Othello Modern Day Analysis

About modern day I can relate Shakespeare’s great Othello to the concepts of race and racism. It is amongst the earliest works from Western Literature dealing with a prominent black protagonist. Othello faces the onslaught of constant racism from other characters, especially when he marries Desdemona. Desdemona is described to be a privileged white woman whose father disapproves of their relations. This relates back to present day because even in the early 20th century depictions of the play were censored and Othello had to be played by a white man in “blackface.” Thankfully time has changed, but not enough. Racism continues to be a pressing issue, and it is prominent now even more than ever. With the rise of a racist and sexist president disputes have surfaced and tension has arisen much
They refer to Othello as “thick-lips” the “devil” and the “old black ram” who supposedly contaminates his white wife with his hyper-sexuality. Othello enacts a racist stereotype that all black men are savages. But for many, the actions of the characters don’t make the play racist. They would argue that the play causes audiences to rethink their ideas on racism and change their attitudes and beliefs. The idea is that Othello is used to showing what happens when society continuously tells a man that he is savage, violent, to be feared and in the case of Othello he believed it and so, in turn, it became real. In a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy Othello became exactly what the people thought him to be. This is common in today's society. To this day African American males are told that they are dangerous, angry, and savages. This is why we see so much police brutality towards the African American community. People have fallen into the idea that African American men are boys are people to be feared, and thus people approach them like they are a threat even when they are often