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Comparing Othello And Realism In Lanval By Marie De French

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Realism is a literary technique practiced by many schools which denote a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life. Realism, as its name suggests, is about portraying real life. In Shakespeare’s play Othello, realism is depicted through the flaws and doubts of the protagonist Othello. Shakespeare impacts the modern day audience, as the portrayal of what it meant to be human in the Elizabethan age which is still relevant today. In Marie de France’s romance “Lanval” is the story of an outcast and through its plot, Marie explores the theme of the great love that cannot exist in conjunction with the real world. Through several examples in Marie de France’s medieval romance “Lanval” and Shakespeare’s …show more content…

Shakespeare’s Othello was written in the late period of Queen Elizabeth 1’s reign to expose the reality. The formation of the capitalist social structure was accelerated with a sort of fierce egoism when resources were unevenly distributed. Shakespeare sensed the huge gap between humanism and realism so that the tragedy Othello came into being. The tragic love between Othello and Desdemona is implicit. Othello as a black man, through his qualities, mark him out as a born leader, he cannot modify the prejudice processed in people’s minds, which reflects the deeply rooted racism at that time. One example is when Rodrigo and Iago are standing outside an alley discussing the secret marriage of Desdemona and Othello. Rodrigo is angry with Iago because he is paying him to woo Desdemona, but he has seen no progress and he has just learned that Othello has married Desdemona. Iago reassures Rodrigo that he hates Othello and makes a racial slur towards Othello by saying, “ What a full fortune does the Thick-lips owe, If he can’t carry thus” (Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 68-69). Rodrigo and Iago eventually approach …show more content…

In Europe and North America, the Realistic period occurs in the late eighteen hundreds and prevails until the early twentieth century and Modernism. France’s romance, “Lanval” and Shakespeare’s Othello, highlight through several examples show the shift American literature makes towards realism. In Shakespeare’s Othello, renaissance literature makes a shift towards realism through the incarnation of Desdemona and her willingness to accept challenges and through the doubts and flaws of the protagonist Othello. In France’s “Lanval," renaissance literature makes a shift towards realism through the role of Guinevere and depictions of

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Also, each relationship in Othello provokes jealousy in one partner. In a typical Venetian society, a woman was considered to be a man’s property, so if a woman was disobedient, it negatively impacted the man, while also questioning his masculinity. The hyperbolic soliloquy as Othello expressed he would “rather be a toad” than “keep a corner of the thing I love” is Othello’s justification of killing his wife, as her untrustworthiness challenged his masculinity and reputation. Referring to Desdemona as a “thing” emphasises the idea of women being property. Iago’s jealousy of Desdemona and Othello’s relationship is emphasised through the degrading comment of Othello, “an old black ram” “tupping” Brabantio’s “white ewe”.

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Throughout the play, Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio display covert or overt racism towards Othello. At the beginning of the play, Iago, Othello’s ensign, and Roderigo, a wealthy man in love with Desdemona, discuss Othello’s marriage and their hatred for Othello. During their dialogue, the first references made of Othello are “his Moorship” and “the Moor,” which is how most of the characters refer to Othello (Shakespeare 687). Rather than referring to Othello nominally, they refer to him by his ethnicity, showing their inherent racism.

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