More handpicked essays just for you.
Thematic build up of racism in othello
Thematic build up of racism in othello
Thematic build up of racism in othello
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
He skillfully exploits society's racial biases, planting seeds of doubt and jealousy in Othello's mind, leading to his ultimate downfall. Iago's manipulative actions and the use of editing techniques and pacing in Sax's adaptation can intensify the portrayal of racial injustice and the destructive consequences of ignorance. This amplification of Iago's manipulations through film techniques enhances the themes of racism and the dangers of prejudice, similar to how Shakespeare's text emphasizes the impact of Iago's racist manipulations on
white have created conflict between the members of the play. Since the 16th century dictates that black people, or Moors, are inferior to white people, Othello is stuck in the darkness as an outsider; thus suggesting that interlopers are alone, not part of a community. Within these contrasting worlds, outsiders, like Othello, try to integrate into society, but can’t. For instance, this ingrained mindset portraying the inferiority of black people is further shown when Othello exclaims, “Her name, that was as fresh as Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and black / As mine own face.”
Othello is the General of the Cyprus army with honest Iago by his side. During this time racism was happening and Othello was a part of it. Othello tried his best for everybody to like him; people would talk behind his back, call him names, and would eventually ruin his life. Iago was an ensign in the army, and his “good” friend, who would put lies into Othello's head, which eventually, he took control of Othello. In this essay Othello will display cultural criticism and how it displays him as a person in the story.
First consider Othello’s inspiration, Cinthio’s “A Moorish Captain.” Though Shakespeare’s take on Cinthio’s story is not in itself a critique, what he added or subtracted from the material can suggest his intent. Some changes suggest racist motivations while others are neutral. Among the The most significant changes is Iago’s motive and Desdemona’s own doubts and those surrounding her (Coleridge). In Cinthio’s story, Iago’s motivation is his lust for Desdemona.
When Roderigo and Iago visit his home to warn the senator of Othello’s marriage, Bribantio only reacts because Iago vividly describes Othello as a “Barbary horse” (Shakespeare, 1.1.125) covering his “white ewe” (Shakespeare, 1.1.98). Iago’s emphasis of Othello’s blackness indicates how Bribantio despises blacks, not foreigners: were the senator’s hatred of all foreigners as strong, then Iago would have made a heavier emphasis on Othello’s birthplace rather than his skin color. Bribantio proceeds to gather an angry mob and confronts Othello, expressing his dislike of blacks by referring to Othello as a “thing” with a “sooty bosom” (Shakespeare, 1.2.89-90). In doing so, Bribantio not only dehumanizes blacks, but also implies that they are as dirty and undesirable as
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
By Iago’s own admission “I play the villain” (Shakespeare, 1310), and his internal feelings of evil are well founded as shown through his destruction of the lives of nearly everyone in the play, but he has his reasoning. Iago has grown up as a privileged white Christian male in a society that favors white Christian males and, notably, has the favor of at least three senators who would have been quite influential in Venetian society (Kiernan, Print). The catalyst for all this is the admission of Cassio to the position of second in command, which Iago had too been vying for. Iago believes this is taken from him by a Black, possibly Muslim, man, Othello. Thereby allowing Iago to use what influence and power he has retained to ruin Othello’s life and power dynamic.
Thus, “Alabaster” can be assumed as his true attitude towards her. Along with the doomed relationship between the main characters, another main theme in the play is the unsuspected weakness and deficiency in Othello’s character due to his racial character. This is because of the fact that he is a Moor. He is presented as half-civilized and not well adapted for life in cultured Venice.
In the first act of the play, after Roderigo finds out that Othello married Desdemona, he carries out a dialogue with Iago about Iago’s discontentment with Othello, Roderigo comments, “What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe,/ If he can carry it thus!” With this, Roderigo shows his feelings of jealousy for Othello, basically stating that luck was on Othello’s side in getting Desdemona, but it will probably not last very long. In addition to this, Roderigo gives Brabantio large sums of money to Iago in order to try to get Desdemona from Othello. In addition to Roderigo’s jealousy, Iago’s jealousy of Cassio cascades to the point where he begins to manipulate Othello to want to kill Cassio, which ends up leading to the death of Desdemona. In the beginning, Iago details how he was passed up for a promotion by Othello.
In the play Othello, William Shakespeare creates an elaborate tragedy with various in depth characters, enhancing the story with powerful characterization. Iago, the main antagonist of Othello, exemplifies Shakespeare’s use of characterization to create in depth and complex characters. Using his manipulative nature, intellectual mind, egotistical attitude, and dishonesty, Iago controls the other characters in order to achieve his goal, leading Othello to succumb to an overwhelming jealousy causing his downfall. In order for Iago to gain control of the characters in the play, he manipulates Othello, Roderigo, Cassio, and more to believe false information and turn on one another.
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
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.
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.
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).
The tragedy that unfolds in Shakespeare's Othello (1604) is caused by societal prejudice that triggers Othello's inherent naivety and susceptibility to jealousy. The Jacobean era's newfound creative nature influenced Shakespeare to include certain religious ideologies such as The Great Chain of Being. Through consistent racial prejudice directed towards Othello, we witness the belief that those of African descent are low class. Through prejudice, Othello gains a reverence for social status, which manifests into jealousy that allows him to be easily manipulated. The nature of Venetian society made it exceptionally difficult for Othello to gain social status.
