The story of Equiano and Shakespeare’s Othello share common elements though both differ in quite unique ways. However, both were published about two hundred years apart, both represented Africans in a parallel yet diverse light. Equiano’s story is told in first person and you are able to walk as he walks, see what he sees and even feel what he felt when he was taken into slavery. Though there is controversy that he was actually born in South Carolina, his text is nonetheless very compelling. I would not be able to fathom a person who would make up such a harsh and depressing read in order to get some kind of emotion out of the reader. In the case of Othello, Shakespeare has made up his character in the way that he believed him to be perceived as. Though he did a good job in constructing Othello’s backstory, there were many flaws in Othello’s character and personality. Equiano and Othello have started out as free men but, become enslaved and eventually buy back their freedom. How they resumed their lives afterwards is where they differ in the biggest way. One leaves behind his “uncivilized” life and assimilated himself in a new culture and environment and thrives while the other, having been a prince in his own right became “civilized” after freeing himself from enslavement and even gained power in a government but, reverts back to the perceived “animalistic” African that white people have viewed and enslaved. Both characters hardships changed them from the innocent and naïve boys they once were into men with the desire to overcome the boundaries of their skin color.
In Shakespeare’s play Othello, Othello is first seen as a man who has gone through many hardships. He worked his way up from being a captured and enslaved prince, t...
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Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear Othello.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
Distiller, Natasha. "Authentic Protest, Authentic Shakespeare, Authentic Africans: Performing Othello In South Africa." Comparative Drama 46.3 (2012): 339-354. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Equiano, Olaudah. "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African,Written By Himself." The Project Gutenberg. N.p., 17 Mar. 2005. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Field, Emily Donaldson. "'Excepting Himself': Olaudah Equiano, Native Americans, And The Civilizing Mission." MELUS: The Journal Of The Society For The Study Of The Multi-Ethnic Literature Of The United States 34.4 (2009): 15-38. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Equiano, Olaudah. "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself". The Norton Anthology: American Literature. New York: Norton & Co., 1995. 356-358.
Olaudah, Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Yassa, Written by Himself. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.
Murphy, B. & Shirley J. The Literary Encyclopedia. [nl], August 31, 2004. Available at: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2326. Access on: 22 Aug 2010.
Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. “The Engaging Qualities of Othello.” Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957.
England had inherited seeds of racial bias, and Shakespeare probably knew that the audience would be prejudiced against Othello. Shakespeare wanted the audience to know that Othello is no ordinary Moor. He depicted Othello as a noble, impressive figure and gave him a black heroic stature. Perhaps Shakespeare's intent was to stimulate emotional responses in his audience and to be more cautious in making careless assumptions about people of a different race and cultural background.
An aspect of reading Othello that cannot be overlooked is the issue of race in the play. Attitudes towards race in Elizabethan England were negative. If we look at representations of different races in theatre of the period, we find that there are many negative connotations through the language that arise. The Prince of Morocco in The Merchant of Venice says “Mislike me not for my complexion.” (The Merchant of Venice.) This foreshadows some of the language of Othello. This however is quite soft language when we consider how Elizabethan theatre represented other races as being violent and bloodthirsty. In this we have, “In the night-time secretly would I steal to travellers’ chambers, and there cut their throats.” (The Jew of Malta.) This was said by the Turkish character in Marlowe’s, “The Jew of Malta.” Furthermore in, The Battle of Alcazar we have, “Dammed let him be, dammed and condemned to bear. All torments, tortures, plagues and pains of hell.” So as you can see through out Elizabethan theatre this villainous image of black men, and blackness in general was prevalent. In this period in London it wasn’t necessarily a common place for blacks but there were defiantly African Americans living in London. They appear in England in the late 16th century, and it was not entirely uncommon for people of wealth to have black musicians, servants, and even Queen Elizabeth had black musicians in her service. However, in 1596 she tried to have them all expelled. What historians have found is that there were hardly any really expelled, because people who had black servants in their household, refuse to give them up because there was no compensation. According to Imtiaz Habib, Shakespeare would have definitely ...
Racial barriers are often used as a means to manipulate a member of a minority group. in The tragedy, Othello, was written by William Shakespeare(1564-1616) an English poet and playwright, who is often contemplated as the greatest writer in the English Language. The story begins with Othello, a black general in the Venetian army who secretly marries Desdemona, a white woman. Early on, Othello promotes Michael Cassio as his lieutenant over Iago, fostering mass jealousy. Desperate to get even with Othello, Iago creates elaborate plans to ruin his marriage with Desdemona. Iago’s effective manipulation skills lead Othello to take his wife's life and then his own. Iago is successfully able to deceive Othello because of their many differences, mainly racial, and Iago's understanding of how manipulation works.
Equiano finally gains his liberty and begins to develop his character as he converts his religion and becomes a faithful man. Equiano immerses himself and is allowed to blend into Western society. Works Cited Equiano, Olaudah. [1789] 1987. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African.
Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Edited by Angelo Costanzo. Orchard Park, NY: Broadway Literary Texts, 2004.
In Shakespeare’s Othello, race is a concept that is only minimally explored. Characters in the play assume that, since they are English, they are superior and foreign characters (like Othello the Moor) are inferior. This is not questioned much at all, and in fact it is assumed outright that Othello is indeed a lesser man because of his skin color and the ways in which characters like Iago and Roderigo treat him. While an early modern audience would accept this concept without hesitation, an audience of today’s age is left to question whether Othello is actually acting out because of the societal pressures, beliefs, and actions put upon him, or because he is inherently different as a person who is not white. While Shakespeare seems to think the contrary, Othello’s development in his actions and words—from a confident general to a depressed, wife-killing maniac—show clearly that his demise and his reactions were products of his peers (namely, Iago) and that he is not inherently different because of his race. Ultimately, it was all Iago’s fault.
Little, Arthur L. “’An Essence that's Not Seen’: The Primal Scene of Racism in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly 44.3 (1993): 304-24. JSTOR. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
Of Shakespeare’s five greatest tragedies, Othello is by far the most passionate and gripping. It is a tale of love, deception, evil, honesty, and virtue. Othello himself is set apart from other Shakespearean tragic heroes by the absolute feeling of affection the audience feels for him even unto the very end of the play. Any discerning reader painfully recognizes the virtue and goodness of Othello throughout the entire play, in contrast to the general degeneration of character so typical of a tragic hero. It is this complete pity that makes the death of Othello so tragic as the audience lends their full support to the inevitable and unavoidable fall.
"Othello." Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2007. 649-87. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. .
Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994.
The book “Othello” and movie “Othello” are both surrounded with race and jealousy. Othello is the only black guy in this play. Because of his capability make him more stronger in the play. All the people around Othello are white, and you can clearly notice that in the movie. Desdemona is also a important role in this play. She is white, which makes she and Othello not that great to be together. That’s why even though Othello knows she loves him, he still can’t believe what she says. Finally he kills Desdemona. Othello has no self-confidence, because he was different than other. That’s why after Iago tells him that Desdemona is cheating on him, he easily believes. Iago hate Othello and envies him. Because of the power Othello has, makes him feel his position is really low. The jealousy urges him to make a plan to revenge Othello, so he asks help from Cassio. Cassio is a character who is also jealous Othello, because he loves Desdemona too. He is the white guy, so thinks he is more suited to be with Desdemona.Jealous is a big factor in this play, also it’s how this play starts and end.