Othello 6
The theme of racism is strongly depicted in William Shakespeare's Othello. It depicts the attitude of European society towards those that were different in colour, race and language. In Europe, people of white complexion were the majority and all other races were considered to be less important and inferior. There are several characters in this that play portray this mentality. These characters include Brabantio, Roderigo and Emilia. But by far, the face of racism in this play is that of Iago, who makes his intentions crystal clear in his soliloquy where he states I hate the Moor, (I, iii, 379). Throughout the play, Iago lays forward a number of reasons for his hatred, which leads to the ruin of most of the characters. It is most likely that the main reason behind Iago's hatred of Othello is the colour of his skin. Similar to many other people of his time, Iago would have had little or no racial tolerance for others, and thereby saw Othello as an outcast that had risen to success - which is a factor contributing to another of his reasons for hatred - jealousy. From the very first act of this play, and indeed the very first scene,
There is also the indication that Iago suspects that Othello may have been involved with his wife: And it is thought that 'twixt my sheets, He's done my office. (I, iii, 380-81), although this is likely to be a rationalisation for his barbarous acts. Emilia and Othello are never portrayed in that way, even when alone, and it is unlikely that Iago is driven by a need for revenge. Cassio was chosen to be Othello's first lieutenant in favour of Iago, and this angered him deeply. He hates Othello for overlooking him, but he also hates Cassio for being chosen ahead of him to the spot that he wanted. Iago is successful in ruining Cassio and causing him to lose his reputation and thereby Othello's respect. Eventually, despite the success of his endeavours, he still attempts to have Cassio killed by successfully convincing Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair by saying that Cassio is jealous of him: O, beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on" - (III.iii.169-70). Iago's ultimate objectives are made clear. He wants Cassio and Othello to die, and being the ruthless villai
Some common words found in the essay are:
Roderigo Emilia, Julius Caesar, Othello Desdemona, Shakespeare's Othello, Othello Barbary, Cassio Othello, Emilia Othello, Cassio Desdemona, Othello Cassio, , iago's hatred, othello cassio, characters play, play iago, reasons hatred, cassio chosen, honest iago,
Approximate Word count = 770
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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