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Friday, December 20, 2019

Othello, Race, and the Effect on Character Essay - 2104 Words

With the influx of trade during the Elizabethan Era, English society encountered an increase of descriptions and encounters with people from remote countries, including Africa. With these happenstances, brought misunderstandings of people and cultures, therefore race and discriminations began to form. Shakespeare’s protagonist in Othello, a Moor, was affected by societal standards in his ability to develop as an individual because of physical characteristics and internal insecurities because of the conflict, which tears him between two cultures. In the mid-sixteenth century, England began encountering Native West Africans. Their appearance in London began as early as 1554 and by 1601, which led Elizabeth I to convey her displeasure†¦show more content†¦Pory’s translation depicts Leo as a noble Moor, seasoned traveler, Christian convert, and former slave. Othello’s ethnicity becomes fundamental because of how he is personified, by both others and hims elf (Berry 315-318). The opening scene of Othello begins not with the title character, but with Iago and Rodrigo’s derogatory remarks about Othello. Iago compares the Moor to â€Å"an old black ram† (1.1.89), a Barbary horse† (1.1.112), and refers to the consummation of his marriage to Desdemona as â€Å"making the beast with two backs† (1.1.117-118). Rodrigo refers to the relationship between Othello and Desdemona as a â€Å"gross revolt† (1.1.135) and about her being in â€Å"the gross clasp of the lascivious Moor† (1.1.127). Before Othello even appears, he is denoted as dreadful, deceitful, lustful, and inhuman, qualities, which he will reflect on himself and his counterparts, Iago and Desdemona. Brabantio shares in the racial sentiment of Iago and Rodrigo when he learns of his daughter’s marriage to the Moor. Othello’s misunderstood culture brings Brabantio to the conclusion that a â€Å"foul thief† (1.2.62) must have stolen his daugh ter by the use of witchcraft. BrabantioShow MoreRelatedSocial Context of Othello667 Words   |  3 Pagesproduction of William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello.† The famous playwright was in the midst of his tragedy period, penning such classics as â€Å"Hamlet,† â€Å"King Lear,† and â€Å"Macbeth.† The story of â€Å"Othello† has its roots in the historical events and cultural atmosphere of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It was a common practice of playwrights at the time to borrow or lift plot ideas from other preexisting stories, and Shakespeare was no exception to the rule. The plot of â€Å"Othello† most closely resembles a 1565Read MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello, The Moor1720 Words   |  7 PagesThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor the Venice: The Fall of A Man for His Race by Josà © Pineda. Professor Arzola English 2322 5 July 2015 Outline. 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. Sociological Approach. I. Summary plot. II. Description of the mainRead MoreOthello And The Western Canonical Presentation Of His Race Essay1505 Words   |  7 PagesOthello and the western canonical presentation of his race, has been reproduced numerous times throughout history. The post-colonial writings of Morrison and Chatterjee tackle how Othello and the presentation of his race are exploited as a form of entertainment. They write back and explore the relationship between Othello’s racial identity and the harm viewing race as a form of entertainment can have culturally in a globalised world. Othello is presented as a story devised by Desdemona inRead More Racism in William Shakespeares Othello Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeares Othello The play, Othello, is certainly, in part, the tragedy of racism. Examples of racism are common throughout the dialog. This racism is directed toward Othello, a brave soldier from Africa and currently supreme commander of the Venetian army. Nearly every character uses a racial slur to insult Othello at one point in the play. Even Emilia sinks to the level of insulting Othello based on the color of his skin. The character that most commonly makes racist remarks in Othello is IagoRead MoreEssay about Racism and Cultural Differences Exposed in Othello1322 Words   |  6 Pages Othello, from the onset, is shown to us a play of love and jealousy. There is however more to this play than just love and jealousy; there is underlying racism, hate, deception, pride, and even sexism between these pages. Othello is a transcendent play, one that will survive the perils of time simply because it is still relevant. Even today, over 400 years later, there are still issues of racism and sexism . Hate is as natural as love in humans and Othello gets right to the root of that. WeRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1709 Words   |  7 Pagesspecifically blackness, has a detrimental effect on the victims who are racially stereotyped. The character Othello is a unique character in English literature, because unlike the other members of society, Othello is an outsider in Venice. He is a black man living in a white world, married to a white woman, and a leader of white men in battle. Othello is persuaded that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him, leading him to murder her. Some argue that because Othello was the typical black stereotype heRead MoreOthello And Othello By William Shakespeare Essay1304 Words   |  6 PagesDesdemona?† they ask. The differences that separate Othello and Desdemona do not perturb them, but are starkly obvious and unnerving to the judgmental citizens of Venice. While it was certainly rare in the 16th century for couples to have such di sparities in age, social position and race, none of these differences diminished how Othello and Desdemona felt for each other, yet each spurred external obstacles that threatened their relationship. While Othello and Desdemona are separated by a considerable ageRead MoreA Malevolent Villain Essay1086 Words   |  5 Pages(â€Å"malice†). Malicious characters or groups play a central role in many literary works, like the Headless Horseman in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, O’Brien in 1984, and white society in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These characters threaten, attack, trick, and persecute the main character or another central character within their story. They add to the plot and tension of the work. Another malicious character is Iago, the villain in one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Othello. In this playRead MoreHarlem Duet-Modern Play Essay1304 Words   |  6 PagesHarlem Duet-Modern Play Essay Despite of being declared free and living in a free society, many times characters remain restricted due to their own conflicting matters. This can be seen evidently in the play Harlem Duet through the main character, Billie. Despite all blacks being declared officially free from slavery by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Billie still feels ‘enslaved’ many times due to pressures of external factors, such as racism that still exists in society, and internal factorsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Othello Is A Play About Human Nature And Relationships1400 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare s Othello is a play about human nature and relationships. By studying these human relationships, differences in race, gender and class suggest that as in all other societies, Venetian society consists both of empowered groups, and constrained groups. These relationships, discussed with reference to Othello, Desdemona, Iago, Emilia, Cassio, Bianca, Lodovico and a number of other chara cters, are revealed through words and actions. The relationship between Iago and Emilia is a superb example

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