othello racism thesis statement ideas

O thou thief, where hast thou stow’d my daughter? Damn’d as thou art, thou hast enchanted her; For I’ll refer me to all things of sense, Save your time! We can take care of your essay Proper editing and formatting Free revision, title page, and bibliography Flexible prices and money-back guarantee Place Order If she in chains of magic were not bound, Whether a maid so tender, fair and happy, So opposite to marriage she be shunned.

When Desdemona is given the chance to respond the audience is keyed in on how she truly feels about her husband’s race. Desdemona admits that she is not necessarily impressed by Othello’s appearance but instead is with him more for his mind replying ‘I saw Othello’s visage in his mind’.

When reviewing the play, it is easy to see the root of the conflict was due to the matrimony of Desdemona and Othello. Othello’s greatest fault is marrying the white Desdemona. The fault between the two is not the love and affection that they share, but the fault was not taking the impact of his race into consideration. It is evident for the beginning of the play that Othello is outcasted, however the marriage sparks the flame of racism. Once the marriage is revealed this fuels Iago’s hate fire even more. When the position of lieutenant goes to Othello rather than him he becomes infuriated. This rank shift is the what Iago bases his revenge on. He cannot stand the idea of having someone he see lesser than him being in charge. This sparks jealousy in Iago’s heart and from then on his sole mission is to destroy Othello. At this point, the thing that pushed Iago into setting his plan into motion was Othello’s blackness and now deemed devil image. From these ideals, Iago believes that Othello and Desdemona’s relationship will end quickly, mainly from his doing.

This feeling of jealousy ties in with the film ‘O’, a Shakespeare adaptation filmed by Tim Blake Nelson. In Nelson’s adaptation the character of Iago is portrayed by the character Hugo. Hugo is the son of the basketball coach and during the course of the film the audience can see that his father prefers Odin over his own son. This favoritism influences Hugo to always seeking for attention and approval from his father and peers. Odin is the ‘token’ black boy of school and ultimately is the star of the basketball team. Hugo’s true jealousy begins when Odin overlooks him for a position he believes he deserves. Instead, Odin bestowes MVP to an underclassmen, Michael. Just like Iago in the play Othello, Hugo burns with jealousy and anger to such a high degree that he is willing to do anything to knock Odin off his throne and become ‘king’ of the court. Just as in the play, Hugo uses manipulation to betray anyone who stands in his way of revenge.

The first step in Iago’s revenge plan is to team up with Roderigo, who is undoubtedly is in love with Desdemona. In his speech to Roderigo, Iago comes to the conclusion that Roderigo’s feelings for Desdemona will fade and that she too will eventually get fed up with her betrothed. He supports this theory by saying Desdemona will get bored of the Moor’s stories and intelligence and that she will settle for his looks, seeing as she did not marry him for his looks in the first place. As mentioned previously, Iago’s plans are purely motivated by his deep set prejudice towards Othello. Iago believes he will achieve his goal of ruining Othello, if he can make Othello suspicious of his own wife. Iago only feels that he can be successful due to his vigorous feeling of inferiority over Othello. In doing, Othello is cast-off and Iago is able to turn everyone against the Moor. Once Othello is alienated he comes to the conclusion that Desdemona is cheating on him, just as Iago wanted. Othello may lack the confidence of his marriage due to his own ethnicity and culture. Othello knows that the color of his skin does not match the ‘pure’ white color of his white Venetian companions, thus creating a distrust in his relationship because he feels as though he is not good enough for her.

Earlier in the play, Othello’s reputation was upstanding, Othello was a honorable and trustworthy demeanor, in other words he was viewed as good by everyone around him, despite being Black. Once Othello kills Desdemona his reputation is ruined and his race is put on display. Emilia, Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s servant, never brings up the subject of Othello’s race yet, once Desdemona is murdered at his hands Emilia cannot help but spit hatred at him: ‘O, the more angel she, And you the blacker devil!’. Othello’s blackness, his marriage to Desdemona, a white woman, and his killing of his wife all coincide creating the perfect formula for a Shakespearean tragedy. Othello’s killing of his wife relates to their marriage and their marriage relates to his being black, this all comes full circle.

Racism in the play consequently ruined the marriage of the two lovers. If a society has any form of hatred, especially racism, it can affect the lives of people, including their love and it ultimately allows people to ruin the happiness of others.

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Anti-Racism in Shakespeare’s Othello Essay

Introduction, brabantio’s case as an example of shakespeare’s anti-racism, racism as an attribute of a villain, could othello be a racist play.

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Shakespeare’s Othello is a play that touches upon the issues that have not lost their relevance throughout the centuries. While in developed countries nowadays, racial and gender inequalities are widely criticized, they are considered the norm in the Venetian society of Othello . Shakespeare challenges these norms, mainly through his portrayals of Othello and Emilia. Overall, Shakespeare’s ideas make Othello a play well ahead of its time.

Numerous characters throughout the play demonstrate implicit racial attitudes, and Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, is one of those. In Act 1, Scene 2, he expresses his disbelief in the genuineness of his daughter’s feelings for Othello and states that the latter must have seduced her using some sort of magic. Witchcraft practice was considered a serious offense in medieval Europe; hence, Brabantio’s accusations are indicative of his extremely negative perception of Othello. Brabantio concludes the scene with the phrase “for if such actions may have passage free, Bond slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be” (Shakespeare 23). His racism is most evident when he expresses his disgust for Othello’s appearance at the Duke’s palace, angrily exclaiming “to fall in love with what she feared to look on!” (Shakespeare 30). While many characters in the play make brief remarks, which are indicative of their racial attitudes, Desdemona’s father is the most persistent in his ignorance.

For Shakespeare, Brabantio’s views are representative of the racial prejudice of the society in general, rather than of his personal feelings towards the protagonist. Othello, telling his story of falling in love with Desdemona, states that “her father loved me, oft invited me” (Shakespeare 32). It proves that Brabantio does not hate Othello, but he can not see him as an equal and definitely can not fathom his daughter loving someone like him. His denial most likely comes from his upbringing and conservative values.

As Desdemona’s father can be considered the voice of the conservative elites in Venice, Shakespeare’s portrayal of this character can shed light on his take on racial issues. Two-character juxtapositions can help to understand the author’s position. Brabantio can be compared to Othello as they both present their points to the Duke. A less obvious, but equally important juxtaposition is the one between Brabantio and the Duke. Much like Desdemona’s father, the Duke belongs to the ruling class of the society, but he exhibits an entirely different attitude and behavior.

From the moment Brabantio enters the palace, he can barely control himself, interrupting other speakers and throwing repetitive accusations at Othello (Shakespeare 28-30). His argument lacks logical reasoning and is based purely on his perception of race. On the other hand, Othello’s story is cohesive and believable; he is humble and respectful of his opponent. Moreover, he expresses willingness to sacrifice his career and even life if Desdemona does not confirm his story (Shakespeare 31). While the Duke shows sympathy for Brabantio’s cause, he demonstrates a lack of racial bias and doubts the accusations, saying “to vouch this is no proof, without wider and more overt test” (Shakespeare 31). When Desdemona confirms the true nature of her feelings for Othello, Brabantio’s witchcraft theory is proven wrong, and he has no other choice but to accept Othello as his son-in-law (Shakespeare 36). The outcome hardly pleases Desdemona’s father, but he admits its fairness. Therefore, Shakespeare does not only expose the flawed logic of racists, but he also demonstrates how empirical evidence can be used to destroy dangerous stereotypes.

Iago regularly uses offensive metaphors to demonstrate his contempt for Othello and manipulate people. For example, Brabantio is enraged when Iago tells him that “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe,” referring to Othello and Desdemona (Shakespeare 9-10). However, as the play progresses, it becomes clear that Iago’s opinion of other characters is equally low. His misogyny is especially noticeable, as he compares women to guinea-hen in his conversation with Roderigo, and mocks Desdemona and Emilia later (Shakespeare 58-60). He calls his only ally and accomplice “my sick fool Roderigo” (Shakespeare 75). Overall, the analysis of Iago’s speeches leads to the conclusion that he despises humankind in general.

As the play progresses, it becomes clear that Iago has the traits of a psychopath. He completely disregards the feelings of others and sees other people as dispensable. He uses Roderigo and his wife, Emilia, to achieve his goals and eventually kills both. When Iago encourages Roderigo to kill Cassio, he reveals his true thoughts, saying “now, whether he kill Cassio, or Cassio him, or each does kill the other, every way makes my gain” (Shakespeare 176). Overall, Iago is the most immoral and unlikable character in Othello and one of the most notorious villains in Shakespearean plays.

Shakespeare shows that racism and hatred are integral to Iago’s character. While Iago probably hates Othello more for promoting Cassio instead of him, rather than for his skin color, he masterfully uses the others’ racism to turn them against the protagonist. The racial bias of Roderigo and Brabantio might be a result of ignorance, but Iago’s racism is fueled by hatred, which makes him extremely unlikable. By assigning the most racist lines to this character, Shakespeare clearly shows his disapproval of racism.

Some scholars argue that Othello is a racist play because Shakespeare portrays the protagonist as a jealous fool who loses everything at the end. Indeed, his uncontrolled anger and inability to think logically under pressure could be the traits a Renaissance writer associated with race. However, the analysis of other Shakespeare’s plays shows that this assumption is quite questionable. In Shakespearean tragedy, a protagonist always has a fatal flaw – Hamlet is indecisive, Romeo is impulsive, Macbeth is overly ambitious, and Othello is jealous. These flaws are often the only negative traits that Shakespeare assigns to these extremely virtuous characters. Othello perfectly fits this description, as his superiors and subordinates refer to him as valiant, noble, brave, and “great of heart” (Shakespeare 27, 53, 72, 203). Hence, Othello’s flaw proves that he belongs with the tradition of Shakespearean tragedy, rather than tells anything about the author’s racial attitude.

The fall of Othello is another essential element of the classic tragedy. All Shakespeare’s tragic heroes die suffering – Macbeth is dethroned and beheaded, Romeo and Juliet commit suicide because they believe their love is dead, Lear loses his only loyal daughter and dies. It leads to the conclusion that Othello’s tragic end is not predetermined because of his race, but is an inevitable outcome for a heroin Shakespearean tragedy.

Usually, Shakespeare gives most lines and soliloquies to the title characters in his plays. However, in this case, Iago, not Othello, is the character with the most lines. It could be argued that Othello’s race is the factor that made Shakespeare alter the traditional structure of the play. However, it is not necessarily indicative of the author’s racism. Racial bias existed in Elizabethan England, and introducing a Black protagonist from the beginning could prove to be a difficult task. Instead, by making Iago, in effect, a narrator, Shakespeare lets the public see Othello through his enemy’s eyes. As the story unfolds, and it becomes clear that Iago is a villain, the audience has no other choice but to accept Othello as the hero. Therefore, in Othello , Shakespeare challenges the traditional structure of the play, giving the public a chance to look at the events from the antagonist’s perspective. However, it does not undermine the importance of Othello’s character. On the contrary, by exposing Iago’s cowardice and vileness in intimate detail, Shakespeare ensures that the audience sides with Othello, despite any implicit bias it might have initially developed.

Shakespeare is often praised for writing plays that remain relevant in the modern world. Othello is one of the rare examples of Renaissance literature that tackles the problem of racism. For the first time in Elizabethan England, Shakespeare introduces a Black tragic hero who is noble and virtuous. Through the juxtaposition of Othello with racist characters, Shakespeare shows that one’s personality and values are not defined by race. Therefore, Othello can be considered one of the earliest examples of anti-racist literature in Western culture.

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Yale University Press. 2005.

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Theme Of Racism In Othello

The effects of racism in othello.

A wise philosopher once stated, “Racism is man’s gravest threat to man — the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason” (Schwartsz). It is no revelation that racism often manifests hatred towards minorities. This concept has been widespread throughout the world for centuries. Racism has prevailed through several works of literature including “Othello” by William Shakespeare. In this particular play, the character, Othello, is allegedly a black man who experiences several accounts of racism from other characters, which eventually leads to his downfall. According to psychoanalysis studies, “Hate is grounded in some sense of perceived threat. It is an attitude that can give rise to hostility and aggression toward individuals or groups” (Abrams). Racism is arguably one of the strongest forms

Manipulation of the African Race in Othello In William Shakespeare’s Othello, racism is a principal theme that drives the plot of the entire play. An outlier in Venice, Othello the moor or African, is targeted by his ensign Iago because Cassio who seems to be unqualified, was promoted to a lieutenant before he was. Iago is driven by envy and jealousy and creates a confusing and elaborate plan to deprive Cassio of his position. Iago also shares these envious motives with Roderigo, a man lusting over Othello’s wife.

Prejudice And Racism Exposed In Shakespeare's Othello

Othello 's own brainstorm when he describes murderous green eyed monster as innate in the married man married woman relationship which suggests the wife as the exclusive possession of the husband and is thus at betting odds with the man status wherein one California n never know another individual's inmost persuasion and desires: "O curse word of marriage observance! That we can call these delicate beasts ours and not their appetite!" Several Recent critics have sought to explain Othello's behavior as arising from his insecurity as a blackness in a racialist White person society. However, I would contend that the child's play forcefully combats racism which suggests blacks and egg white s as essentially different precisely by its presentation of Othello as not at all different from any white husband. The maturation of his jealousy, the words of prop possession

What Are The Interlopers In The Great Gatsby

Since Othello utters that since he is with Desdemona, her reputation “is now begrimed and black,” it presents how a black man can tarnish the “fresh” identity of a white women. Since Othello is accepted and praised as a war hero, but not accepted as lover, love becomes a barrier that leads to a tragedy. Societal expectations push people to the point where they try to surpass society’s norms. Though, when they reach this tipping point, tragedy will

Crisis Of Identity In Othello Essay

Othello’s This rage at Desdemona’s infidelity signals destmetion of his identity as a successful and loving man. It shows that he now completely loses control of himself, he no longer is that gentle man. He has become so poisoned by the manipulation of Iago, he no longer hears out for his “fair

Danger Of Jealousy In Othello

For example, when Roderigo shouts, “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe!” Shouting racial slurs about Othello, blatantly calling him black and constantly referring him to an animal says that Roderigo is jealous that Othello has managed to win Desdemona’s love. Insulting Othello is cruel and is a malicious act on Roderigo’s behalf, but his motivation for being so vengeful is that he is extremely jealous of Othello. Another example of how Shakespeare conveys that jealousy is the motivation behind committing malicious acts is when Iago states he will ruin Othello, “I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad, that ‘twixt my sheets. Has done my office.

New Historicism In Othello

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

The Role Of The Outsiders In Othello

Othello is preoccupied with his race but still manages to take advantage of Iago’s class. Iago preoccupied with his class, still manages to take advantage of Othello’s race. Despite doing no harm to Othello and Iago directly, Cassio destroys both of the men’s marriages and in turn

Adiche's Othello: A Single Story

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, other characters assume Othello’s traits, habits, and abilities simply based on his single story. Othello’s single story is exceedingly normal; he is Muslim, from Northern Africa, and black. Adiche says, “a single story robs people of their dignity” (Adiche), basing their assumptions on facts they do not like, characters such as Brabantio

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.

Othello Research Paper

Iago’s conception of a black man being an army general was not accepted the Vinezians hence it was very difficult for Iago and Rodrigo to see thyself of working under the authority of Othello as a general. In fact they were not use to that phenomenon since it was not something accepted precisely by the people of Venice. I t was very difficult for them to adjust because all they knew is white man suppose to be in control but this was rather the opposite. From the play Iago felt one of them in the army apart from Othello was supposed to be in charge and command the army instead of a black man who is Othello. There was this mentality that black people according to the play cannot be the leader of supervisor hence out of racism they felt they had to get rid of Othello and that could break down his marriage and his

The Little Black Boy In Othello

Consider the representation of racial and/or national identities in the work of at least two writers studied in this module.

Othello Tragic Hero

However, the theme of the play revolves more around Iago than Othello. From the very beginning, Othello is an outsider in the public arena. He is a Moor, an outsider and a black man from North Africa and is consequently victimized in an all-white society. However, his

Race In Othello

Othello IO Tinatin Kakabadze Period F 9/1/15 Word Count: 1222 “Race” in the context of Elizabethan England Race, in Elizabethan Era, which was from 1485 to 1603 and was known as the Golden Age of England, was usually ignored. People with dark skin were thought of as exotic and bizarre, though they had no rights as they were forced into England despite many protests. Due to the way North/West Africans clothed themselves, many people in Elizabethan England would call them ‘devils’ and other obscene things. Though, they soon grew a few rights and weren't ridiculed as much, but were still thought of as a lower race.

Gender Differences In Othello

Outline: How could the text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers from different race and gender. Key points: -Point of view by the readers could matter depending on the type of person such as feminist or a racist. -The interpretation of the character Othello -Iago being racist to Othello Throughout the play Othello by William Shakespeare, there could be many different interpretations and disagreements with other readers, depending on what time period you have lived in, what race you are and what gender you are.

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The Theme of Racism in Othello by William Shakespeare

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Racism in Othello by William Shakespeare

Jessica Scott is a graduate of the University of Louisville, where she majored in English and Humanities and minored in Literature, Linguistics, and Classical and Modern Languages. She has over 14 years of experience writing, editing, and tutoring students on literary and educational topics, and is a certified TEFL instructor.

Ellie holds a B.A. with Honors in English from Stanford University. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in English Literature at Princeton University.

Racism in othello, racism theme in othello, analysis of racism, lesson summary.

Racism is prejudice toward or discrimination against a person of another race solely because they are of that race. It is a belief that people with another skin color or of another ethnic group have distinct qualities or characteristics that make them inherently "less than," even if this is not the truth.

In William Shakespeare's tragic play, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (usually referred to simply as Othello ), racism takes center stage. In fact, one of the most common connections drawn by literary critics is between Othello and race. Most of the racism in Othello is directed at the titular character, who is described as a Moor in Europe. "Moor" is an antiquated word for people who hail from North Africa. It describes someone whose skin was black or very dark as opposed to the white skin of everyone else in this play.

Despite being from another country, Othello is serving as a general in the European military; his heart is in Venice with the woman he married there, Desdemona. Trouble brews, however, when Iago, an ensign in Othello's unit, fools Othello into believing that his wife and Othello's lieutenant, Cassio, are having an affair. Already self-conscious about his skin color and the fact that he is older than his young, lovely wife, Othello does not question it when he finds his wife's handkerchief in Cassio's possession. He does not realize that the wicked Iago planted that handkerchief just to enrage him, and this pushes him over the edge. In the end, he kills Desdemona in a fit of jealousy, all because of Iago's manipulation.

Iago and Racism

The manipulation carried out by Iago is, at times, racially charged. When he speaks to Desdemona's father, attempting to get him riled up about Othello marrying his daughter, he speaks in a vulgar manner about the two of them, likening Othello to a brutish, dirty farm animal. "An old black ram is tupping your white ewe," he tells him, knowing that the man is already prejudiced toward those who are not white like him. He wants him to visualize something crude violating his pristine, pure daughter, and his language has the desired effect. He takes this even further by telling him that Desdemona and Othello "are making the beast / with two backs." This is a very derogatory way of saying they are having sex by implying that the Black man is more comparable to an inhuman "beast" than to an upstanding man like Othello. This, too, is racist, as it was a stereotype at the time that those from Africa were more likely to give in to their sexual urges, which was seen as disgusting and uncouth by the European elites. In addition to referring to Othello as a "black ram," he also uses other terms like "a Barbary horse" (a type of horse from Africa) and even "the devil" throughout the play, which both have racist connotations.

There is something else hiding behind Iago's racism, however. While it is clear from the beginning of the play that he is already a hateful man at heart, his wickedness is kicked into high gear when Othello promotes Cassio to the position of lieutenant instead of Iago. He also seems to believe that Othello may have slept with his wife ("I do suspect the lusty Moor / Hath leap'd into my seat," he says at one point) but there is no proof of this in the rest of the play. It is unclear if this affair is something that really happened or if Iago is just being paranoid, but his hatred toward Othello as a person melds with his racism toward people of his skin color to produce a character that is even more despicable.

Brabantio and Racism

Brabantio, Desdemona's father, shares Iago's disdain for people of color. He, too, has another reason to hate Othello — he eloped with his daughter without his permission — but much of his attitude toward Othello is based on racial stereotypes and mistaken beliefs about other cultures. He asserts, for example, that the only reason that Desdemona married Othello was that Othello used potions and magic to steal her away. "She is abused," he says, "stol'n from me, and corrupted / By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks." Mountebanks, in this case, are sketchy swindlers, who he thinks are the type of shady characters someone like Othello would be associating with. He is certain that "sans witchcraft," there is no possible way his daughter could ever naturally love a man like Othello because he can't see past his skin color.

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Some literary critics have theorized that Shakespeare wrote Othello in an attempt to point out the racism that was prevalent in society at the time of its writing. Although the word "Renaissance" sounds like a very enlightened time period, there was, in actuality, a lot of prejudice and discrimination taking place. Much of that prejudice and discrimination was against people like Othello, who were from Africa and/or had darker skin. Many Europeans felt superior to them, which is something that Shakespeare was arguably trying to correct by presenting a hero who was of color. In the end, though, the bad things that Othello did were not due to a flaw of his own or to his own disposition, but to the terrible things that Iago, a white person, had convinced him to do. As such, one of the major themes of the play is racism and its effect on innocent people.

In the text, this racism is presented, not necessarily as a result of some inherent trait of evil within the characters, but as ignorance. Since the Venetians in the play may not have been exposed to many people of other races and cultural backgrounds during the time the play took place, they were quick to assume that there was something "wrong" with them. They feared these "others" and so they assumed they were wicked in some way. But if they had truly gotten to know the Moors like Desdemona got to know Othello instead of acting upon their presuppositions about other races, perhaps the story would have had a different ending.

Race seems to be the main theme of the play, but there are many different critical analyses of it. Some critics assert that perhaps Othello was not actually African at all, but Middle Eastern or just an Englishman with very dark skin. Elizabethans at the time were quick to call any darker-skinned person a "Moor" regardless of whether they actually were from North Africa, and Othello's birthplace is never explicitly stated in the play. So, while some of these critics may agree that the theme of the play is still racism, they say that it is unclear which race (if any) is being discriminated against.

There are also some critics who attempt to set aside the issue of race in Othello altogether or at least diminish its importance to the plot. Others like Laura Reitz-Wilson note that nearly every character in the play shows signs of racism toward Othello. She quotes Edward Berry, writer of "Othello's Alienation", as saying that his race "is not only a mark of his physical alienation but a symbol, to which every character in the play, himself included, must respond." This makes it impossible to view Othello without taking into account the stark differences between the races of the characters. Would Brabantio have been so quick to assume Othello bewitched his daughter had he been a white European like him? And would everyone be so easily convinced that Othello was a bad man if his skin were not dark?

This dichotomy of white versus Black makes the play problematic to perform at times because, according to some scholars, there is still a lingering, unconscious bias in society that makes it too easy for some to see Othello solely as "other" or "less than" because of his race. This same problem is noted in another of Shakespeare's plays, The Merchant of Venice , in which characters also use racial stereotypes (this time against a character from a Jewish background). In that play, however, the character against whom everyone is biased is actually the antagonist, so it is unclear what, if anything, Shakespeare was trying to say about race in that piece.

In Othello , however, it is clear that Shakespeare is attempting to make the audience think twice about how they view darker-skinned people at a time when racism was at a high point.

In Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice , racism is a central theme. This racism is displayed through acts of discrimination and bias toward the main character, Othello, based on his skin color and ethnicity. Unlike nearly everyone else in Shakespeare's works, who are all of European descent, Othello is a Moor , or a man from North Africa. Iago, the play's antagonist, uses this "otherness" to color peoples' opinions about Othello. Iago himself is full of hatred toward Othello because he promoted Cassio to lieutenant instead of him and because he suspects that Othello has slept with his wife. He uses his own racist ideology to stir up racism in others, turning people like Brabantio, the father of Othello's wife Desdemona, against Othello. He then puts Desdemona's handkerchief in Cassio's possession to make Othello think that the two of them are having an affair, which ultimately leads to Othello killing his wife in a jealous rage.

One of the main themes of Othello is racism, but some scholars downplay this aspect by wondering if Othello is actually from North Africa at all. He is described as a Moor, but this term was often used during the Elizabethan era in England as a reference to anyone from Africa, the Middle East, or possibly even England itself who had a darker skin color than the average Englishman. Since no birthplace is given for Othello, they posit, it is possible that he is not actually African, but simply a person of color. Either way, his race is a focal point of the play and drives much of its action.

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Is race a theme in Othello?

Race is one of the main themes in Othello . Much of what happens in the plot is based on the other characters' perceptions of Othello, who is of a different race. Racism can be seen in the dialogue of several characters, most notably Iago, Brabantio, and Roderigo, who speak of Othello with disparaging tems.

How is Othello insecure about his race?

Othello experiences a lot of racism in the play, but he himself also focuses on his race when Iago tries to convince him that his wife is cheating on him with Cassio. He finds it easy to doubt that his wife loves him because he sees himself as an older Black man while she is a young, pretty, white woman. This insecurity leads him to fall for Iago's tricks and believe the worst of Desdemona.

What role does racism play in Othello?

Many literary critics argue that racism is a central theme in Othello . It drives many of the decisions made by its characters, because Othello is a Black man in a city of white Venetians and is often seen as an outsider. Iago, the play's main antagonist, uses racism to turn people against Othello, such as Brabantio, the father of Othello's wife Desdemona.

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