Civil Unrest in Othello

Arthur Shopenhauer once described a racist man as a “…miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.” Without a doubt, racism is one of the key themes in Othello, which challenges the characters thoughts and actions throughout the play. One specific character, Iago, is driven by such racial distort, especially against Othello, that ultimately motivates his ingenious rampage of revenge and confusion. Hence, the characters racist attitudes, but mainly Iago’s, creates the momentum needed to spur the confusion and tension between the characters, resulting in the popular Shakespearean dramatic ending. Iago’s word choice describes very clearly his racial vision of Othello. He refers to Othello throughout the play by many racial slurs: “the moor”, “an erring barbarian”, and “black ram”. His attitude towards Othello implies certain personal characteristics: it shows that he is, jealous, hateful, and insecure “of his own inferiority.” From the beginning, Iago has been the “playmaker” of the play, always instigating the trouble and trying somehow to damage Othello.

Even now, now, very now, an old black ram

Is tupping your white ewe: Arise, arise;

Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,

Or Else the devil will make a grandsire of you.

Arise I say! (I,i,9)

It is interesting to note Iago’s word choice when awaking Brabantio with the news that his daughter has eloped with Othello. He refers to Othello as an “old black ram” who is “tupping” or sleeping with innocent Desdemona the “white ewe.” He plays on the belief that black men have ani...

... middle of paper ...

...Desdemona, but then Iago-like thoughts deny the innocent pleas from within, showing the possible centaur-like personality.

Iago’s general motive to start a charade of death, confusion, and manipulation was primarily due to racism and its stems of envy and hate. Without a doubt, it is a general theme and topic that is garnered by Shakespeare in order to drive the dramatics in the play. However, it also shows that Shakespeare wanted to leave a message in the novel, a message of the consequence of misplaced trust and also of the deception of premature appearances. Where the manipulation and hate all stemmed from premature racial opinions of one and led to the death of innocent characters in dramatic irony. “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man” (William Shakespeare, a proper description of Othello).