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Examples Of Prejudice In Othello

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Prejudice can get the worst out of people. In the play Othello there is a power dynamic. Characters struggle with problems because of gender, social class and race. The play Othello talks about two lovers that are very different who can't be together; they struggle with the prejudice of people and especially someone who should be supporting.

The play othello makes many strudels for the main characters othello and Desdemona. One of the main struggles in this play is racism. Othello is a black man with low social status. People in the play make him a nuisance especially because he marries someone of high status both racially and socially. One main example of the racism that happens within the play is when Brabantio Desdemonias father tells him, “And she, in spite of nature, Of years, of country, credit, everything, To fall in love with what she feared to look on! It is a judgment maimed and most imperfect”. Saying that his daughter could never love something so horrid. He is saying that Othello's appearance is imperfect and ugly. Saying that his daughter could never love or even look at this man. Assuming that he is not only talking about the way he looks but also the color of his skin. This clearly shows how racism impacts this play. …show more content…

Desdemona is a character that we see with this problem like many others. One of the characters that we see dismiss her and her gender is her own father. He believes her to be a frail thing with no opinion of her own. Brabantio’s perception of his daughter in the text states “A maiden never bold, Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion Blushed at herself.” He is saying that she is an obedient and quiet girl that would never disobey him. He is sure that his daughter would never disobey him and marry othello. His perception of his daughter is very distorted and biased. This reveals the bigoted machismo in this

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Brabantio, Desdemona's father, exemplifies overt racism as he openly refers to Othello as a "moor" and employs derogatory terms such as "sooty bosom" to demean him (Shakespeare 1.2.88-89). These racially charged comments shed light on the deeply ingrained prejudice within society, where skin color dictates social hierarchy and denies equal opportunities. In Geoffrey Sax's cinematic adaptation, the film techniques of lighting and costume design can further accentuate the racial prejudice depicted in the play, similar to how Shakespeare's text emphasizes the racial discrimination experienced by

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Many people make racist comments towards him behind his back. I have chosen an article Of Othello in shakespeare. “Black” Spaces is the topic of the article. This article is Talking about Othello's Racial and cultural Oterness. The article mainly describes Othello, and how being black effected him so much, and how it brought him to an

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In ‘Othello’, our titular character has worked his way up from slavery to reach his high position of army general, but he still holds himself to particularly great standards because of how his double consciousness has affected him. In the opening of the play, the people of Venice are outraged at the fact he has eloped with the senator’s daughter, Desdemona, both because he was not one of the approved suitors, and because he is a “Moor”. Othello realizes he must change himself and behave in an acceptable manner for the white society around him in order to be accepted by the people, and so he boasts that he is “from men of royal siege”, making certain that his “demerits may speak unbonetted as to proud a fortune as this that I have reached”. He makes clear in his speech that he considers himself deserving of both his position and his wife, through using the intense, powerful language of the people around him, filled with beautiful imagery and recountings of the struggles he has been through, as though he feels the need to validate himself and prove his worth in their terms. This is further shown later, as we see Othello’s insecurities come to light, displaying that he is not as certain of his identity as that he presents to others.

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Identity is a crucial element of Othello, as the characters' perceptions of themselves and others lead to misunderstandings, mistrust, and violence in the play. Othello’s battle with identity is driven by his own insecurities and the manipulation of those around him. Othello is a Moor, a member of a group that has historically been marginalized and discriminated against. As a result, Othello is aware of his identity as an outsider and feels he needs to prove himself to those around him. His desire for acceptance and validation is exploited by Iago, who manipulates Othello into believing that his wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful.

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Othello with focusing on trying to please other characters but his cultural beliefs and understanding prevented him from being successful and lead him down a destructive path. Othello tried his best to make everyone like him but with him trying to marry the Senator 's daughter which nobody liked. With him being new and already having a bad first impression people aren 't going to want him here for long. This being Cultural criticism he 's just trying to please everyone as much as he can. People start to call him racist names and making fun of his

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Similarly, Desdemona, aware of Othello’s anger through his verbal outburst, alters her behavior by conforming to general female stereotypes for her safety. She commends him and remarks that she should not have high expectations for him. While Desdemona may believe she made the right choice to defend Othello, she fails to consider that her choice will cause Othello to never reflect on his treatment of her and therefore, continue to insult her. Desdemona excels at assuming her role as a faithful wife which fits the female stereotypes during the Elizabethan period that Shakespeare reveals through Iago’s monologue when he outlines an extensive list of expectations for women. However, Iago ultimately claims that a woman who fits his list of expectations if “she was a wight” qualifies “to suckle fools and chronicle small beer” (2.1.59-60).

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When people of one race believe themselves to be superior to those of another, only catastrophe can result. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, racism was extremely prevalent, and white supremacy was much more pronounced. In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, both covert and overt racism, assimilation, and jealous dispositions all foreshadow the untimely death of Desdemona and Othello. Most characters in Othello display both covert racism and overt racism towards Othello.

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Desdemona is a white, Venetian debutante that chooses to marry a black man, a Moor, over the wishes of her father. At the beginning of the play, merely six hours after being married, Desdemona’s father attempts to stop her from accompanying Othello on military duty. He relents when Desdemona pledges her allegiance to Othello by telling her father, “But here’s my husband, And so much duty as my mother showed to you, preferring you before her father, so much I challenge that I may profess due to the Moor my Lord”

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We find both racial attitudes towards Othello even though he is a man that works hard to get what he wants. The racial attitude is only because of the era that they live in, the Elizabethan era in

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However, this relationship clashes by a lot of challenges because of racial prejudice and prepare Othello`s to accept this racist view. In fact, these perceptions of racism destroy him psychologically. This play was written in 1604 by Shakespeare. So was the fact that in that period in Venice, which is a center of European civilization in that period. In fact , this was a civilization is not equal among the people.

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Throughout history, societies have succumbed to the toxic concepts of racism, causing an unthinkable amount of chaos and devastation. While racism on its own can lead to many societal evils, racism coupled with jealousy can create a truly catastrophic force that can only lead to pure destruction. When someone of a different race and culture is placed in this kind of society, this destruction will only naturally follow. In the play Othello, William Shakespeare focuses on the tragic outcomes of Othello, a Venetian general and black Turkish Moor, and Desdemona, his white Venetian wife. Throughout the play, both covert and overt racism, assimilation, and jealous dispositions all foreshadow the untimely death of Desdemona and Othello.

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This extent of hostility and aggression coming from several other sources in the play was enough to ruin Othello. Thus, Othello’s downfall was more of a result of his race being that the main underlying motive behind the characters’ efforts to destroy him was racism.   It is inadequate to bypass the sociology behind racism, the concept of race, prior to defining what racism actually is. The common understanding of race suggests the division of groups based upon the color of one’s skin, hair, eyes, etc. “Although biologically meaningless when applied to humans – physical differences such as skin color have no natural association with group differences in ability or behavior – race nevertheless has tremendous significance in structuring social reality” (Clair).

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Outline: How could the text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers from different race and gender. Key points: -Point of view by the readers could matter depending on the type of person such as feminist or a racist. -The interpretation of the character Othello -Iago being racist to Othello Throughout the play Othello by William Shakespeare, there could be many different interpretations and disagreements with other readers, depending on what time period you have lived in, what race you are and what gender you are.

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These two villains slander Othello to the point of eradicating any pity the audience could have developed towards Othello. The Venetians also have a hidden fascination for Othello and his foreign qualities but, they mask feelings with negative slurs. The audience also affected by the portrayal of Othello, and are persuaded to feel pity for him because of his circumstances; being betrayed by his ensign and being looked down upon because of his Moorish descent. Shakespeare also uses racism as a creative apparatus to generate a metaphor between Desdemona and Othello.

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Even a father thinks women act one way and are not what they seem. Then Brabantio, still enraged about the new marriage, continues to say, “Keep an eye on her, Moor. She lied to me, and she may lie to you”(1.3.5-6). This shows that Brabantio believes that Desdemona will continue to be deceiving. He suggests that women have to earn their trust and that they do not deserve trust from their significant others.

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