Shakespeare’s Othello: The Esteemed, Reviled, Shunned, and Integrated?

In Shakespearean literature, one can find themes that challenge the Elizabethan conventional way of thinking and life, and the tragedy of Othello is no exception. In a dramatic presentation, Shakespeare challenges the way in which Black people are seen in Elizabethan society by placing a Moor in the context of Venice, Italy who is both hated and respected in his place in a racist society. There is no doubt that there is racism in Elizabethan society. According to Eldred Jones, during the era in which Othello is composed, Queen Elizabeth enacts legislation that calls for all Black people to leave the country (Jones, 1994). Racism is not the core theme of the dramatic piece; however, the existence of racism is illustrated and expressed via Shakespeare’s artistic medium. Just as feminism, greed, jealousy, hubris, and varying other matters dealing with the human spirit do not seepage Shakespeare’s consideration, nor do race matters. Furthermore, just as he dramatizes human issues, he dramatizes race matters. There are fictional elements in Othello that are intertwined with nonfictional matters of human behavior and racial unrest. In the middle of racial unrest, Shakespeare composes a theatrical production with a Black character who is esteemed, reviled, shunned, and integrated into such a society, capturing the complicated nature of communal racism itself.


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Section 2.2 Intrinsic and Extrinsic Racism
Kwame Appiah concurs with Todorov's assertions about racialism; however, he makes a distinction between types of racism, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic racism asserts that different races possess varying moral capabilities, and the darker the skin, the lower one's moral capabilities; whereas, extrinsic racism asserts that certain races of people deserve to be treated in discriminatory manners because their skin colors render them lacking in moral capabilities and, therefore, deserving of differing treatment (5-12). Of course, Shakespeare does not have knowledge of these theoretical perspectives with regards to race when he composes Othello; however, he does cover both intrinsic and extrinsic racism. For instance, Rodrigo's apparent disdain for Othello is rooted in intrinsic racism, for he cannot fathom that Desdemona would elect to marry Othello because he does not believe that Othello's physical features are comparable to his own due to his perceived European superiority. Iago and Rodrigo both express instances of intrinsic racism in their speech that allows them to cross over into extrinsic racism.
The comradery between Iago and Rodrigo is based on intrinsic racism, and their actions are based on extrinsic racism. When Iago says, "Her eye must be fed;/and what delight shall she have to look on the devil? When the blood is made dull with the act of/sport, there should be, again to inflame it and to" (2.1.226-29) and further states, "very nature will/instruct her in it and compel her to some second choice" (2.1.235-36), he makes reference to Othello's appearance as being devilish. Furthermore, he implies that Desdemona's interest in Othello is rooted in a sexual nature as opposed to genuine love. He also goes on to state that nature will compel her to make another choice when the sexual novelty wears off. By comparing Othello to the devil, Iago is illustrating extrinsic racism, for he equates Othello with the devil based on nothing other than his physical appearance. Comparing Othello to the devil implies that he lacks certain moral

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ISSN: 2395 -5155 Volume III Issue V October 2017 with her mother, she strategically glosses over two factors that make her own marriage radically different and socially taboo" (425). When faced with such an argument, Brabantio is left without a choice but to abandon his racist line of questioning to adhere to the societal standard that a woman has a duty to her father initially; however, once she is married, her duty is to her husband. This is an illustration of Othello's integration into Venetian society; however, this integration is manifested upon him begrudgingly in order to pay precedent to a woman being subservient to a man.
There is an opposing view that the true purpose of Othello is not to illustrate racism towards Black men but to punish White women. Celia Daileader describes Othellophilia in "Racism, Misogyny, and the Othello Myth" as a means of punishing White women. In the article, Blackchild and Daileader assert that Othello is the initial document in English fiction that explores the "European racial consciousness" (2008, p.102). However, Daileader does not overlook the racist elements in Othello. In fact, she eventually concludes that racism and the oppression of female sexuality have a dual existence in the play, but in the same breath, she asserts that the villainization of the Black man as a devil with an enormous penis is not a new concept with the advent of Othello (Blackchild et. al, 2008). As convincing as their argument is, there is the perspective that the authors actually contribute to stereotyping the Black male with their assertions about large penises penetrating White women before Shakespeare's Othello.
Blackchild and Daileader actually utilize a stereotype as a precursor to ask why Othello is not focused on domestic violence as opposed to racism; however, with their protest that Othello is a play that addresses the impact of racism as opposed to domestic violence, they actually support the claim that Othello is a study in racists perspectives in Venetian society.

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The apparent racism in Othello is portrayed as a normal part of everyday Elizabethan society. During this era, Black people are often equated with savagery. Iago uses this seemingly uniform perception to manipulate Barbantio into illustrating a racist depiction of how Desdemona and Othello's marriage manifests. Against a social backdrop that portrays Black men as being savages, Shakespeare creates a character who is both revered and scorned in Elizabethan society. Iago exploits these preconceptions regarding race in order to plant a seed of inferior self-perception within Othello in order to fertilize a tragic outcome. In fostering this tragic outcome, he provides society with the perception of having evidence of the savagery of Black men. This is a situation that makes for social mending between racial groups because a complete picture of social misconceptions and racially-based manipulation is presented to the audience.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ONLINE OF HUMANITIES (IJOHMN)
ISSN: 2395 -5155 Volume III Issue V October 2017