Othello Blackness And Racism Analysis

Improved Essays
Qurrat Ulain
Mr. Stevens
ELA 10
27th September, 2015
Relation Between the Motif of “Blackness” and “Racism” in Shakespeare 's Othello
Most individuals often assume the words “blackness” and “racism” to be connected. The reason for this is because various imbeciles who are racist, sometimes believe that people of other races will not go to heaven. In addition, during the Elizabethan era, large amounts of people believed that black was the colour of witchcraft so it would make sense for an uneducated person of that time to be racist against black people. In Shakespeare’s Othello, however, the motif of blackness conveys a deeper sense, which is then linked to racism. Racism is a very obvious motif in Shakespeare’s Othello. One example
…show more content…
An example of this scenario is during the last few lines of Iago’s famous soliloquy in which he says, “Hell and Night/ Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.” ( Ⅰ . Ⅲ. 392/393) Here Iago places “hell” and “night” together, indicating that hell is similar to night because the sky is usually black during the night and hell is also often described as black. Then he goes on to say that hell and night must bring some type of “monstrous birth” to the world’s light. By monstrous birth, he might be hinting towards an upcoming disaster. And then assuming that he is talking about Othello when he says “hell and night”, what he might be trying to say is that the entire issue with Othello is going to ruin the “world’s light”, as in all the good in the world. From a different point of view, this line is one of the few that hints towards Iago being correlated with the devil. That is because when he says “hell and night” will bring a monstrous birth to the world 's light, he might be referring to himself since he is the one coming up with a plan to shatter the happiness in Othello’s life. In that case, the “worlds light” would mean the happiness in Othello’s life and the “monstrous birth” would be Iago’s hateful …show more content…
Iago knows who in Othello’s life is racist, and also happens to know how he can ruin Othello’s life because of his racial difference. Iago has enough knowledge about each character in Othello’s life that he is able to manipulate them in a way that even the brightest would not notice. The question is, what does Iago hope to gain by destroying the lives of the people around

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Geoffrey Sax’s contemporary re-interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Othello has proven its innate ability to survive the tides of modernity, despite hailing from an era long gone by. Sax is able to manipulate the core concepts and ideas put forward by the great Bard, while retaining and further exploring the key, universal themes of racism, bigotry and power. Shakespeare’s original piece reflects upon traditional Elizabethan values and context through a tragedy spurred by hatred and deception – whereas Sax’s rendition, set in modern London, chooses instead to focus upon issues of racism, corruption and adultery in a post-feminist society. Although the two pieces are different in story, they still convey the same universal issues originally put forward by the Bard himself. Context varies significantly between the two texts – with the original piece being set in the…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Iago's Honesty In Othello

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the Shakespearean play “Othello” Iago is an evil character who fuels other characters with cruelty and hatred to encourage them to commit such cruel actions without even realizing it. He was able to lead for the downfall of almost all of the play’s characters. Iago’s character serves as the foil of the main character, Othello. Othello is a very respected Moor who is known for his wisdom, intelligence, and power.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Upon hearing the words “racism” and “evilness”, the first instinct of most people is never to connect them. That is because even though racism is an immoral act; it is not directly associated with evilness. However, in Shakespeare’s’ Othello, the motif of racism is linked to the motif of evilness/hell.…

    • 50 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Role Of Race In Othello

    • 109 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Race is very important in Othello. The color of his skin is the reason that most of the events happen that leads to his downfall as the tragic hero. It is why he is doubted by most of the characters in the play. Othello isn’t give the confidence he needs because he is portrayed as some “devil” just for having darker skin. Desdemona’s father doesn’t even trust him because of his skin color.…

    • 109 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!/It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/ The meat it feeds on.” (3.3.170-172). Such are the wise words of the famous villain, Iago, found in William Shakespeare’s Othello. A tragic play of jealousy and rivalry, many of the characters in Othello are doomed to a catastrophic ending—a misfortune beyond all ordinary worries.…

    • 1652 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Iago: No Ordinary Villain In Shakespeare’s play Othello, from the outside looking in, Iago seems like a villain. Is he a bad person because he will stop at nothing to reach his goals? Iago is not the evil person as we all may think. In fact, he is the anti-hero of the play Othello.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Iago The Joker Analysis

    • 2160 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Iago is someone who is evil in a way that he can manipulate people into getting what he wants. It is without a doubt that the villain in the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare is Iago. Throughout the play, it is unclear as to why Iago does the evil things he does or what his end game for doing these things are. Much like the iconic character The Joker, from the famous movie “Batman: The Dark Knight.” Both of these villains have something in common.…

    • 2160 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Some perplexing social issues, such as bigotry and envy, have passed from one generation to the next, affecting those that suffer from them. William Shakespeare, a well-known poet, often wrote plays including these controversies. One of these plays, Othello, is about a black man named Othello who faces prejudice due to his ethnicity. He is a proud and capable general in battle, which has won him the favor of the senate. Yet his place in society as a Moor keeps him feeling insecure when it comes to his wife, Desdemona.…

    • 1678 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Iago Psychopath Analysis

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages

    His insincere ‘sincerity’ and his ability to cleverly hide the truth some of his of his main assets that eventually lead to the success of his plan. He is not only is able to make everyone like him, but his lies lead others to believe that he is noble and honest. Iago, after conjuring up his plan, knows that to convince Othello he must take baby steps and start with smaller lies, until Othello blindly follows him. He even compares himself with the devil(s) and knows that when they try to convince people to do the “blackest sins” (2.3. 322), “they do suggest at first with heavenly shows” (2.3.323). Unlike most people who try to copy good role models, Iago is very well on the way to becoming a devil himself.…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How is Othello an exploration of institutional racism? In Othello racism played an important role throughout the play. When Othello was originally written in England things between white and black people where not where they are at today. When Othello was written it was around the time of the beginning of the slave trade in Britain, so the way people viewed African were terrible.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Race Quotes In Othello

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages

    His actions reveals how evil in the world is and how it's able to manipulate the goodness which in this case would be othello. Iago’s evil is mostly showcases through his hate for othello. For example, Iago states many times “I hate the Moor. My cause is hearted”(1.3,361-362). Iago simply hates Othello because he promoted Cassio to lieutenant instead of him, Iago not only thought he was the guy for the job, but Iago also bribed city officials in hopes of getting the job.…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Amandla Stenberg, a young actress and social justice activist, stated in a recently uploaded YouTube video, “What if America loved Black people as much as they loved Black culture?” , she was referencing a deep rooted issue that lately has been a key concern within racism in America. Cultural appropriation is the adoption or “borrowing” elements of one culture by a member of another culture. Cultural appropriation is a form of internal racism that may or may not be in an intentionally negative light. The line between appropriation and appreciation is very thin, though it is clear when said line has been crossed.…

    • 1577 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alfred Pennysworth, butler of Batman once said “some men just want to watch the world burn” in reference to Batman’s villain, the Joker. A similarly destructive attitude is festered in the antagonist; Iago of Shakespeare’s play Othello. Iago is motivated by an undeserved hate toward the protagonist, Othello, which leads to chaos and sparks a classic Shakespearean tragedy. Throughout the play, Iago allows jealous suspicion and anger to fuel a hate for the Othello.…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Often the most important themes in literature are developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, the death of the character Desdemona serves as the climatic breaking point where pervasive racism and sexism can no longer exist without resulting in detrimental harm to the involved parties. It is Othello’s prideful hamartia that, combined with sexism, is the catalyst that ultimately destroys both his and Desdemona’s life. In Othello, the cast of characters is subjected to the mounting pressures of sexism and racism without even realizing the detrimental effects it has on their lives.…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Racism And Racism In Othello

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 5 Works Cited

    “To understand Othello’s position, one must appreciate not only his African characteristics, but his position as a black man in a Venetian society; he is the Moor of Venice” (Berry 318). Othello’s alienation played a big role in the play. Othello’s dark skin color isn’t only a mark of his physical isolation, but it also represents several different symbols. They were very stereotypical. Othello’s skin color is black and in the Elizabethan era, being black symbolized ugly, treachery, lust, bestiality, demonic, dishonest, and unintelligent (Berry 319).…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 5 Works Cited
    Superior Essays