Examples Of Patriarchy In Othello
The attitudes and values portrayed in Shakespeare’s Othello exemplify a great value of understanding and familiarity in today’s society where patriarchy and prejudice is still seen. Humans still create and conform to racist stereotypes; furthermore the greed for power and control has destructive impacts. These same concepts are depicted throughout Othello; Iago’s greed and desire for power and control, and the driving theme of jealousy, promoted across various characters including Othello, Iago and Roderigo.
Also the characterisation, context of the play and the language features and structure used in Othello illustrate a deep meaning and serve to fulfil a particular purpose of creating a sense of realisation for the audience.
The power of racism exposed in Othello expresses the views of Venetian society in the 1600’s as highly chauvinistic. Through …show more content…
the use of the character, Iago, acknowledgements of the integrity of Othello’s character is seen.
Iago achieves his manipulation of those around him by putting on facades of honesty; yet it is unknown what his motivations of hatred towards Othello are. His strong hatred of the Moor is further emphasised through the repetition of “I hate the moor”, illustrating Iago's jealousy and underpinning hatred of Othello's military rank and social status which is purely irrational. The racist scrutiny additionally suggest that merely Othello's skin colour is also a hint as to internal qualities such as naivety and oblivion. Iago essentially compares Othello to an animal incapable of virtuous human qualities when he says “Barbary Horse” (I.i.111). The choice of the words ‘Barbary’ and ‘horse’ is demeaning to Othello as it implies he is a brutal and domineering person. This is in keeping with the stereotypical assumption of black-skinned men as violent and physical being. Additional racism that Iago constantly presents also shows the level of unjust hatred he has towards Othello by referring to his
“thick-lips” (I.i.66) and to him as “an old black ram” (I.i.88-89).While Othello is an extremely powerful man in a political context, his race makes him inferior in a white man’s society. This theme of racism can be linked to the Cronulla riots of the twenty-first century; where much of the violence and racial abuse of the Lebanese is similarly seen in Othello. Furthermore, Harper Lee's “To Kill a Mockingbird”, also associates to themes of which are displayed in Othello. It has phrases like “Nigger-lover” which highlights the irrationality of society's inherent racism as also present in Othello. This shows how the thematic concerns in Othello affect the modern world, thus emphasising that these themes are relevant for contemporary society. The power of jealousy is portrayed in evidently Othello and is the cause of evil in the play. The antagonistic presence, Iago, who uses deception, wit and intellect to ruin Othello’s life by manipulating him, shows us terrible tragedy of the once heroic and optimistic military general. It is jealousy that prompts Iago to plot Othello's downfall; jealousy, too, is the tool that Iago uses to arouse Othello's passions. Othello represents how jealousy is one of the most corrupting and destructive of emotions. “Beware of jealousy. It is the green-ey’d monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on” is prophetic irony and hypocrisy on Iago's behalf where he warns Othello of the immense power of jealousy by comparing it to a monster. This speech is justly famous, not only for its description of jealousy, but also for the cunning of its psychological destructiveness. Jealousy in Othello acts as inspiration for people today where this issue will remain relevant until the end of humanity.
While it is approximately four hundred years on and the lifestyles of the renaissance and the contemporary world have major contrasts, many of the aspects of life and experience remain the same; making the themes of Othello universal and transcendent through time. The purpose of Othello is to question the flaws of humans and make people stop, while challenging prejudice by demonstrating the impacts of racism and the consequences of evil.
In conclusion, attitudes and values portrayed in Shakespeare’s Othello are revealed through the representation of various themes and beliefs, especially racism and jealousy. This shows that they are still as prevalent in society today as they were four hundred years ago; however, unfortunately, humanities flaws haven’t changed. How these attitudes and values are revealed is through the way they are depicted, the characterisation, context of the play and the language features and structure used where the powerful messages still holds the capability of maintaining relevance in humankind today.
Also the characterisation, context of the play and the language features and structure used in Othello illustrate a deep meaning and serve to fulfil a particular purpose of creating a sense of realisation for the audience.
The power of racism exposed in Othello expresses the views of Venetian society in the 1600’s as highly chauvinistic. Through …show more content…
the use of the character, Iago, acknowledgements of the integrity of Othello’s character is seen.
Iago achieves his manipulation of those around him by putting on facades of honesty; yet it is unknown what his motivations of hatred towards Othello are. His strong hatred of the Moor is further emphasised through the repetition of “I hate the moor”, illustrating Iago's jealousy and underpinning hatred of Othello's military rank and social status which is purely irrational. The racist scrutiny additionally suggest that merely Othello's skin colour is also a hint as to internal qualities such as naivety and oblivion. Iago essentially compares Othello to an animal incapable of virtuous human qualities when he says “Barbary Horse” (I.i.111). The choice of the words ‘Barbary’ and ‘horse’ is demeaning to Othello as it implies he is a brutal and domineering person. This is in keeping with the stereotypical assumption of black-skinned men as violent and physical being. Additional racism that Iago constantly presents also shows the level of unjust hatred he has towards Othello by referring to his
“thick-lips” (I.i.66) and to him as “an old black ram” (I.i.88-89).While Othello is an extremely powerful man in a political context, his race makes him inferior in a white man’s society. This theme of racism can be linked to the Cronulla riots of the twenty-first century; where much of the violence and racial abuse of the Lebanese is similarly seen in Othello. Furthermore, Harper Lee's “To Kill a Mockingbird”, also associates to themes of which are displayed in Othello. It has phrases like “Nigger-lover” which highlights the irrationality of society's inherent racism as also present in Othello. This shows how the thematic concerns in Othello affect the modern world, thus emphasising that these themes are relevant for contemporary society. The power of jealousy is portrayed in evidently Othello and is the cause of evil in the play. The antagonistic presence, Iago, who uses deception, wit and intellect to ruin Othello’s life by manipulating him, shows us terrible tragedy of the once heroic and optimistic military general. It is jealousy that prompts Iago to plot Othello's downfall; jealousy, too, is the tool that Iago uses to arouse Othello's passions. Othello represents how jealousy is one of the most corrupting and destructive of emotions. “Beware of jealousy. It is the green-ey’d monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on” is prophetic irony and hypocrisy on Iago's behalf where he warns Othello of the immense power of jealousy by comparing it to a monster. This speech is justly famous, not only for its description of jealousy, but also for the cunning of its psychological destructiveness. Jealousy in Othello acts as inspiration for people today where this issue will remain relevant until the end of humanity.
While it is approximately four hundred years on and the lifestyles of the renaissance and the contemporary world have major contrasts, many of the aspects of life and experience remain the same; making the themes of Othello universal and transcendent through time. The purpose of Othello is to question the flaws of humans and make people stop, while challenging prejudice by demonstrating the impacts of racism and the consequences of evil.
In conclusion, attitudes and values portrayed in Shakespeare’s Othello are revealed through the representation of various themes and beliefs, especially racism and jealousy. This shows that they are still as prevalent in society today as they were four hundred years ago; however, unfortunately, humanities flaws haven’t changed. How these attitudes and values are revealed is through the way they are depicted, the characterisation, context of the play and the language features and structure used where the powerful messages still holds the capability of maintaining relevance in humankind today.