The Theme of Race in Othello - Essay Example

?The Theme of Race in Othello ics in Literature When we say Shakespeare’s works come under the category ics in literature, the categorization is to be justified not on the basis that they were authored many centuries ago, but for the reason that they throw light on the various facets of human nature, each of which is extremely complex. They are classics also in the sense that they deal with the most profound realities and shades of life that are as often ugly as they are beautiful. As such, the degree to which one can understand and appreciate their emotional, intellectual, psychological and philosophical implications is largely a function of one’s maturity acquired by way of observation and living through a wide range of experiences. It is this maturity alone which can make a reader wonder how it was materially possible for someone to weave stories that connect so closely with human emotions and would continue to endure their value and relevance timelessly. The Mighty Othello Othello, apart from being one of Shakespeare’s masterpieces, is undisputedly rated among the greatest works of all time. On the one hand, it is because of its microscopic identification of the angels and devils that latently reside in the human mind which manifest in reaction to the stimulus provided by different situations of life. On the other, it is because of its true-to-life portrayal of how the heart rules over the head more often than not as well as the misery and devastating consequences that follow this undesirable heart-head hierarchy. Be it Brabantio’s irrational hatred or Iago’s manipulative wickedness or Othello’s impulsiveness in readily buying into Iago’s plot or in spite lighting the pyre of love, the lessons are clear and are useful to individuals, families, groups and societies regardless of time and space. It is in these lessons that the value of the work lies more than in anything else. To this day, love, jealousy, mistrust and vindictive instincts remain the foremost causes that adversely affect relationships and family bonds on one front and provoke suicidal or criminal tendencies on the other across the globe. No wonder, Othello has an eternal and universal appeal. One of the First Black Heroes Though Othello is the protagonist and the central character, all the other characters in the play as well make a substantial contribution to making it a literary tour de force. Nevertheless, a strong rationalization is required to justify what Othello is and what he does and this was probably sought to be accomplished by choosing the platform of race. Just as Chief Bromden, in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, is oppressed, or feels oppressed on account of his race, Othello too, at least in a subtle manner, has the factor of racial divide – being labeled a “Barbary horse” (1.1.110) – to which may be attributed his frustration, feelings of inadequacy and quick temperament. His race becomes the source of his vulnerability as he falls prey to Iago’s Machiavellian schemes and designs. How Race Works It is a very subjective discussion that tries to zero in on what the dominant factor was in Iago’s hostility to Othello. Was it jealousy or racial prejudice? This, of course, can be a matter of opinion and we have arguments available on either side. At this point, it would worthwhile to think of what the reaction of audiences, some four centuries ago, could have been to watch a young, beautiful, white, noble girl falling in love with a black ram. It must have been hard to digest. There was no way an interracial marriage could be acceptable to the medieval mindset. So was it to the people around Othello in the play. The race, therefore, is capable of providing Iago yet another excuse for his intense hatred towards Othello so much so that he goes to the extent of making such distasteful remarks as “your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs” (1.1) right in front of the girl’s father. The issue of military promotion only provided the spark to bring the hidden hatred to the surface. Had it not been there, Iago would still grudge Othello and his desire to destroy the latter would be just the same. The Moor: More Labels There is, of course, the ongoing debate on Othello’s ethnicity but that does not contradict the fact that he was explicitly discriminated against by the rest of the characters, as apparent from Iago’s damaging choice of words in telling Brabantio “an old black ram / is tupping your white ewe” (1.1.87-8). These words, or Brabantio’s reference to Othello’s “sooty bosom” (1.2.2.) reflect the stereotype attached to Othello’s blackness as much as their malice and motives. So is Rodrigo’s description of his “thick-lips” (1.1.66) which was a derogatory racial stereotype used by European explorers for Sub-Saharan and southern Africans. Othello himself is shown not to have been capable of resisting the notion that ‘black’ connotes a negative sense when he talks about Desdemona being “begrimed and black / as mine own face” (3.3.390-1) by which he equates being black with lack of character or loss of character. When he says “[his] best judgment collied” (2.3.163), the allusion is coal which is black in color. Even before he is about to wreak his black vengeance (3.3.63), on “the fair devil” (3.3.477), he falls in retrospection for a while as he looks at “that whiter skin of hers than snow” (5.2.3) symbolizing purity. This is akin to the Elizabethan attitude of an “iconographic color-coding which equated blackness with the devil and hence with moral blackness (because God was light” (Maguire, 35). Brabantio is warned by Iago that unless he acts at once, “the [black] devil will make a grandsire of [him]” (1.1.9). He goes on to say that his “nephews will neigh to” (1.1.7) him. The indication is that blacks are sub-human. It mocks not only at Othello’s race but also at his sexuality. He exhorts not to let his daughter corrupted by a black man’s animal-like sexuality. Othello’s Struggle Brabantio taking objection to Othello marrying his daughter is not a personal phenomenon but a social one. Harmony between social groups despite a difference in the skin color has never been easy and conflict on account of ethnic grounds is as old as civilization itself. African-American singer and actor Paul Robeson observes, “In the Venice of that time [Othello] was in practically the same position as a colored man in America today (1930)” (100). The very idea of a colored man marrying a white woman would spark fury. Iago cautioning Brabantio against the prospect of miscegenation through the words “Foh, one may smell in such a will most rank, foul disproportion thoughts unnatural” (3.3.23), it sounds like a prophecy of Thomas Rymer’s warning “to all Maidens of Quality” about the dangers of running away “with Blackamoors without their parents consent” (Bovilsky, 45). Thus, it might be said that at this point itself Iago was at least partially successful in inducing the idea of possible promiscuity in Desdemona’s character not only in the mind of Brabantio but also in Othello’s in a devious manner and Othello was being hypnotized into becoming a victim, in due course, of the society’s racist ideas. He himself expresses those ideas when he laments in the end that “like the base Indian, [he] threw a pearl away” (5.2.64), it is an admission that Indians are base. That explains the reinforcing function of the incorporation of racial element in Othello, without which, it would not have been possible to establish Othello so effectively as the man that he was – one who pined for acceptance, and when he had that, needed a constant proof to stay convinced that the acceptance was still there. True, he had many enemies but his greatest struggle was with his own self. In spite of his identity as a general and a celebrated figure with high standing in the society of Venice, he cannot help being conscious of his blackness. It was this very blackness that made it sound incredible to the Senate that Desdemona was in love with him. It could only have been by the use of “foul charms” (1.2), states Brabantio. How else would a white girl ever fall in love with a black man? It’s “against all rules of nature” (1.3.6). Nor can Othello deny the inferior social standing implicated by his color. Without this feeling of inadequacy in his mind, Iago could never have succeeded in convincing Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity which was not a fact. When the poison injected by Iago begins to work, he wonders if her betrayal was “haply, for [he] is black” (3.3.262). This self-consciousness eventually forces him in the end to adapt to what the world’s stereotypical expectations made of him. He becomes a killer as a black man is supposed to be. It is a noble Othello that we are introduced to at the outset of the play. Then we see the steady Othello who eloquently defends himself with great conviction against Brabantio’s complaint. As “the valiant Moor” (1.3.47) referred to by the Senate and the “lascivious Moor” (1.1.127) acknowledged by Roderigo slowly vanish into thin air in the last act of the play and end up as a mere moor, it is pathetic to watch the transformation of the butterfly into the caterpillar. As Shakespeare Saw It Nevertheless, it may be stated that Othello is an anti-racist play with racist characters in the sense that the stereotype is not endorsed by Shakespeare. It is only the people around Othello who carry a prejudice against him and it is not the author’s prejudice that is sought to be expressed through the play’s characters. This may be substantiated by pointing out that the tragic ending of the plot, despite the mindless brutality of “black vengeance” (3.3.450) in Othello smothering Desdemona, evokes only sympathy but not hatred towards him. The anti-heroic deeds notwithstanding, he still remains the hero of the play while the white Iago, who, never in the least seems to be bothered about morals, is made out to be the villain. Emilia’s words “The blacker devil” (5.2.131) would more aptly fit the character of Iago in fact. This firmly establishes the author’s viewpoint, in unequivocal terms, that race and integrity are disjoint territories. Yes, the Duke of Venice was echoing the author’s sentiments when he told Brabantio, “if virtue no delighted beauty lack”, Othello “is far more fair than black” (1.3.22). Quite characteristic of a classic, isn’t it? Works Cited Maguire, Laurie E. Studying Shakespeare: A Guide to the Plays. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. 2004. Print. Robeson, Paul. My Flight for Fame: How Shakespeare Paved My Way to Stardom. Pearson’s Weekly, April 5, 1930. Print. Bovilsky, Lara. Barbarous Play: Race on the English Renaissance Stage. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2008. Print. Read More