Othello Mini Essay

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Othello Mini Essay
In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, racial prejudice is one of the central themes. In the first act of the play, two contrasting pictures of the protagonist are painted. Othello, whom Shakespeare wants us to see as “solid in virtue, noble, courteous and dignified,” is disparaged in explicitly racial terms by Iago and his accomplice Roderigo. This essay will discuss why Shakespeare’s view is more credible, and why it is unjust to discriminate against people based on preconceived ideas of race.
One of the key messages that Shakespeare conveys in this story, is that the language people use indicates their character and that the words people use often say more about themselves than the people of which they are speaking. In the play, Othello’s speech is consistently eloquent which adds to the idea that he is a dignified man with impressive etiquette. Contrariwise, Iago is fluent in the language of profanity and refers to Othello as a “Barbary horse” and a “Moor”. Roderigo is also abrasive to Othello, calling him “thick lips.” It is only appropriate that they use such hateful and oftentimes animalistic language, as it truly reflects their nature. The words the antagonists use are typically shallow and superficial and do not say anything about Othello’s personality, whilst the positive words – said by Desdemona and the Duke - used to describe Othello grant a superior indication of the type of person he is, as they speak of his behavior and overall temperament.
In the story, Desdemona is the epitome of fairness and goodwill: a polar opposite to Iago and Roderigo. She sees “Othello’s visage in his mind,” which entails that she looks beyond his physical appearance and its connotations and sees his “honours and valiant parts”. Similarly, the Duke believes Othello to be a noble man, and confronts Brabantio of his prejudgment: “If virtue no delighted beauty lack, your son-in-law is more fair than black”. These words prove that Othello is much more than the colour of his skin, and that any judgments based on his appearance should be deemed invalid, as race is a social construct and people’s attributes are in no way related to the colour of their skin.
Shakespeare’s tale of Othello shows the injustice behind racial prejudice and how the entire concept is flawed. Iago’s and Roderigo’s animosity tells us more about them than it does about Othello, as the vulgarity of their words reflects their true persona. Iago calls Othello a “devil” however there is no reasoning or proof behind this cruel statement, thus rendering it baseless. Oppositely, we know Desdemona’s kind words to be true, as they are inspired by her time spent with Othello. Shakespeare has used the political and social views of the sixteenth century Ventian people, to comment on the unfairness of discrimination on the bases of race, and how appearance doesn’t define character. Othello is proof that one can be elegant, respectable and well-mannered in spite of the negative connotations that race tends to allow.