Furthermore, In Act 1 scene 2 Othello is not presented as a stereotypical savage ‘moor’, but as an intelligent and quietly confident character. Evidence of this is when Othello says to Iago, ‘’My services which I have done the signiory/ Shall out-tongue his complaints.’’ Here Shakespeare presents Othello as being confident in himself as he has been warned that Brabantio is trying to break up his marriage, however ‘out – tongue his complaints’ show Othello is confident his services to the government will over power any attempts. In addition, Shakespeare further portrays Othello as confident and strong when he says ‘My parts, my title and my perfect soul.’ Here Othello refers to his military rank and thus recognising he has a good reputation therefore giving him increased self-confidence. Shakespeare uses this to give the audience a positive first impression of Othello and it is a contrast to what has been said about him in scene 1.
In addition, Shakespeare presents Othello further in a positive light when Othello tells his tale of how he and Desdemona fell in love. ‘’Her father loved me, oft invited me, /Still questioned me the story of my life’’ Here Shakespeare shows that those who consider Othello their social and civic peer, such as Desdemona and Brabantio, nevertheless seem drawn to him because of his exotic, loving qualities. This also suggests that Othello does not only speak passionately with female characters, but that he also tells adventurous tales to male characters which seem to enjoy them. This characteristic Shakespeare has given Othello makes him a likeable character and portrays him in a positive viewpoint. Furthermore, Othello gains affection from even the Duke of Venice whose reply to his long speech is ‘’ I think this tale would win my daughter too.’’ Shakespeare uses the Duke here as a sign to show that Othello is even respected by nobles with the highest of status and so this enhances Othello’s own. To be gaining affection from someone such as a Duke would definitely increase someone’s status around that time and would be seen as a gain of power in a sense.
In contrast, Shakespeare does sometimes makes the point of presenting Othello as an outsider. Whether it’s because he wants it to seem Othello recognises his exotic appeal or because he wants to present Othello as self conscious of his difference from the usual Venetians. Evidence of this is in spite of Othello’s obvious eloquence in Act 1 Scene 3, he protests ‘’Rude am I in my speech’’ While Shakespeare presents Othello as never rude in his speech, he does allow Othello’s eloquence to suffer when he is put under increasing strain by Iago’s plots. However, ‘’Rude am I in my speech’’ can suggest Shakespeare giving Othello a sense of false modesty about him; the audience here can elucidate the theory of ‘hubris’. The sense of having too much pride can be seen as a negative characteristic, although it can also be seen as just simply confidence that Shakespeare has connected with Othello.
Moreover, Shakespeare uses the motif of sight and blindness to illustrate that Othello may not be able to see himself in the right way; that he has become blind with power on the battlefront. This is shown when Desdemona says ‘’ I saw Othello’s visage in his mind/ And to his honours and his valiant parts/ Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.’’ Here Shakespeare uses Desdemona’s reference to sight to show her true feelings for Othello. That Othello’s blackness, his visible difference to everyone around him, is of little importance to her; she has the power to see him for what he is – something that Shakespeare suggests Othello maybe cannot do. This motif is strong throughout the entire play and here is significant to show that Shakespeare isn’t necessarily presenting Othello as a perfect human being.
Overall this has shown how Shakespeare does present Othello in a positive way in Act 1 and that he encourages the audience to challenge the stereotype for black people.
