and the Whites.
From one perspective, Walcott draws a similarity between the whiteness of reasonable Desdemona and light and then again, he contrasts Othello and the dull foreboding night. 'His smoky hand' and her 'burned… marble throat' allude to the sharp complexities of shading between the two. Othello is an embodiment of the Dark Continent as the writer says "he is Africa, a tremendous steering shadow" (6), the Africa which should stay outsider for the social law 'parts the world' into two. Any endeavor made by a local to leave that distanced space would prompt 'confusion.'
At first glance level, it creates the impression that Walcott is censuring this 'undying coupling' wherein a joke is by all accounts expected on the word 'everlasting' for 'improper'. He makes a polarity between the gorilla-like Moor, the 'Chimp' and the moon-like Virgin and says that Othello might be 'featured with awards'
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In a generally microcosmic level, we see variations of miscegenation-fears prompting savage respect killings in specific parts of the world including India. In the dehumanized form of the world today, there is almost no space for feelings like love. Social marks of disgrace still hold on and win. It is altogether credited to the profound situated bigot belief systems in the mentality of society which discovered solid voices since the start of colonization.
All things considered, transgression has not stop. Watson composes, "… states of mind toward interracial marriage, while still disapproved of in specific circles, have changed significantly... As per a Gallup survey led between June 13 and July 5 of a year ago that overviewed 4,373 Americans… Black Americans affirmed of Black-White marriage at a rate of 96 percent, which is totally widespread. The rate for Whites, while not as high, was still overwhelmingly strong at 84 percent…
Good morning students and teachers. I honestly can't believe I've made it through my last year of schooling here at Southern Cross. Throughout my senior English studies, I have realised that individuality is something that is unfortunately lost amongst the trends and expectations of a developing society. Especially in regards to adolescents, I believe that it can be incredibly difficult to maintain a sense of independence and uniqueness in a society where everyone is expected to conform to the majority. Over the last two years, texts such as “The Kite Runner”, Shakespeare's “Othello”, Robert Frost's “Into My Own”, and the film “The Breakfast Club” have definitely inspired me to be myself and to stay true my own beliefs.
The sympathy felt for a character often remains through character revelation. In spite of the change in personality and morals the first impression of the character is not forgotten. Othello who commits violent acts throughout the play ends his life with honour, reminding us he was originally introduced as a respected man of high position. A person can be manipulated by others to act outside of their character, and their emotions can blind them from making good decisions. In the end a person’s true character is reflected upon the way they react to the results of their wrong doing.
The 2010 census revealed that 1 in 10 marriages are made up of interracial couples, a 28% increase since 2000. Interracial marriages are most common between opposite sex couples in the Western and South Western regions of the United States. Pew research in 2010 revealed that 15% of new marriages in 2010 were between different people and ethnicities which was almost double from 1980. In 1990 only 48% of Americans approved of interracial marriage. By 2012 the approval rate was up to 83%.
Othello: A Close Reading This is an analysis of the lines 260-279 of the third scene of the third act of Shakespeare’s Othello. In an attempt to fulfill the incessant need for comfortable dichotomies, societies tend to be divided into two groups: the ‘in-crowd’ and the ‘others’. These strict dualities, constructed upon the inherent need for adversaries, are often as arbitrary as they are false and based on nothing but fear.
Iago uses very clever methods of persuasion and manipulation aimed to use Othello’s hamartia against him, pointing out that “ “She (Desdemona) did deceive her father, marrying you,” so much so that Brabantio “thought ’twas witchcraft”. Through this, Iago is subtly raising the issues of Othello’s cultural differences with Desdemona; a root cause behind Othello’s insecurities with his wife – along with inadequacy due to race, degree of sophistication and age. As Iago prompts Othello to think the worst, his utterances are short and uneasy, revealing the beginning to his downfall, whilst Iago’s dialogue is at length highlighting his growing power of
A Modern View of Feminist Criticism William Shakespeare 's "Othello” can be analyzed from a feminist perspective. This criticism focuses on relationships between genders, like the patterns of thoughts, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within sexes. A feminist examination of the play enables us to judge the distinctive social esteems and status of women and proposes that the male-female power connections that become an integral factor in scenes of Othello impact its comprehension. I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions
The correlation between relationships and experiences are co-existing functions that assist in operating societies. Since ancient times, social classes have existed within all communities and cultures; a sense of belonging is often determined by one’s position in the social hierarchy. Shakespeare’s Othello highlights determinants including race and gender that affect one’s standing in the hierarchy. An excerpt of Act 1, Scene 1 (Lines 110-112) explores this concept when Iago exclaims “Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse, you’ll have your nephews neigh to you.” Shakespeare cleverly incorporates animalistic imagery to showcase the role that race has in a society
This extent of hostility and aggression coming from several other sources in the play was enough to ruin Othello. Thus, Othello’s downfall was more of a result of his race being that the main underlying motive behind the characters’ efforts to destroy him was racism. It is inadequate to bypass the sociology behind racism, the concept of race, prior to defining what racism actually is. The common understanding of race suggests the division of groups based upon the color of one’s skin, hair, eyes, etc. “Although biologically meaningless when applied to humans – physical differences such as skin color have no natural association with group differences in ability or behavior – race nevertheless has tremendous significance in structuring social reality” (Clair).
Nadia In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, the title character is a valiant hero who is in love with his beautiful bride, Desdemona. The play’s villain, Iago, destroys this love by feeding Othello vicious lies about Desdemona, causing Othello to slowly go mad. By the end of the play, Othello, in a fit of jealous rage, murders his wife. This significant change in Othello’s character is not sudden; rather, it is a gradual transformation that takes place after a series of events that occur throughout the play.
When people of one race believe themselves to be superior to those of another, only catastrophe can result. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, racism was extremely prevalent, and white supremacy was much more pronounced. In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, both covert and overt racism, assimilation, and jealous dispositions all foreshadow the untimely death of Desdemona and Othello. Most characters in Othello display both covert racism and overt racism towards Othello.
For Shakespeare’s plays to contain enduring ideas, it must illustrate concepts that still remain relevant today, in modern society. Shakespeare utilises his tragic play Othello, to make an important social commentary on the common gender stereotypes. During early modern England, Shakespeare had to comply to the strict social expectations where women were viewed as tools, platonic and mellow, and where men were displayed as masculine, powerful, tempered, violent and manipulative. As distinct as this context is to the 21st century, the play exposes how women were victimised by the men who hold primary power in the community in which they compelled women to conform to the ideal world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation.
Othello is for instance not really Othello 's play. Othello is not Othello 's story” (Buntin). Othello is focused more on the schemes of Iago and the tragic life of Desdemona. By retelling this story Sears is putting Othello in the centre of the narrative and giving focus to the nuances of his life as a black man. Dickson
Throughout history, societies have succumbed to the toxic concepts of racism, causing an unthinkable amount of chaos and devastation. While racism on its own can lead to many societal evils, racism coupled with jealousy can create a truly catastrophic force that can only lead to pure destruction. When someone of a different race and culture is placed in this kind of society, this destruction will only naturally follow. In the play Othello, William Shakespeare focuses on the tragic outcomes of Othello, a Venetian general and black Turkish Moor, and Desdemona, his white Venetian wife. Throughout the play, both covert and overt racism, assimilation, and jealous dispositions all foreshadow the untimely death of Desdemona and Othello.
1. Consider one of the male-female relationships in Othello (Othello and Desdemona; Iago and Emilia; and Cassio and Bianca). Do they love or hate one another, or, is it both? How are the women treated in each relationship? Explain.
Human nature is perceived as a delightful entity. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, several characters demonstrate the dark side of human nature and display how simple it is to get carried away with emotions. This includes Iago, who only cares for himself, Brabantio who has many doubts, and Roderigo who lacks intellect. Firstly, Iago demonstrates the dark side of human nature by being self-centered.