Shakespeare’s times are historically referred to as the Elizabethan period. During this time, people of different races lived in England and the relations between the English people and foreigners were quite complex. Foreigners were alienated from the mainstream society and this led to their destruction. One of the factors that influenced the complex relations between Englishmen and foreigners is the issue of Skin colour. Race was used to substitute social systems with new social hierarchies created certain attitudes towards the foreigners. This means that Elizabethan England was highly racist and had prejudicial ideologies that led to the formation of demeaning attitudes towards members of the black race. Looking at most of the literature written during Shakespearean times, it is important to note that black people appear in subordinate positions, are regarded as slaves or animals and are also depicted as evil. All these representations point at the attitudes that the Englishmen of the Elizabethan period had towards the blacks, whom they referred to as moors (Jones 89). In Othello, racial prejudice is quite rampant. It isolates Othello making him feel and appear like an outcast. The best example where these racial attitudes are manifested in Othello is where Brabantio, Desdemona’s father gets horrified that his daughter has eloped with a moor. He is scared that his daughter will give him dark skinned children. This is the worst expression of racial bigotry in the text. Another bigoted character is Iago who cannot imagine taking orders from a black man. To him, a black man is in always inferior to a white man and cannot understand how; he can take orders from Othello, a black man, even if he is his boss.
Iago uses Racism to inflame Brabantio against Othello. Iago actually uses a vulgar animal imagery to refer to Othello. Brabantio reacts to these inflammations incredulously then Iago replies with a metaphor that equates Othello to a horse. Iago continues to express his racial attitudes in the war he wages against Othello. Whenever he is referring to Othello, he constantly infuses the word black to remind the audience that Othello is a different man who needs to be isolated and discriminated. For example, in Act I, he refers Othello to a black Ram. In Act 2, scene 2, he keeps on referring to him as black Othello.
Actually in Othello, there is no single scene where Othello’s otherness is not explicitly referred to. It is important to note that there is a lot of prejudice and marginalisation’s that occur in this book. The racial stereotypes used by the white characters are meant to portray the black people as inferior and less desirable. There are some less flattering descriptions of Othello throughout the book. These descriptions full of racism associate him with something that is less than a human being. The intention is to portray black people as less desirable and less noble, which betrays the prejudicial attitude that the white people of Shakespeare’s time had against people of black origin. The tragedy is that Othello ends up conforming to the racial stereotypes fronted by the whites when he acts like a savage by committing murder. This ends up reinforcing the attitudes and prejudices that the white people have against the black people. All in all, it is highly evident, from the tragedy called Othello, that Englishmen of Shakespearean times had prejudicial attitudes against the black people.
Work Cited
Jones, Eldred .Othello's Countrymen. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1971
