The Venetian Society in Othello by William Shakespeare

• A fear of foreigners during Elizabethan times fostered misogynistic and racist values, which is evident in the way Othello’s blackness becomes a symbol of alienation to which all characters in the play must respond.

It the only thing that makes him estranged from all the other characters. In the opening scene of the play, Shakespeare “exoticizes Othello with [his] references to him not by name but as, "the Moor," and as an "extravagant and wheeling stranger" (1.1.58 and 1.1.37)”(Aubrey 1). During that time black people were slaves which is why the racism in Othello was definitely racism and one of Iago’s forms of control. Othello earned his status despite his physical appearance, so its lowering to use that description of Othello when he is more than that. Furthermore, not only is Othello being outcasted in the play but also to the audience. It is set by Iago that the idea of a black man and a white woman together is inhuman. He constantly uses derogatory terms to describe to Brabantio To corrupt Othello and Desdemona’s relations. Iago claims that Brabantio will “have [his] daughter covered with a Barbary horse. [He’ll] have [his] nephews neigh to [him]. [He'll] have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans” (Act 1 scene 1 line 125-127 )if he does not do anything to stop them. Iago says this to describe to Brabantio what his mixed would look like. Moreover the animals he uses are not pure breeds which is what he want to emphasize to Brabantio that the act itself of Othello and Desdemona being together is bestial nut having his grandkids being mixed is something that Brabantio cannot stand to think about. Iago

Set in 16th century Venice, Othello, by William Shakespeare, explores the idea of an outsider from the very beginning of the play. Shakespeare uses Othello, a black army general, to explore the relationship of an outsider in high Venetian society using a variety of approaches. The reader sees characters consistently referring to Othello in derogatory and demeaning terms, as well as frequent implications that Othello is scarcely human. Further exploration of an outsider in society comes from Othello himself, as he outlines a few of the major differences that set him and the community apart.

Othello or The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare is a tragedy of race. Shakespeare creates a hero who does not fall under a racist stereotype, Othello is a nobleman, a decorated soldier, very well respected by his men (with the exception of Iago). One of the few characteristics that harms, rather than helps him, is that he is dark-skinned in a society utterly dominated by men prejudiced against those with dark skin. At the start of the play, he appears confident that, "My parts, my title, and my perfect soul / Shall manifest me rightly." (Shakespeare, 1, 2, 36-37) But Iago makes sure to use Othello's race against him as much as possible. As a brave soldier from Africa and recently instated supreme commander of the Venetian army, Shakespeare still allows Othello to succumb to the subtle racism that surrounds him. Most of it comes forward through the dialog, and is directed toward Othello. Shakespeare makes no effort to hide this colorful language, nearly every character uses a racial slur to insult Othello at some point in the play. Even Emilia, who doesn’t trust her own husband, sinks to the level of insulting Othello based on the color of his skin. Though the main character to make racist remarks in Othello is Iago, making him a representation of white supremacy. The effect of racism on Othello is quite evident and is one of the main causes of his insecurity about his marriage. These black stereotypes show up in the play and lead to the problem with trying to produce

The idea of belonging in a society is also explored in William Shakespeare’s, “Othello”. The play is about a Venetian army general, Othello, who has just arrived home from duty. Othello is dark skinned which affects his ability to belong in a predominantly white society. The attitudes of others when Othello is in the Venetian society changes

“Othello” is a tragic play of jealousy, racism and struggle for power. Right from the beginning, Shakespeare has created vigorous dialogue and conflicting situations. There is a direct contrast between black and white in this play, with black meaning something negative and evil and white meaning pure and fairness. The clash between these two colours leads to severe hatred and enmity between a few people.

Racism is a theme that is prominently evident throughout Shakespeare's Othello. Through this theme, there are several perceptions of an individual's race which are exhibited to establish the

When Iago makes a point of including Othello’s race in a conversation with a confidant, it proves that he feels that Othello’s race is the reason for his actions. There is an obvious abhorrence for Othello based upon his race. Later in the play, Iago goes on to say “If she had been blessed, she would never have loved the Moor” (Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum “WRAC” ). This statement shows that Iago is jealous of Othello because he won the love of Desdemona and is cause for insecurities on his part. Iago must now question his marriage and whether or not Othello is cause for infidelity. These insecurities act as extra motivation for Iago’s actions.

By happenstance or intent, Shakespeare’s plays Othello and The Merchant of Venice create a small platform for social issues. Shakespeare was not attempting to eradicate racism in the two plays. However, Shakespeare utilized the historical maltreatment of minorities and the morality of Shylock and Othello in the aforementioned plays in order to illustrate to the audience that minorities are humans too and they deserve the same respect as the majority. Shakespeare is able to develop two characters that are able to engage the audience’s attention through the character’s actions and how they are treated.

Thesis: The tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice written by William Shakespeare, the author uses a characters to express the complex social circumstance of race at the time and how the white men’s ideas about black people leads to their hate and downfalls throughout the play.

Racism seems to be a big concern in Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello. Because the hero of the play is an outsider, a Moor, we have an idea how blacks were regarded in England, in Elizabethan times. There are many references that bring about the issue of racism from the very beginning to the end. In the tragedy, where Othello is coming from is not mentioned, yet through the descriptions the reader is informed that he belongs to one of the Eastern nationalities such as African, Ottoman Turk or Arab. In this paper I am going to analyze some episodes involving a prejudicial, racist attitude and try to discuss whether Shakespeare was a racist or not. Even though the play is full of offensive definitions of black

Othello is notably an outstanding and outcast person, being the black man in a white society. Throughout the whole play, he is referred to as “The Moor”, with his skin colour causing other characters, like Brabantio to be racist to him, and doubt his personality and values. Even more so, his relationship with Desdemona is “in a period when such a marriage would be rare and controversial”. As a result of society’s prejudice and unreadiness, Othello loses his awareness and becomes softer in his thoughts, allowing Iago to gain on his insecurity by reaching the feeling of jealousy in depths of Othello’s mind and soul. As the first brick in his structure of chaos, Iago puts a seed of doubtness in his mind, trying to persuade him that Desdemona won’t be honest and faithful to him, using class difference and other outside circumstances that could get Othello out of his balance.

Derissa Crawford Professor Kobeleva English 1102 27 April 2015 Othello and the Theme of Racism The play Othello, written by William Shakespeare, is a play about love, jealousy, deception, and, most importantly, racism. These are four very relatable topics because they are all still present in today's society. Racism is a very prominent theme throughout the play. This issue is not present when the people of Venice trust Othello to protect them but only in his social life.

            Desdemona has actively sought to alienate herself from the other Venetians by marrying him. Othello, on the other hand, seems to be more than anxious to conform with Venetian ideals. By adding "Moor" rather than a name or his position Brabantio emphasises Othello`s difference (=blackness). Brabantio dehumanises Othello, by taking away his name, his individuality and in so doing makes Othello acutely aware of his difference as well as well as making him believe that he is a barbarian.

In civilisations today it is not uncommon for people to take note of someone that is of African descent in a high position in society. This is something that is not uncommon in past centuries as well. Othello is a romantic tragedy about a couple, in the Shakespearian era, that undergoes trials that test their faith in one another. In the end, they are not able to stand up to the challenge and fall, or are pushed, into the cold embrace of death. Long before the grim reaper takes either of them it is demonstrated how Othello, the husband, is affected by his African heritage in Desdemona’s, the wife’s, caucasian society. In this well-written play, composed by the author and playwright William Shakespeare, uses indirect characterization, euphemisms and specific monologues to reinforce the idea that even though Othello is a high ranking officer and skilled warrior he is still subject to racial prejudice from his colleagues, and this proves that skin color can be an influence on life no matter the attributes of an individual during this particular period in history.