Racism and its Part in the Play Othello
Racism has long played a huge part in history, both ancient and modern. A play, written by Shakespeare, about the downfall of a great black general in the Venetian Army. The play, “Othello”, describes his fall using the questionable hero technique along with many others, including racism. In the play “Othello”, race plays a huge part in the destiny of the characters. How Othello is treated, Desdemona’s love to Othello, and how the play might have went if he faced the courts instead of suicide, all relate to the race of the hero, Othello.
One main factor in racism is how the racists will refer to the victim, or mainly, how he is treated. What really stands out in the first sections of the play is that none of the characters actually refer to Othello by his name. “An old, black ram is tupping your white ewe.” (1,1, 89-90) Iago here is referring to Othello as an old, black ram. He is the main racist in the play, and the one who plotting the downfall of Othello. By white ewe, he was referring to Desdemona, referring to her as a gentle creature and most importantly, a white one. In that same part, Roderigo is also insulting Othello in the same racist manner that Iago is using. On the other hand, there are some people that respect Othello, and not only use his name, but with respect too. “Valiant Othello we must straight employ you.” (1,3,47) The Duke is showing respect to Othello, calling him valiant, and telling him that he is the first one the country would turn to for help. It must not be forgotten, that Othello has served his country well. He has fought many battles and rose the ranks to general of the entire army. This is probably the way the Duke shows his gratitude. It might be argued that the Duke is overlooking the fact that he is black on purpose, but it is hard to prove since people back then have had a really hard time doing that. The Duke probably just does not care. Desdemona’s father Berbantio, is on the other extreme. “She is abused, stolen from me, and corrupted…” (1,3,60) The father views Othello as an abusor and corruptor. This is a serious accusation, especially since he is saying it to the Duke, who was just praising Othello for his bravery. This shows what hate can make a human do, refer to the one thing a person cannot change, his race.
