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Race Effects Othello's Relationship

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Race effects Othello’s relationship with his wife in many ways. First he knows that he is not good enough for Desdemona just for having darker skin. This effects his relationship by showing that he has a lack of self-confidence. This drop in trust for the relationship is cause by Othello finding the handkerchief and accusing her of sleeping with Cassio. This relates to racism in the play because the handkerchief is a symbol of African provenance, “The handkerchief ’s role as substitute for Othello is reinforced by its African provenance, established by the Egyptian who gave it first to his mother; transmitted to the son, it was then passed to the wife, Desdemona being the only non-African in the sequence. The rules of ownership, safekeeping,
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Defining Racism To properly lay out the issue of racism in the play it is desirable to know how the term itself is defined. The Oxford English Dictionary explains Racism as follows: A belief that one’s own racial or ethnic group is superior, or that other such groups represent a threat to one 's cultural identity, racial integrity, or economic well-being; (also) a belief that the members of different racial or ethnic groups possess specific characteristics, abilities, or qualities, which can be compared and evaluated. Hence: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against people of other racial or ethnic groups.

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Although, Parkers choices in people to play the roles of his characters is on point the way some characters are portrayed in the production is off. In Shakespeare 's original othello, the character of othello seems to be more on the insecure side. Othello is filled with jealousy over Desdemona and goes a little insane after the handkerchief incident. In the original I believe that Othello was made out to be this insecure man with no back bone, this is seen in the scene where he is talking about loosing Desdemona. Othello goes on a rant saying “She’s gone.

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