The+Other1

The Other/Racism



 * Quote Analysis **


 * "...an old black ram is tupping your white ewe..."** (I.i.94-95)
 * The quote is the first very apparent racist comment about Othello. Said by Iago, this quote shows that not only is Iago jealous, but also hates Othello for being black and different. As he explains the situation in not pleasant words, the anger and the evil starts the play and sets an intense mood throughout the play.


 * Web Sites **

This article discusses the ideas of racism throughout Othello. It deals with the juxtaposition of black and white, and how in this play black represents good and white represents evil. This is a college essay that discusses a student's opinion of the racism in the play, Othello. He believes that racism is not a dominating factor of the play, however the play has a theme of racism. This website lists racist quotes throughout the play and analyzes them. This website is an essay by Nicole Smith about the perception on racism in Othello. The author gives textual evidence to support her ideas of how Othello is described and parallel to certain degrading things such as animals.
 * ACT ONE **
 *  [|Black Hero vs. White Nemesis]
 * [|College essay - a racist play?]
 * [|Racism quotes explained]
 * [|Essay: Perception on Race in Othello]


 * News Articles **

This article compares Obama and Othello. The author says like Othello Obama is admired by white society, but underneath there approval rests racists fears. 1. What do you believe was Shakespeare's attitude towards blacks? What were Shakespeare's intentions for displaying racism in the play? 2. Did Obama's race influence white voters? 3. Do you think Obama's race gave him an edge with black voters? 4. If a white person was to assassinate Obama today how do you think it would affect race relations in America? 5. How do people become racist? Is racism taught? 6. How was the racism towards Othello different from the racism towards Obama?
 * [|Obama: a modern day Othello]
 * [|Obama is an Othello For Our Time]
 * [|Quotes from Othello]


 * Blog Posts **

This blog post describes Robeson's musical presentation of Othello. This raised lots of questions based on race as well as other factors of the play.
 * [|Robeson's Othello]


 * Videos **

media type="youtube" key="879dd7hugos" height="349" width="425"
 * This video discusses Iago's hatred for Othello. It brings up Iago's unknown (or illegitimate) reasons for hating Othello, therefore, resulting in reasons of race.

Othello faces racism in West Virginia: media type="youtube" key="c-q4MDQ0cDI" height="344" width="425"

Dave Chappelle - Racist media type="youtube" key="uCbD9o948ec" height="344" width="425"
 * Criticisms **

John Gillies believed Shakespeare wrote Othello in order to demean African Americans and to advocate racism. Even though Othello isn't portrated as a savage or as a bad person; he is still not respected in society as a human; he is only respected as an army officer. Gillies felt Shakespeare did this in order to show that African Americans or other minorities should be valued as lesser people, and writes about the downfall of a black person in order to show his true racist beliefs. "Othello (Vol. 53): Introduction." Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 53. 1, 2006. eNotes.com. 2006. 14 Nov, 2008  This quote criticizes the way racism is used by Shakespeare and his intentions of it. The overall essay focuses on race and religion and the reasons as to why Shakespeare decided to put these factors into the play as he does. Here, the author claims that racial slurs were common and said by people often. They were demeaning, however, they were accepted. No one would be portrayed as a bad man for calling a man a Negro in Shakespeare time unlike today. "Essay: On Race and Religion." Masterpiece Theatre: Othello. 2005. PBS. 13 Nov. 2008 . Othello is a different race than all the other characters in the novel; people can all agree to this fact. But the idea behind the purpose of Othello's race is what raises debates and conversation among critics. This is the meaning of the quote from "The Importance of Othello's Race", a criticism. The big question the reader asks him or herself is not whether race is prevalent or not. Without doubt, Othello is different. Shakespeare's reasons for making Othello different is not quite clear in his words in the play. It could be just natural tongue to toss few racial slurs here and there, or it could be there to deliver a powerful message: people are people regardless of their race. "Othello Criticism Ruth Cowhig (essay date 1977)." Shakespearean Criticism. 2008. ENotes.com. 13 Nov. 2008 . This author critcizes Shakespeare's choice to make Othello a black man. He states that the hero of the story is usually (and should be) of the white race. Othello is seen as the hero of the story, but looked down upon because the color of his skin does not match his "pure" self. This critic (published cerca 1950) is clearly racist but shared the same thoughts as many others during that time. The criticism is strongly against Shakespeare's choice of making Othello a black man and feels as though the story and character would be more heroic if he was white. Kermode, Lloyd E. "Critical reactions to Othello's race." __Lloyd Edward Kermode Department of English__. 13 Apr. 2004. California State University, Long Beach. 13 Nov. 2008 <[|http://www.csulb.edu/~lkermode/engl363/othelloreactions.htm]>. The characters in Shakespeare's //Othello// deal with and accept or resent his race in various ways. In his criticism, Bradley discusses the affect that Othello has on the different chacaters in the play, more specifically his wife (Desdemona) and his so-called "friend" (Iago). He also goes into detail of the racial issues during the 19th century and the intelligence (or lack there of) of Othello. Bradley, A. C. "Shakespearean Tragedy." __Othello and Race__. Apr. 2008. St. Johns College High School. 13 Nov. 2008 <[|http://67.104.146.36/english/shakespeare/othello/othellorace.html]>.
 * "Critics such as John Gillies, for instance, argue that Shakespeare was upholding the racist views of the Renaissance, and that the play advocates racism."
 * "In the 17th century, racism was an accepted part of public life; people of color were often thought of as "savage." Shakespeare would have encountered no societal pressures against presenting such ideas. Yet he doesn't actually portray Othello as inferior."
 * "There has recently been general agreement amongst critics that Shakespeare conceived of Othello as a Negro, and not as the tawny Arab on whom Coleridge insisted with such vehemence. But there is a considerable gap between critical opinion and the ideas and assumptions that linger on, even when people have some degree of specialized interest..."
 * "In studying the play of //Othello//, I have always imagined its hero a white man. It is true the dramatist paints him black, but this shade does not suit the man."
 * "Could any argument be more self destructive? It actually did appear to Brabantio 'something monstrous to conceive' his daughter falling in love with //Othello// -- so monstrous that he could account for her love only by drugs and foul charms."


 * RSS feeds **

rss url="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/william_shakespeare/index.html?inline=nyt-per&rss=1" link="true" description="true" number="10" date="true" author="true" enclosure="true" This feed contains the most updated information concerning Shakespeare and his works (current performances, different book adaptations, and history).


 * Podcasts**

25th Hour