Racism In Othello
Othello, a great tragedy written by William Shakespeare was written in Shakespeare’s great tragic period along with Hamlet. Othello was a play first performed by the King’s Men on November 1, 1604 at the court of King James I. The story revolves around its two main characters: Othello, a general in the Venetian army and Iago an unfaithful commissioned officer. A commissioned officer or an ensign is the lowest rank in the army, which is how this whole feud started. Iago gains a strong hate for Othello for ranking a younger soldier over him. He believes he is a better soldier than Cassio and deserves to be ranked that way. Some scholars argue that Othello is accessible to us today because of the issues of racism, love, betrayal, and jealousy still have a strong relation to us now. The question of Othello’s exact race is not quite known and some still debate over it. The word Moor was used very openly in this period and was sometimes applied to Africans from other regions; the word now refers to the Islamic Arabic inhabitants of North Africa who defeated Spain in the eighth century. Othello’s darkness is implied many
…show more content…
He says “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise: Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, or else the devil will make a grandsire of you: Arise, I say!” (1.1.97-101). Othello is referred to as a "Barbary horse" (1.1.113) and a "lascivious Moor" (1.1.127). Most readers do not understand the meaning behind these sayings, but they are profoundly rude and incredibly racist. Desdemona's physical whiteness is sometimes compared to Othello's dark skin: 5.2 "that whiter skin of hers than snow". In 3.3 Othello declares Desdemona's supposed sin as being "black as mine own face". The word "black" could suggest many concepts beyond the physical color of skin, including a wide range of negative
He says “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise: Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, or else the devil will make a grandsire of you: Arise, I say!” (1.1.97-101). Othello is referred to as a "Barbary horse" (1.1.113) and a "lascivious Moor" (1.1.127). Most readers do not understand the meaning behind these sayings, but they are profoundly rude and incredibly racist. Desdemona's physical whiteness is sometimes compared to Othello's dark skin: 5.2 "that whiter skin of hers than snow". In 3.3 Othello declares Desdemona's supposed sin as being "black as mine own face". The word "black" could suggest many concepts beyond the physical color of skin, including a wide range of negative