Impact of Race in Othello Essay -- GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Othello

Impact of Race in Othello One of the major issues in Shakespeares Othello is the impact of the race of the main character, Othello. His skin color is non-white, usually portrayed as African although some productions portray him as an Arabian. Othello is referred to by his name only seventeen times in the play. He is referred to as The Moor fifty-eight times. Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) states that a Moor is Any individual of the swarthy races of Africa or Asia which have take the Mohammedan religion. In Spanish history the terms Moo, Saracens, and Arabs are synonymous. This indicates that Othello is constantly being degraded and set up as an evil person passim the play. What this really means is that Othello is being judged by his skin color rather than the person under the skin. The view that whites and non-whites are equal is a relatively newfangled concept in our society. In institutionalized racism, such as American slavery, those of a different color were o ften viewed as inferior. As Shakespeare wrote Othello, this idea was comme il faut quite prominent as England entered the African slave trade. One can look at the racial issues from the perspective of color, slavery, and society. There are many references in the play to indicate that Othello was dark colored. The first image we, as a reader, are given of Othello is that of a black ram having sexual relations with Desdemona (1.1.89-90). posterior on in the play, there are many other references to Othellos color and race. Desdemonas father, Brabantio, is appalled to learn that his daughter is having a relationship with a sooty squeeze (2.3.27). Emilia refers to Othello as a black devil (5.2.132). Othello even calls himself black (3.3.265). Iago also... ...hello is driven mad by the force of Iagos suggestions, indicating that he is merely a dupe of another mans jealousy. Works Cited 1 Norman Sanders, ed. Othello. Cambridge New York, 1995 12. 2 C. W. Slights. Slaves and Subjects in O thello, Shakespeare Quarterly v48 Winter 1997 382. 3 C. W. Slights. 380. 4 Norman Sanders, ed. 10. 5 J. Adelman. Iagos Alter self Race as Projection in Othello, Shakespeare Quarterly v48 Summer 1997 130. 6 C. W. Slights. 388. Works Consulted Bradley, A. C.. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York Penguin, 1991. Di Yanni, Robert. Character Revealed Through Dialogue. Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Literature. N. p. random House, 1986. Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare Othello. New York Penguin Books, 1968.