Othello - A Racist Play?

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Extended Essay         Andrew Roy        English Lang & Lit.

EXTENDED ESSAY

ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

“To what extent could William Shakespeare’s 16th Century play: Othello, be considered racist?”

Word Count: 3876

Andrew Roy

UWC Atlantic College

Abstract

        This essay is a detailed analysis of to what extent William Shakespeare’s Elizabethan play of the 1600s: Othello could be considered racist. It investigates Elizabethan views, attitudes and bias towards race and how Shakespeare develops a variety of themes through Othello as a whole such as racism, xenophobia, love, hatred, jealousy and betrayal.

        Othello sets out to establish the important metaphorical role of colour in the play. In Othello, “black” and “white” are more than just skin colours, or a mere physical appearance. They define the character’s cultural background, their inner life, personality, and are largely related to the judging of their personal emotional traits.

        Through textual analysis, the essay will focus on the varying roles and attitudes of other characters towards the ethnicity of Othello throughout the play. It will analyse how these perceptions and judgements influenced Othello’s view of not only himself, but eventually and inevitably, his personal fate.

        The characters that will be looked upon in the investigation will be Othello himself, and how his personality, appearance, and portrayal are all signs of racial stereotypes. Iago, Othello’s “trusted” ensign, Cassio; Othello’s lieutenant, and “unintended eventual enemy” of Othello; Othello’s wife, Desdemona; her father, Brabantio, and Roderigo and Emilia. Each of these characters played vital roles in how 16th Century racial stereotypes were presented and portrayed in Othello, whether it is black or white.

        The essay concludes by drawing up connections between these themes and assessing to what extent Othello was in fact a racist play, and how the importance of Othello’s ethnic background played a significant role in the development, running and outcome of the play itself.

Word Count: 295

Acknowledgements

        

I would personally like to thank my Extended Essay supervisor, Ken Corn for his hard work and diligence throughout the making of this essay. I give full credit to him, the staff and faculty here at Atlantic College, along with my house parents and fellow students for their respect and kindness over the duration of working on this investigation. Secondly, using some methods of paraphrasing, I give full credit to the sources used for this essay and the seminar paper “Othello – A Racist Play” by Anouk Anderson and its associates for assisting me with ideas, notes and writings of which are property of himself and his paper and are fully cited and/or referenced. © 2009.

Table of Contents

Abstract ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2

Acknowledgements --------------------------------------------------------- 3

Table of Contents ------------------------------------------------------------ 4

Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------5

What is Race? ---------------------------------------------------------------6-7

Theatrical Representations of the “Other” -------------------------8-9

Elizabethan Attitudes Towards Venice ----------------------------9-10

Characters Attitudes Towards Othello’s Race -----------------10-11

Desdemona ------------------------------------------------------------- 11-12

Iago ------------------------------------------------------------------------12-13

Brabantio ---------------------------------------------------------------- 13-14

Cassio --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14-15

Othello --------------------------------------------------------------------15-16

Importance of Othello’s Race for the Play ---------------------- 16-18

Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------18-19

Bibliography ---------------------------------------------------------------- 20

Introduction

        

        Othello deals with the tragic events following the elopement and wedding of the “Moor” Othello and the Venetian gentlewoman Desdemona. Over 400 years since the infamous Elizabethan play was first written, questions were already raised regarding the nature of race, its social implications and furthermore, the correlation of a person’s outer appearance and inner self.

        The issue of racism and stereotyping is obvious in the play and is pivotal for the interpretation of the play. In this essay, I plan to analyse the role of Othello, his racial background and along with other key characters, to see if the play itself, or rather the society in Venice would be considered racist.

        In order to answer the question of whether Othello is a racist-based play, one must need to define the word “race”. As the definition and concept of race has changed and continuously been changing, the investigation will examine Elizabethan attitudes towards foreigners and how strangers were portrayed on stage in this time period.

        Moreover, I will analyse the play itself and the characters within it. The essay will look at their differing roles and separate prejudices towards Othello’s skin colour and how they influence his self-conscious and eventually, his personal fate.

        In Othello, “skin colour” is much more than a physical property or cultural background. It defines the character’s inner life, and hugely determines the eventual outcome of the play. The significance of racial concepts and stereotypes, along with Shakespeare’s intentions of racial bias will be touched upon in the last part of this investigation.

What is Race?

        

        As reported by the Oxford English Dictionary, the first record of the term “race” dates back to 1508. Scottish poet William Dunbar first coined it to categorise “groups”.In the 16th century, “race” was used to describe family groups and heredity. The term today commonly refers to a large group of people who are perceived as having hereditary traits in common.

        The concept of race is fairly recent; it was only, when European colonists arrived in new and remote areas of the world where they met groups of people who appeared different than themselves. These colonists sought answers to explain these differences in physical properties, and due to the lack of knowledge in this time period it was assumed that visible differences such as skin colour meant differences in other traits such as intelligence, personality or sexuality. As race was considered a biological concept, scientists continued to argue over its definition.

        Over time, the concept of race has changed from strictly a biological point of view to a more social perspective. The notions of “superiority” and “inferiority” came into play. According to sociologists Michael Omi and Howard Winant, “Racial categories and the meaning of race are given concrete expression by the specific social relations and historical context in which they are embedded.”

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        This explains how still in the modern era, “race” has no clear definition, but rather a wide range of definitions. In addition, according to Ania Loomba, “race is simply a socially constructed concept, but yet it has acted as one of the most powerful, yet fragile bench points of social difference.”

The Elizabethan Thoughts on Foreigners

        The differences between the modern perceptions of race and those of Shakespeare’s era are essential. In the 16th century, knowledge of other cultures began to increase exponentially. Maps of the world were becoming available via explorers, and more importantly, world trade had ...

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