Racism in Shakespeares Othello - 2768 Words

Racism in Othello Racism seems to be a big concern in Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello. Because the hero of the play is an outsider, a Moor, we have an idea how blacks were regarded in England, in Elizabethan times. There are many references that bring about the issue of racism from the very beginning to the end. In the tragedy, where Othello is coming from is not mentioned, yet through the descriptions the reader is informed that he belongs to one of the Eastern nationalities such as African, Ottoman Turk or Arab. In this paper I am going to analyze some episodes involving a prejudicial, racist attitude and try to discuss whether Shakespeare was a racist or not. Even though the play is full of offensive definitions of black†¦show more content†¦Even though Othello has turned into Christianity and fight against Muslim Ottomans for the sake of Christian country he can not be accepted totally â€Å"The Elizabethan awareness of foreigners was closely conditioned by a traditional religious outlook on the world; and that much ‘new knowledge’ lay follow or was treated in a merely superficial manner because of this.† (Hunter 50) Even though Othello fulfills his duty as a general and he is appreciated by the authorities in Venice and earns a respected position, he is not embraced by the society enough to marry a Venetian girl. In his article â€Å"Othello’s Alienation† Edward Berry says that Shakespeare portrays Othello as a Moor because racial tension and anxiety pervade the atmosphere of Venetian society, and Othello himself, in his aspiration towards assimilation and anxieties about his blackness, internalizes a false dichotomy that can only dehumanize him (330). His otherness caused Venetians to assault him. The reason lies behind this can also be the fear Europeans have for Islam which was the religion of the most powerful empire of that time, the Ottomans, and the territories it controls. Since many African countries were controlled by the Muslims, Othello is probably coming from an Islamic background. Edward Said stated in his Orientalism: â€Å"For Europe, Islam was a lasting trauma. 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