Examples Of Racism In Othello

Endorsement of Racism in Othello

In Shakespeare’s Othello, the remarks made by pivotal characters throughout the play suggests that Othello is of inferior color and culture. Through Othello’s own words and his counterparts’ descriptions, the play endorses racism and gives a clear perspective on how a highly regarded individual is still looked down upon in society. Throughout the history of human societies, systems have been put in place to distinguish common people from other individuals considered inferior. The history of the United States, for example, has been heavily influenced by these social constructs. Ranging from the trade of millions of Africans to work on American plantations to the early twentieth-century where African Americans

When people are exposed to constant segregation from the rest of their society they are conditioned to believe that something about them is wrong. Whether it be a difference in everyday attire or the color of your skin, people take notice of how they are treated and often times attempt to change how they are and begin to criticize those traits they once associated with. This becomes evident when Othello references Desdemona’s accused cheating to his black face. He states, “Her name, that was as fresh as Dion’s visage, is now begrimed and black as mine own face” (3.3.442-443). At this point in the play we gain insight into how Othello feels about his differences among the other Venetians. His comparison of his black skin to impurity signals he has embodied the idea that his skin color is of inferiority. While not being able to physically change the color of his skin, he has assumed the role of a typical person in society and criticizes the differences black people have even if they are his own. Purity is represented by being white, which Desdemona once had before being accused of cheating. This heavily endorses racism by illustrating that Othello’s assimilation of whiteness is what is supposed to happen in the Venetian society. While this is a strong case for racism in the play, it is not the final piece of evidence to its