Annotated Bibliography For Othello

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Topic: During the Elizabethan era, many white people held racist beliefs and superstitions, which is exemplified in Othello.
Thesis: In the play, Othello, William Shakespeare uses the characters Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio racist personalities to illuminate race relations during the Elizabethan era. .
Annotated Bibliography
Cohen, Derek. "Othello's Suicide." University of Toronto Quarterly, vol. 62, no. 3, Spring93, pp. 323-330, 332-333. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=4436143&site=ehost-live. Summary: Derek Cohen argues that Othello’s suicide comes from a conglomeration of political, cultural, and social aspects. He also argues that Othello has two distinct identities; one is of him being a violent Turk …show more content…

While most characters in the story disapprove of Othello and Desdemona’s interracial marriage, they both believe it is their right to do so. They act separately from the racist ideologies surrounding them. Iago shows a racist backlash, and Brabantio thinks it will overthrow society if Othello and his daughter stay wed. Ryan debates that the worldview at the time was against interracial marriages and black equality. Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio racially degraded Othello, especially when mentioning his relationship with Desdemona. Othello begins to use his color as a reason for Desdemona’s supposed downfall. Othello’s race makes him an easy target for Iago and causes insecurities within him. Iago thinks it evil for Othello to marry a woman who is supposed to be a higher status than people of his skin color; twisted ideologies like this are an integral part of Iago’s identity. He wants to transform Othello into a monster so everyone’s racist superstitions will be affirmed. Synopsis: Kiernan Ryan shows different aspects of the inherent racism in Shakespeare’s Othello, especially Iago’s racist ideologies and tainted thinking. She proves that most characters’ racist worldview obscured their judgment of Othello since they all held certain beliefs about those with black skin and also thought of themselves as a much higher social class …show more content…

Shakespeare presents Roderigo, a lower class man who has an immense infatuation for Desdemona, Othello’s new wife. In affiliation with Roderigo is Iago, a man who lost a promotion, and is resentful towards Cassio, Othello’s lieutenant who just received the position. In an attempt to discredit Othello directly, Iago tells Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, about the marriage, and he opposes it and takes him directly to the Duke for a trial, on the basis of racial stereotypes. The Duke finds nothing wrong, and dismisses the case. In the second act, Iago further schemes on ways to get Cassio out of duty, and he also wants to get a form of revenge on Othello since he believes he slept with his wife. Iago tries to get Cassio decommissioned by persuading him to get drunk. Under the influence of alcohol, Cassio gets into a sword fight with Montano and wounds him, and Othello dismisses him. Iago uses this to get Cassio to get closer with Desdemona, asking her to plead for him on his behalf in an attempt to try and build a bridge back to Othello. Iago manipulates both Othello and Cassio, making them both think that he is on their side when he is in fact betraying them both. Roderigo still does not obtain Desdemona’s love and gets irate with Iago. In the third act, Cassio attempts to appease Othello by sending musicians under his window,

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