Friday, April 22, 2011

The issue of race in Othello

Racism seems like a dominant theme at the beginning of the play. Before Othello’s first appearance he is referred as the Moor and the thick lips and is never called by his real name. It is easily distinguishable that Othello is African American. I found it interesting that Othello held a high rank as a general in the Venice Army in the dominant Caucasian society. It is clear that that many of the characters are racist towards him and it is surprising his rank was socially accepted in that time of day. It seems like other characters are jealous of his personality, characteristics, and high rank, which might be the result of the existing racism. I thought it was also interesting that Othello and Desdemona secretly eloped. Brabanzio did not explicitly portray racism towards Othello, instead he accused him for using magic on his daughter and wanted him charged with using witchcraft methods. His racism towards Othello is blatantly clear but it is implicitly conveyed. During the time period and context of the play I would of thought there would be a visible social and class divide between Caucasian’s and African American’s. Othello’s high rank in the army and his respectable character points otherwise. Was racism more so implicitly implied throughout that era? Another question I pose is was Shakespeare trying to address the issue of racism by giving an African American such an elite hero type role? I think Shakespeare was showing how people of any race are just as capable to create and maintain as high of a status as the dominant class. Othello is culturally and racially an outsider of mainstream society but is respected and valued through the military and state. It would be interesting to see how he was noticed and given the respect the state has for him. Overall I think although there are implicit and verbally explicit racial implications this play spreads awareness to reduce racism in society.

1 comment:

  1. Hi, Allie. I liked your post. One thing I'd like to point out that is that Othello was not "African American" - the play was written in England and set in Venice in the first act and Cyprus thereafter. The full title of the play is actually 'The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice.'

    But I agree with you that Shakespeare was trying to subvert the dominant attitudes of his time through his representation of Othello and, particularly, through the juxtaposition of Othello and Iago. Iago is presented as being to blame for Othello's jealousy and eventual violence, and this represents the impact society's attitude and expectations has on the 'other.' Othello was honest, trustworthy, strong, trusting and all around a stable and laudable character. Iago's jealousy and manipulative nature resulted in not only Othello's downfall, but the destruction of those around him as well. I think this symbolises the destructive impact of racial prejudice in society and therefore serves as a warning against the ideology of racial superiority.

    I started writing a post about it myself:
    http://www.LearningandWriting.com/1/post/2013/03/race-in-othello.html

    I'll be adding more to it later, but the topic has sent me on a bit of an Othello binge, and now I'm really interested in reading what others have to say about the play.

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