There is an opposition of black and white imagery which occurs frequently throughout the play which deliberately separates/shows a difference between the main character Othello and his European peers

In the play Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, truly believes that Othello has placed a spell on his daughter to make her fall in love with him. He refuses to believe that she could love him from her heart, and there is a suggestion here that it is his colour above everything else that should prevent her from finding him worthy of love. Shakespeare has many of the characters in the play refer to Othello with negative comments, some about his actual features:

“What a full fortune does the thick lip owe?”

Here Roderigo is basically making a link between the amount he owes and the size of his lips. When Iago and Roderigo try to play Brabantio against Othello, Iago lets him know that they may be having intimate relations that will be frowned upon by many in the city and this will put him to shame to let Desdemona do such a thing “for shame put on your gown” Iago cleverly comments on Brabantio’s actual appearance and makes Brabantio feel as if even the garments he is wearing are now tarnished with shame; Iago goes on to declare “even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” Iago implies the situation is as wrong as an old black ram undertaking intercourse with a white ewe (baby sheep), this even suggests that the event may not be pleasurable for both parties and that Othello just wishes to use Desdemona for sex; Iago calls Othello an old black ram which hints at him as being a black sheep, this is a negative thing to be called; this shows that Iago still sees Othello as an outsider, as the odd one out. Iago goes on to say “Arise, arise; Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, or else the devil will make a grandsire of you. Arise, I say!”

Shakespeare has cleverly linked the horns of a ram to the horns of the devil and makes Desdemona seem to be a victim of the devils and in need of great help.

Casey         Hylton 11 PCO

25TH Nov. 2005