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A note on racism in Othello
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Do you think that race has everything to do about who we are? Because people has been discussing that race in “Othello” by William Shakespeare is not an issue in the story. Race is an important part in “Othello.” It is one part of the element that what makes Othello an outsider, even though he has political power and great reputation all around.But due to all of the doubtness to his experiences, is because he is black. Based on the race in Othello is important in the story based on the Racist insults, how the story would have changed, and weakest target.
Othello’s race might be very important in the play because if he wasn't a moor then it would be just a story where two people falls in love and gets married without the father’s permission. And Iago would have been probably been okay if Othello made the choice of making cassio the lieutenant instead of him and moved along with his life and everyone will been fine.
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In Othello, racial stereotypes are thicken up the plot but yet making a problem that requires a solution. The racial comment between Othello and Desdemona is mention in when Iago tells Brabantio that ‘an old black ram/ is tupping your white ewe'. In calling Othello ‘black ram’, Iago relates physically and animality with Othello and blackness. Yet words that come out of Iago makes Othello erotic, foreign or monstrous, But yet he is also human and sympathetic, vulnerable compared to what Iago lied out of his mouth, the reason the target is Othello is because his difference makes him an easy target to use on. But if Othello was white and secretly having sex with Desdemona and Iago knew he wouldn't tell her father because there isn't much to go against Othello, he isn't much different than the
Throughout the play, Iago is obsessed with tearing Desdemona and Othello apart. While not the only contributing factor, I would argue Othello’s race plays a role in the development of Iago’s hate towards him. Of the nearly 60 times Moor appears in this play, Iago claims 29 with the next being Emilia with a tally of nine. Interestingly, Cassio refers to Othello as the Moor but one single time in the play.
Iago has been regarded as : “Shakespeare’s greatest villain”; shown by his ability to be both admired and despised for his manipulative and obsessive nature towards Othello and his relationship with Desdemona. In Act One, Iago can be seen to be admired for his work within the Venetian army and his want to warn Brabantio about the ‘evil’ Othello’s plans to ‘bewitch’ young Desdemona: “The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so....” Here, Iago is speaking within a soliloquy and is warning the audience that Othello has cruel intentions. Within the Jacobean era, the time of which the play was performed, attitudes towards black people were very negative and therefore, a white man would play the character
The external pressures on Othello are partially due to his being black. Iago starts his scheming of destruction using Othellos color against him, when he beckons Barbanito to action. Iago – Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise! Arise! (1051) This prejudice may have damaged his self-esteem, where he believed he was unworthy of Desdemona. Iago drops doubt in his mind, Othello begs for the suspicious thoughts. Othello – “By heaven, I’ll know thy thoughts.’ (1087) This opens the door to Iago’s deceit. Iago – ‘O, beware my lord of jealousy!… which doth mock.’ (1087) Othello – ‘Farewell, Farewell,….. Set on thy wife to observe. Leave me, Iago.’ (1089) Here is where the splinter drives deeper. From this point, there is more falls of the seal the fate of poor Othello.
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 ...
Iago becomes exceptionally jealous of Othello due to his position in the Venetian Army. Iago feels that Othello cannot be placed above him. because of Othello's skin colour and ethnic origin. Iago frequently refers to Othello as the 'Moor and the 'Black Ram, with these. statements.
By analyzing this play, we can come to understand the dangers of racial injustice. If I may take the liberty of paraphrasing: "O beware, my lord, of racial prejudice! It is the green-eyes monster, which doth damage the society it thrives in." In the character of Iago, Shakespeare demonstrates the dangers of holding racial prejudices. Othello is the victim of the pervasive social stereotypes which lead to his downfall. This play should serve as a warning of the horrid plague of racism which festers in our society.
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
Iago is a character that has a racist outlook and hatred for Othello it is shown many times throughout the play. Iago's character portrays to be the jealous type and causes many issues in Othello's marriage with Desdemona. Iago shows this when speaking to Brabantio, Iago states, “'Even now, now, very now, an old black ram. Is tupping your white ewe.” (Shakespeare, page 6).
References to black and white carry the most weight and contribute much to the actions of the characters; those colors often are used as a comment on race, on good and evil, on sexuality, or a combination of the three. The play does not proceed far into the first scene without a racial statement, where Iago informs Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona have run away together: “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/ Is tupping your white ewe” (1.1.85-86). Iago refers to Othello as a “black ram” and to Desdemona as a “white ewe,” pointing out the differences in skin color (since Othello is a Moor). A ram, since it has horns, can also be symbolic of the devil; therefore, Iago makes Othello devil-like and racially different at the same time. Additionally, the color black is often seen as evil or bad, whereas white is seen as good and pure. Since the black ram is “tupping,” or mounting, the white ewe, Iago is making a reference to the sexual act of Othello, black, taking Desdemona's virginity, white and pure. Planting an image like this in Brabantio's mind causes him to react negatively towards the marriage, and because Othello is darker-skinned, it makes the situation worse....
Have you ever thought about how much Othello’s race and the racism around him affected his life? Othello struggled a lot during the play because of his dark skin color. He was called several racist names like “the Moor,” “old black ram,” “Barbary horse,” and “thick lips” (Shakespeare 1.1.40; 1.1.88; 1.1.111; 1.1.66).The term “racism” has been around for several years; it started in the twentieth century (Bartels 433). By the way the Elizabethan era viewed black people was similar to how racism is today with all of the racial comments, and stereotypes. Being a black person in a mostly white ethnicity area at that time had to be challenging based on Othello’s experience. Othello was the black sheep crowded around a herd of white sheep, he was an outcast. Racist comments were made by many of the characters like Iago, Brabantio, Roderigo, and Emilia. If there was an award for most used racial comment towards Othello, Iago would win. Racism in Othello had a tremendous impact on Othello. He was judged by the color of his skin and not his personality. Othello’s race and the racism around him affected his life by ruining his marriage with Desdemona, alienating him from everybody in Venice, and by making him an easy target to be manipulated by Iago.
One of the major issues in Shakespeare's Othello is the impact of the race of the main character, Othello. His skin color is non-white, usually portrayed as African although some productions portray him as an Arabian. Othello is referred to by his name only seventeen times in the play. He is referred to as "The Moor" fifty-eight times. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) states that a Moor is "Any individual of the swarthy races of Africa or Asia which have adopted the Mohammedan religion. In Spanish history the terms Moo, Saracens, and Arabs are synonymous." This indicates that Othello is constantly being degraded and set up as an evil person throughout the play. What this really means is that Othello is being judged by his skin color rather than the person under the skin. The view that whites and non-whites are equal is a relatively new concept in our society. In institutionalized racism, such as American slavery, those of a different color were often viewed as inferior. As Shakespeare wrote Othello, this idea was becoming quite prominent as England entered the African slave trade. One can look at the racial issues from the perspective of color, slavery, and society.
In the 19th century, many scientists supported the belief that the human race could be categorized into different ethnic groups. Racism is generally defined as discrimination, prejudice, or antagonism directed against an individual(s) of a different race or ethnicity based on a certain belief (Brooks). Every society/generation has essentially experienced or been affected by this issue; it has been one of the most malicious aspects of the human race since the beginning of history. This subject continues to be a topic of great debate in modern society, and is one of the most significant themes that play a huge role in worldwide literature. In Othello, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century, racism is certainly displayed
In Othello, Iago is an antagonist who wants to fulfill his desire of having lieutenancy and proceeds to all that can do to prevent someone from taking his place, in this case it is Cassio, who is now serving as a general for the Venetian military, Othello. Jealousy is intact as Iago’s only rank is Othello’s ancient, but has been seen as a trustworthy person, to him he thinks his credibility is him being viewed as a menial and is very much discontent with Othello’s decision, considering the fact that he’s an essential part in assisting Othello over the course of his career. Hatred is then embroiled, since Iago is planning the deterioration of Othello and Cassio for his advantage. Iago targets the his opposing sides by using race as a way to create turmoil in the relationship that consist of Othello and Desdemona, and attempts to fabricate it by also conjuring a precise web of interlocked components for his scheme. As a result, his actions further created internal damage to Othello that includes more issues within the play. Othello’s race is important to the play because his dynamic character is a huge factor in the way he portrays himself and the understanding of why the conflict of his environment stem from his internal issues as a result of him being black.
Othello 's race does not greatly influence his downfall in the play. He maintains that while Shakespeare touches upon the issue of race, the cause of Othello 's demise lies elsewhere. However, the implications of race in the play directly lead to its tragic ending; it is this issue that impels the characters to set the tragedy in motion. Brabantio would agree to the union of Othello and Desdemona if it were not for Othello 's blackness. Roderigo could never be motivated to pursue Desdemona were it not for his belief that their relationship is unnatural. By far the most significant racism is Othello 's own, racism that Iago brings to the surface by playing upon Othello 's racial insecurities. Finally, racism serves as Iago 's primary cause in
One of the more noticeable themes that Shakespeare discusses in this play is Ethnicity. Othello is a moor that somehow managed to climb his way up the ladder to the rank of general. At this time in history, blacks were considered to be barbarians, and murderous heathens. It is a very rare thing that a black man would be able to obtain the rank of general in a predominantly Caucasian army. It caused quite a bit of jealousy among the other officers serving under Othello. This element may have fueled the fire behind Iago’s lies and hatred for Othello. Another example when the ethnicity of Othello caused a problem was when he and Desdemona were married. Desdemona’s father is furious over his daughter marrying a moor. They even end up going to an Italian court to settle this matter. Normally Othello would have been executed for his actions, but because he was needed to lead the army he was allowed to stay married to Desdemona. This decision by the courts is another element that contributed to Iago’s betrayal, because if the court had ruled against Othello, Rodrigo wouldn’t have had a reason to pay Iago to spread his lies and deception.