Shakespeare took the idea for Othello from a tale of doomed mixed-race marriage in Cinthio’s De Gli Hecatommithi, 1565. He changed as a person because of this and many bad actions took place while realizing it. Shakespeare biographer Peter Ackroyd even goes as far as to argue that Othello is a Spanish Moor rather than of African heritage. Views. While evil characters such as Iago refer to him simply and disparagingly as “the Moor" those who actually know him refer to him instead as “the valiant Moor" making his race part of who he is—a respected and revered man who is, quite circumstantially a Moor. As the play progresses it is clear that Othello is a man like any other in the text, the only difference his race. His dialogues are filled with racist jargon. The distraught father considers such a union to be against the laws of nature and never considers that love does not always recognize color and cultural bounds. “Because we come todo you service and you think we are ruffians, you’llhave your daughter covered with a Barbary horse,you’ll have your nephews neigh to you, you’ll havecoursers for cousins and jennets for germans”. This is bound to give rise to an inferiority complex in the protagonist. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Othello’s complexion is the cause he is ostracised and becomes a  victim of Iago’s manipulation. In her article "Race and Othello on Film," Laura Reitz-Wilson discusses Shakespeare's treatment of race in Othello and compares it to what Hollywood as a producer of culture has done. However, it is for his courage and status as a general that he is considered influential. Throughout the play, Othello’s race is seen as a negative aspect of his character, which is used by the antagonist, Iago, as a weak point to initiate chaos. Othello’s real defect (or at least the real defect in Iago’s mind and plan) is the Moor’s insecurity over his appearance. Othello is a text on otherness, on the impossibility for a Southerner, a Moor, a Berber from North Africa to find his place in Venice at that time without denying all of the above. His skin color is non-white, usually portrayed as African although some productions portray him as an Arabian. He knows by including Othello's race in the descriptions, it will disgust Brabantio. In Othello, Shakespeare creates a hero who is not a racist stereotype. Othello's Racial Identity PHILIP BUTCHER QUESTION has been raised," wrote Joseph Hunter in New >hl Illustrations of Shakespeare, published in i845, "as to what race Shakespeare intended we should suppose Othello to belong. “Even now, now, very now, an old black ramIs tupping your white ewe. It is a weakness that  he can never overcome because it is nature’s gift. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, racism is certainly featured throughout the play. He graduated with a Hons. His skin color is non-white, usually portrayed as African although some productions portray him as an Arabian. He wanted a royalty in his place as son in law who was of fair complexion like his daughter. There are lots of recommendations that bring about the issue of racism from the really starting to the end. The racial divide between Othello and Desdemona is portrayed in intentionally shocking language: Iago tells Brabantio that ‘an old black ram/ is tupping your white ewe’ (1.1.87-8). Are you a teacher? You'll have nephews neigh to you, you'll have courses for cousins, and gannets for Germans" - Iago "Judge me the world, if 't is not gross in sense that thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, abused her delicate youth As one of the more revealing quotes about race in Othello by Shakespeare, this is a particularly revealing statement about how race might have been viewed by contemporaries of Shakespeare. Othello (The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1603.. Race and Othello May 24, 2014 podcast review , reviews , Shakespeare admin So this is a subject that has been beaten to death, but I listened to Emma Smith’s (Oxford) Approaching Shakespeare podcast on Othello . He is hyper-aware of their racial differences and immediately jumps to the conclusion that it was the reason for Desdemona's unfaithfulness, therefore seeing his race as negative. Othello is strongly referred to as the "Moor" throughout the play. Race relations through a deceptive lens. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. She starts off by asking whether Shakespeare intended Othello to be a Sub-Saharan black African or a North African Arab (I guess, avoiding the fact that many North Africans are not Arab), and briefly whether Othello is Muslim or not. Othello is one of Shakespeare’s works that I had read in high school. Shakespeare shows that  even influential people make mistakes and are vulnerable like the common people. Race and racial differences can kill. Othello who simply runs away with his precious is implicated of break-in. In the Renaissance age, any classification in a racial sense was very different than that of ours. Othello Race. Othello shows a great role of a strong and loyal soldier until he realizes what society really thinks about him. Desdemona’s father does not want his daughter getting married to some man of African descent. The tragic sequence of events is triggered by the elopement of … However, the allegations of race directly lead to its tragic ending. Shakespeare has showed it in Othello. He likes to blog and share his knowledge and research in business management, marketing, literature and other areas with his readers. Feelings of inadequacy and distrust without question aid … Reitz-Wilson looks at nine different film versions and analyzes their approaches to Othello's race and character. Impact of Race in Othello One of the major issues in Shakespeare's Othello is the impact of the race of the main character, Othello. His race and colour are his vulnerability and Othello is not able to survive when Iago strikes there. Iago’s plot is a cruel play of ostracism and racial discrimination. Throughout Othello Shakespeare depicts an honorable man who changes and fits his cultural stereotype despite the stereotype not being present within the persona. Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, an Italian source for Othello and Measure for Measure. Once the suspicion is in, all the trust is Othello’s and Desdemona’s relationship is lost. So, even if its role is limited, race is of importance. Even when the play is titled The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, the ethnic origin of the main protagonist remains ambiguous.. As a Black man, he doesn’t feel he is worthy of his wife’s attention or that he has been embraced by Venetian society. Othello’s insecurities surrounding his race ultimately lead to his belief that Desdemona is having an affair. Othello's race has been debated due to the Elizabethan terminology used to describe him in the play, but most seem to agree he is intended to be Black. He does not let his race… The presentation of Othello, even in its sometimes racist sentiments, belies as contrived any relationship between his race and his conflicts. Furthermore, the use of the word "black" identifies the man as Othello as he is the only black person in Venice. Racist insults thrown at Othello such as "thick lips" seem to point at him being Black rather than Arab or Spanish. Othello. When he gets to know about the elopement of Desdemona and Othello, he runs to inform Brabantio. In this way, Iago makes him feel cuckolded. If Othello’s colour becomes slightly problematic in the second half of the play it is because Iago’s racism is insidious; he destroys the black–white harmony that existed and makes the hero behave in a way that we feel is unnatural for him (Othello finds it almost impossible to reject and destroy Desdemona; for Iago violence comes easily). … An understanding of the historical perspective on race is important in order to develop an educated opinion on the theme as it relates to us today. In calling Othello ‘Barbary horse’ and ‘black ram’, Iago associates carnality and animality with Othello and blackness. Despite this, Shakespeare ultimately allows Othello to succumb to the subtle racism that surrounds him. Because the hero of the play is an outsider, a Moor, we have an idea how blacks were regarded in England, in Elizabethan times. Racism in Othello Racism seems to be a big concern in Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello. The issue of race and cultural background is indeed an issue which constantly finds itself present in our modern day and age, despite the immense efforts to put an end to racial discrimination. Othello belongs to the out group and once he has been isolated, he is weak and defenceless. Right at the outset of the drama Iago makes racist quotes against the Moor. ’s race does not prominently impact his demise, although Shakespeare touches upon the issue of race, the reason for Othello’s demise lies somewhere else.. Othello is of Black African descent, which separates him from many in his Venetian world. Race provides the most prominent catalyst for the conflicts that become evident in the play. Impact of Race in Othello One of the major issues in Shakespeare's Othello is the impact of the race of the main character, Othello. A Moor could be a Muslim of any color, or a Moor could simply be a dark-skinned person. Due to the fact that the hero of the play is an outsider, a Moor, we have an idea how blacks were related to in England, in Elizabethan times.
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