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Othello Racism Analysis

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The play Othello is written by William Shakespeare, author of many great stories. In the play, it includes many examples of racism. This prejudice is centered around Othello, a Moor from Africa and incomparable authority of the Venetian armed force. Many of the characters use racial slurs against Othello at one point in the play. Characters including his wife, his father in law, and even himself. Racism is a major theme in this tragedy. To get revenge on Othello for promoting Cassio over Iago, Iago and Roderigo taunt Brabantio, Desdemona 's father, who is also a senator of Venice. Yelling up at Brabantio, who appears at his house 's second-story window, Iago and Roderigo make racist jokes about Desdemona having eloped with Othello despite his dark complexion, foreign extraction, Muslim background, and lack of youth (Shumaker par. 25). Roderigo calls him "the thick-lips," and Iago highlights Othello 's race when he wants to paint an ugly sexual picture for Desdemona 's father, Brabantio: "Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe" (1.1.88–89) (Pettigrew par.1). These words arouse Brabantio 's feelings of trepidation of miscegenation (when a couple "blends races" through …show more content…

In Elizabethan times, it was expected that blunders in the character were, reflected in the external appearance of the character. Othello was black and his skin color had effects on his life. As said in essay titled The Primal scene of Racism in Othello, its written “The primal scene is both real and fantastical..like Othello’s blackness...remains from the beginning to end a site of interplay between literal and the metaphorical” (Patrick par. 1). Lukacher points out that “The meaning of Othello 's murdering Desdemona is thoroughly invested in Othello 's blackness” (par.2). Lukacher is pointing out that Othello is black and the traits of a black man impacts their lifestyle. As in how they are treated, how they act, and even the “Urszene” meet the man and

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