Despite the fact that Othello fulfills his task as a basic and he is valued by the authorities in Venice and makes a respected position, he is not accepted by the society enough to marry a Venetian girl. The seeds of jealousy that Iago plant over starts to bloom and Othello plans on taking the life of his beloved Desdemona for he thinks in her so-called infidelity. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, we can see that racism against those of color existed even in the 17th century. However, as Davison explains,Othello is not ‘about’ race, or colour, or even jealousy. Othello, undeniably heroic even if ultimately flawed, is the most prominent black protagonist in early Western literature. When the Duke tells Othello that he must leave for Cyprus immediately, even though he is newly married, Othello replies that he is so used to the hardships of war that "the flinty and steel couch of war" is his "thrice-driven bed of down" (1.3.230-231).Flint is the hardest stone, and steel the hardest metal; a "thrice-driven bed of down" is the softest feather bed. As the play goes on Othello mentions his own color suggesting negative undertones it has when his faith in his spouse is damaged because of Iago’s adjustments on her loyalty, the Moor sees that her name has ended up being as black as his face: As Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and black, William Shakespeare, Bigotry In Othello, Act 3, Scene 3, Lines 386-388. Under Iago’s influence, Othello plummets rapidly from utter belief in Desdemona’s love and fidelity to total distrust, based on the scantiest of circumstantial evidence. To do a modern interpretation of it would mean setting it in a mid 20th century African country. Considering that he is black, he can bewitch. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, racism is certainly featured throughout the play. He can not even consider the possibility of his daughter’s falling in love with Othello. ” Tragedy, in Chapman’s metaphor, is always ‘black-fac ‘d’; however Othello’s dark countenance resembles an inscription of his awful destiny for more factors than the conventional metaphoric associations of blackness with evil and death”. But the moment in the play whose racism bothers Billingslea the most is a subtle one — and he credits fellow Othello player LeWan Alexander, who died in 1995, for this line of thinking. Race is a pervasive theme in the play, as prejudice is pervasive in Venice. A Guide to Shakespeare’s Plays. 394 quotes have been tagged as xenophobia: Bertrand Russell: ‘Collective fear stimulates herd ... love of lockstep is our greatest curse, the source of all that bedevils us. In recent years, racism has decreased significantly with coloured people gaining more rights such as the ability to vote. We've seen how Iago uses animal imagery in his racist diatribe against Othello, which is grounded in the idea that black men (and women) are inhuman. It was not because he truly did magic through the handkerchief but because the handkerchief has a cultural significance to him. The reader feels much more compassion towards Othello because of Iago’s hypocritical habits. Racism And Racism In Othello 1811 Words | 8 Pages. According to Iago an outsider, a Moor does not deserve to hold a position on the top of the armed force while there are civilized whites like him. Examples of racism are common throughout the dialog. From the very beginning till completion he speaks of Othello’s being a barbaric Moor and at last due to the fact that of his slanders Othello commits a barbaric criminal offense. Othello is able to rise above the stereotypes, but he is never able to forget what others may feel about him. Iago’s wicked plan ruins Othello. 1332 Words 6 Pages. Although racism is a major theme in the play, I do not believe that Shakespeare was a racist himself.
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