otheloo
Race in Othello
Race is one of the most prominent themes in William Shakespeare’s Othello. The titular character is a black man in a predominantly white society and one of the first black heroes of English literature. At the time the play was written, black people were treated poorly by white people and were referred to as “moors” as they were considered to be barbaric and brutal just like the area of the moors in northern England. The main character is one of few exceptions to this as he is a high ranking officer in the Venetian army. However, this does not prevent indirect discrimination behind his back. The theme of race and racism is displayed using animalistic imagery, allusions to the occult and straight out racist language. It is not only black people discriminated against in the play, women and even different Italian nationalities are discriminated against. At the time of the play this would have been acceptable but in today’s society this mind-set is not politically correct.
Othello is the play’s primary protagonist. However, because he is black he is the subject of a lot of the characters ridicule. At the beginning of the play, Brabantio is angered that his daughter, Desdemona, is about to marry Othello. Interracial marriage would have been frowned upon at the time. Brabantio describes this as “too true an evil” expressing his anger at it. However the thing that sets Othello apart from the other Moors is his military background. He serves in the Venetian army which makes him superior to other people of his race. His military service leads people to see him as “valiant” as opposed to other moors. Despite this, he is not spared from the discrimination of other characters. Iago frequently refers to him as “black Othello”. This singles him out from the others. At that time black would have also been associated with sin and evil, another reason why the moors were looked down upon by others.
This imagery of the occult is linked into the context of the
Race is one of the most prominent themes in William Shakespeare’s Othello. The titular character is a black man in a predominantly white society and one of the first black heroes of English literature. At the time the play was written, black people were treated poorly by white people and were referred to as “moors” as they were considered to be barbaric and brutal just like the area of the moors in northern England. The main character is one of few exceptions to this as he is a high ranking officer in the Venetian army. However, this does not prevent indirect discrimination behind his back. The theme of race and racism is displayed using animalistic imagery, allusions to the occult and straight out racist language. It is not only black people discriminated against in the play, women and even different Italian nationalities are discriminated against. At the time of the play this would have been acceptable but in today’s society this mind-set is not politically correct.
Othello is the play’s primary protagonist. However, because he is black he is the subject of a lot of the characters ridicule. At the beginning of the play, Brabantio is angered that his daughter, Desdemona, is about to marry Othello. Interracial marriage would have been frowned upon at the time. Brabantio describes this as “too true an evil” expressing his anger at it. However the thing that sets Othello apart from the other Moors is his military background. He serves in the Venetian army which makes him superior to other people of his race. His military service leads people to see him as “valiant” as opposed to other moors. Despite this, he is not spared from the discrimination of other characters. Iago frequently refers to him as “black Othello”. This singles him out from the others. At that time black would have also been associated with sin and evil, another reason why the moors were looked down upon by others.
This imagery of the occult is linked into the context of the