Othello Racist Play Essay

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Is Othello A Racist Play? (#3) In the 17th century, the idea of interracial marriage was unacceptable and condemned. Racism was widely accepted and commonplace; nonwhites were regarded as “savages”. Although there are elements that can be construed as “racist”, it is not the dominate theme in the play -- it simply acts as a factor amidst the jealousy and hate. The characters utilize race to express criticism or anger, not because it is a norm. Iago, notorious for his revenge scheme, makes plenty of comments about Othello such as “the Moor” and “black ram”. His racist remarks stems from his envy when he discovered that the green Cassio was positioned as lieutenant in lieu of him. To further deepen his hatred for Othello, he made the assumption that he slept with his wife and made that the basis of his racist comments and actions. Iago uses racism to manipulate other characters such as Brabantio to turn against Othello, for instance, telling him that his daughter,…show more content…
Such characters are Desdemona and the Duke of Venice. These characters invalidate racism as the main idea of the play. Desdemona loves Othello for his stories and who he is as an individual. She felt sympathy for Othello because of what he has been through. The Duke of Venice sees Othello as an honorable and good man. The Duke claims that Othello’s tale would win his daughter too and believes that arresting Othello for being with Desdemona is unnecessary. When Brabantio takes his argument to the Duke, the Duke enlightens Brabantio saying “if virtue no delighted lack, your son-in-law is far more fair than black” (1.3.286-287) meaning that Othello, albeit black, has an inner beauty that Brabantio fails to see. The Duke thus makes it all right for Othello to take Desdemona on the journey to Cyprus. The Duke and Desdemona see more than just Othello’s skin color; they see that he has value and
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