How Does Shakespeare Present the Outsider in Othello - the Moor of Venice - Book Report/Review Example

Othello2 Order 349390 Topic: How doesShakespeare Present the outsider in Othello; the moor of Venice Introduction. Who is an outsider? One who doesnt fit into the existing social, and cultural set up of the society is an outsider! The society is not comfortable with him. One is not comfortable with the values of the society and is unable to assimilate into the mainstream. One lives with a conscious effort to preserve ones own identity. One sincerely and strikingly believes that the values practiced are more precious than the values prevalent in the society in which one is living. Unable to find the perfect discipline of ones choice, one is compelled to carry on with the available discipline. Often one faces clash of values with serious implications. The conflict between Shylock and Antonio, in Shakespeares Merchant of Venice is similar. The verbal duels between them indicate how their personalities are contradictory. For example, Shylock thinks that a man of Antonios upbringing can neither lend nor borrow for advantage, whereas for Shylock it is a way of life. This is the confirmation of difference between a Christian and a Jew. The approach to money, of the Christians and Jews in the 16th century Venice, was entirely different. To Christians, earning interest by lending, was a sin. So the presence of the Jews(outsiders) was considered necessary to save Christians from the sin of lending to earn interest. The Jews in Venice at that time were held in contempt but their economic utility was appreciated. Jews were necessary like bakers, for the overall welfare of the community. The religious beliefs of Shylock and Antonio show up strongly in their secular activities. Shakespeare cleverly understands and weaves the dialogues indicating the differences between the Jewish and Christian perspectives on the Bible. In Judaism great emphasis is laid on free will, which means human endeavor, incentive and motivations are prominent part of the action-oriented life. Christians see divine intervention in the day to day happenings and have a greater tendency to rely upon the divine forces. The diversity between Antonio and Shylock is on account of the scriptures they revere. Having been considered as an outsider, Shylock suffered Christian oppression. Notwithstanding this fact, he is steadfast in his fealty to Judaism. In this spirit, Yaffe believes that Shakespeare deliberately set out to “correct what he sees as the theologically unwarranted and politically deleterious abuse of Jews in the name of Christian teaching.” (Yaffe, 1997, p. 47) Shylock merely retaliates the abusive behavior of Christians against him. The social disposition and working of Shylock disturbs the consciousness of Christians. He is a challenge to the then prevailing common presumptions and comfortable perceptions of the Christians in Venice. Shylock the Jew,is never considered as one of them by the Venetian Christians. Othello: Shakespeare avails the second opportunity in The Tragedy of Othello for furtherance of the concept of “outsider” well articulated by him in his earlier play The Merchant of Venice. The characters function in tandem according to the color of their skin in Othello. The contending individual in this play is Iago. Othello is a hero with dark skin. Iago the villain is light-skinned. Shakespeare avails the opportunity to prove that an individual with black skin is an outsider in Venice as compared to the White English Protestants. In “Othello and the “Plain Face” of Racism, Martin Orkin begins by “discussing Renaissance attitudes to people of color in Shakespeares England. He moves on to detail instances where racist mythologies inscribed critical responses to the play and ends with a focused examination of how, in South Africa, silence about the racist tendencies of some Othello criticism actually lends support to prevailing racist doctrines. For Orkin, in its scrutiny of Iagos use of racism and its rejection of pigmentation as an indication of human worth, the play “continues to oppose racism.” (Orkin, 1987, p.166-88) He also mentions that these black immigrants were stereotyped as "barbarous, treacherous, libidinous, and jealous."(p.167) Othello is conscious about his disadvantageous position on account of difference of color. Both Othello and Shylock are foreigners in the English world, and both are Semites in a Christian society. They are different from the society in which they live. Study Shakespeares Othello to study what is racism is all about. Shylock in particular makes the insiders reflect on their own values and beliefs. Blackburn, in a passage from his book-- “Think, having nothing and everything to do with Shakespeare”, still sheds a radiant light on “forced” reflection: “ People like to retreat to within a thick, comfortable, traditional set of folkways, and not to worry too much about their structure, or their origins, or even the criticisms that they may deserve. Reflection opens the avenue to criticism, and the folkways may not like criticism. In this way, ideologies become closed circles, primed to feel outraged by the questioning mind.” (Blackburn, 1999, pp. 11-12) The characters in Othello belong to many linguistic and discursive communities. The important amongst them are the patriarchal hegemony of the merchant class of Venice and the military hegemony of the soldiers. Then there are characters like Othello who are outsiders owing to their race, social class, ethnicity and gender and fail to appreciate the values and assumptions that make the reality of a hegemony. Othello is a black man trying to function within a white mercantile culture. He is married to a white woman. He is an outsider by all means in the Venetian society. He has come from North Africa to fight for Venice against Turks. He is not a native speaker. He is tough and rude and speaks the language of the soldier ,He does not speak the clever language of a merchant, with motivated desires to make profits. He is liked because of his contribution to Venetian safety. Liking does not mean acceptance on all counts. His elopement with Desdemona is his failure to read the Venetian culture, where daughters obey their fathers, and arranged marriages are perfect. As a military-man, Othello takes what he wants; but that is not acceptable to the merchant community who negotiate a sale (marriage.) The “outsider” concept shifts to Desdemona, once she is out of Cyprus. She is away from the patriarchal structures of Venetian society. With her decision to marry Othello, she belongs to an entirely discursive community of Military. Military language is different about which Desdemona is ignorant. Thus, Shakespeare cleverly indicates how the outsider concept shifts with changing time,place and situations. The outsider concept in Othello is ruthlessly depicted by Shakespeare. Some of the expressions of his characters provoke racism of the worst order, and condemn Othello from every angle. For example: Iago says to Brabantio: “ an old black lamb is tupping your white ewe...”, (Othello, 1.1)Roderigo refers to Othello as “thick lips”, Brabantio wants hid daughter to marry one of the “wealthy curled darlings of our nation.”(1.2)--the reference is to the young white men who pay lots of attention to their hair styles. Also notice the reference to our nation.-- this clearly emphasizes that Othello is an outsider. Emilia refers to Desdemonas marriage as a “most filthy bargain”,(5.2) Brabantio says to Othello: “O thou foul thief, where hast thou stow’d my daughter?Damn’d as thou art, thou hast enchanted her.” (5.2) Othello must be a sorcerer. How else could a white woman love a black man? Again Brabantio says: Desdemona’s judgment errs against all rules of nature. “ It is unnatural to love a black man,” (1.3) Brabantio refers to Othello’s “sooty bosom”, When talking to Cassio, Iago refers to “black Othello.” Devils in the Shakespearean times, are represented as being black. From this viewpoint also Othello is totally an outsider and the white society can never accept or respect him. The Merchant of Venice. Shylock has to take up the stance of self-defense against the outsider concept, many a times. In this statement in reply to Salarino, Shylock reflects about himself as an outsider: “If you prick us, do we not bleed?If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”(Scene I) There are many similarities between The Merchant of Venice and The Tragedy of Othello. Othello is also called “The Moor of Venice.” The Merchant of Venice when it was published for the first time was called “The Jew of Venice.” Both plays belong to the same city. These plays refer to race and religion and as such they provide enough playing ground for the author as race and religion intensely appeal to the emotional world of an individual. The reader or the spectator belongs one of the two contending sides—the hurting side or the side that gets hurt! Religious bigotry and racial bigotry are alternative beats of the same evil heart! Both the dramas run on parallel tracks and the themes must have appeal to the societal conditions prevailing in the Shakespearean times. A strong sense of community, sharing the same values is seen in the interaction between the different characters. Their Venetian and White pride is showing. Shylock and Othello are resident aliens, rank outsiders, and are aware of the herculean task in front of them to adjust to the environment in which they are compelled to live. They are members of the minority community and as such their psyche is under constant pressure by the words and actions of the majority community. “The devil” is the commonplace symbol referring to an outsider and Moors and Jews were addressed thus. Shylock was transformed into a a devil for more than one reason. Firstly, he was a Jew. In the economic context he was a money lender, a profession that did not command much respect in the society. His character related to the diabolical act of demanding then pound of flesh. Therefore, the insiders have strong reasons to hate him and equate him with the Satan. Medieval Europe considered the Jews as the agents of devil whose economic actions did not benefit the majority of the native people. Shakespeare has worked to a plan in both the drams, according to the psychological demands of the majority white society of Venice. The label of religious and racial bigotry has been excessively used but with great dramatic effect. The word “Jew” is used 57 times in the Merchant of Venice and the word “Moor” appears 62 times in The Tragedy of Othello. These are “non-christian” words and have the tone of condemnation. They hurt the essential dignity of the concerned individual. Shylock was not only dubbed as an outsider but was given the worst possible treatment by the so-called insiders. Even under the weight of insults and epithets hurled at him, like –old carrion, inhuman wretch, Jew Dog, bloody, fiend, wolfish, starved and ravenous, villain with a smiling cheek, goody apple rotten at the heart, cruel devil, etc. he maintained the poise. He was tormented by the Jew-baiting street urchins. Destiny played its part and he became the victim of Christian treachery, when his own daughter Jessica deceived him to elope with a Christian, taking all his hoarded wealth. Harold Goddard emphasizes the intuitive accuracy of Antonio’s remarks about Shylock’s intensity: “Antonio recognizes the futility of opposing Shylock’s passion with reason. You might as well argue with a wolf, he says, tell the tide not to come in, or command the pines not to sway in the wind. The metaphors reveal his intuition that what he is dealing with is no ordinary human feeling within Shylock but elemental forces from without that have swept in and taken possession of him....It is elemental in character because it comes out of something vaster than the individual wrongs Shylock has suffered: the injustice suffered by his ancestors over the generations.” (Goddard, 1951, p. 104-105) Shylock is only the symbol for the outsider concept. The entire Jewish community is taken to task by the Christians of Venice and treated them as outsiders. One can not condemn Shylock outright and dump him in the bin of evil. He wanted money no doubt, but more than that, he wanted the essential dignity of the human being as the citizen of Venice, which was denied to him on many counts. But what his daughter did to him was the ignoble act from the standpoint of Shylock. He rightly thought that his daughter has betrayed the centuries of struggle of the Jewish people. The outsider concept is only the tip of the iceberg. Many social maladies are attached to it. Shakespeare obviously did not write the Merchant of Venice for about 100 Jews living in England at that time. Their numerical strength had gradually diminished during the last three centuries. Victimization and condemnation of the Jews was order of the day. They were not only outsiders ; they were the most unwanted. Dehumanization, persecution, murder of the members of the community was order of the day. Jews were treated as enemies of God, humanity and particularly Christianity. The outsider concept reached the extremes with dangerous consequences. Jews became vulnerable to physical attacks as it was made compulsory for them to wear pointed hats and yellow badges in the European continent. They were easily identified. Ghettos became the common feature of the cities and one emerged in Venice, the city of Shylock and Antonio. Even before Hitler was born, atrocities on the Jewish community was a common feature in the majority society and the first total expulsion of the Jewish community took place in England at the end of the thirteenth century. Jews were synonymous devil. Shylocks greatest undoing was, when his daughter elopes to marry a christian. That was the end of the world for him and he felt himself as outsider in the real sense. Ania Loomba in her book Gender, Race, Renaissance Drama depicts the “recurrent confrontations between women and the patriarchal status-quo in light of the historical and theoretical interweaving of race and gender.”(Loomba, 1992) Shakespeare has depicted not the hatred between the two characters in the drama, he cleverly interweaves the hatred between the two faiths, Jews and Christians. Shylock hates Antonio because he is a Christian. Antonio promptly reciprocates hatred, because he is a Jew. With the departure of his daughter under disgraceful circumstances, he has none to console or counsel him. He is totally heartbroken, devastated and his emotional world lay in shambles. He felt betrayed and abandoned by all—an outsider in the real sense! Conclusion: Shakespeare has carefully constructed the historical events and out of the conglomeration of Jewish and Christian conflicts of faith, racial bias, some important characters like Shylock and Othello have emerged. He has given excellent backgrounder information and created situations how and why they were treated as outsiders in the society in which they lived. Shakespeare as a writer, is a genius. Many interpretations are possible about his handling of the delicate and sensitive situations. He communicates the inner feeling of his controversial characters, in a masterly style. ************ Works Cited: Blackburn, Simon. Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy; New York: Oxford University Press, 1999 Goddard, Harold C., The Meaning of Shakespeare, Volume 1 ,Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1951. Loomba, Ania: Gender, Race, Renaissance Drama;Oxford University Press, USA ,October 15, 1992.Product Description Orkin, Martin. “Othello and the “Plain Face of Racism.”--Shakespeare Quarterly 38(1987): 166-88. Shakespeare,William: The Merchant of Venice. Yaffe, Martin D., Shylock and the Jewish Question,Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 1997 Read More