing poetry and many others. Also a student dealing with stress should take time out of their schedule for personal interests and hobbies. Students need to take time from stressful situations and do what makes them happy and have fun. It is also good to take a mini vacation from time to time. This helps keep the stressful student’s mind off of things and allow them to retreat somewhere to think and relax. In conclusion, stress can be very harmful and have a lot of effects on a student’s body. Some stress is good, but a lot of it can be bad. The five ways a student can prevent and deal with stress can be very useful. The student dealing with stress just needs to relax and deal with their problems with ease, instead of making things hard on themselves. Things will fall into place; just have patients and life will be a lot less stressful.
The next part of this paper will consist of information describing the organs and the normal functions involved in five of the physiological systems in the human body. It will also include one illness...
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Stress, as defined as a reaction to a stimulus that breaks our physical and mental harmony, is ubiquitous. However, stress has two sides – the bad and the good, in which the latter is mostly overlooked as most people suffer from the affliction of the former.
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... One day he meets a girl, who happens to be his friend’s daughter, and falls in love. She falls in love with his stories and he falls in love with her passion. One troublemaker tries to cause problems by accusing Othello of stealing his friend’s daughter using drugs and witchcraft. All this happens after Othello and Desdemona gets married. Othello is put in the position of defending his honor, and Brabanzio in the position of defending his daughter’s honor. Iago is the villain who started the nasty rumor. Brabanzio is also a man who does not believe in mixed marriages and Othello was a black man. This is a story that does not end very well. Shakespeare tackles the issues of race, lies, friendship and jealousy.
Barthelemy, Anthony G. "Introduction" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 1-19)
People while at work are often under psychological pressure. In the "risk group" fall supervisors and managers, people who work with clients, secretaries, salesmen, teachers and indeed, almost any job - the source of stress. According to a 2007 nationwide poll by the American Psychological Association, “three-quarters of Americans list work as a significant source of stress, with over half of those surveyed indicating that their work productivity suffered due to stress” (2013). Why the cause of stress is usually related to our performance at work? Because we spend a third of our life time at work and there are different surprises awaiting for us.
Stress is a common factor in all of our daily lives. Learning to manage stress can be life changing and be very useful in both our personal and work environments. Stress can be caused by many different situations, such as family problems, work problems, finances, deadlines, information overload, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, public speaking, trust issues, friendships, and so on. Stress is defined as, “an adaptive response, mediated by individual characteristics and/or psychological processes, that is a consequence of any external action, situation, or event that places special physical and/or psychological demands upon a person” (Kreitner and Kinicki, p.551). Stress triggers are different for different people. Although we would like to avoid stress, it is impossible. We need stress in our lives in order to stay alive and help us make quick decisions in life or death situations. Stress can actually be a good thing such as eustress, stress that is good or produces a positive outcome. When a person experiences stress it causes one of two reactions, fight or flight, which allows us to make the decision to either accept the situation or run away. According to Kreitner and Kinicki , “Physiologically, this stress response is a biochemical “passing gear” involving hormonal changes that mobilize the body for extraordinary demands” ( p.550). The main point is we cannot avoid stress; stress is good for us to a certain extent. Our efforts need to be aimed at managing stress and learning to live with and embrace it.
Since stress can seriously damage individuals’ health and well-being in this paper, the researcher will identify stress, the causes, and treatment.
Stress is something that affects many people each and every day. Life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For some people stress is so common it is a way of life. Stress can be very harmful and or helpful. It could help motivate you to meet a deadline and perform a task under pressure. Stress can also be very harmful, such as memory problems, moodiness, aches and pains, and eating more or less.