Brabantio Protests the Marriage of His Daughter - Essay Example

Afrah Ahmed J. Larson LITR 17 January Is Othello a Racist Play? This essay discusses whether Shakespeare uses racism in Othello in a way that is insulting to the Blacks. For instance, there is a line like, “Your son-in-law is far more fair than black” in the play, which the Duke tells Brabantio about Othello, showing the only Black character in a positive light. At the same time, why is “fair” considered a virtue over “black”? Othello, although a Moor and therefore a minority in Venetian society of the time, still enjoys a high position in the Army and in society.

Othello is shown clearly as an outsider. Because of this, his position in society is more uncertain which leads to him being more suspicious and jealous of people than others who have lived there for generations and finally causes his downfall. This essay would therefore like to determine whether Othello is doomed to fall because of his position as a Black, or because he is merely an outsider. But even with the second option, the play would demonstrate xenophobic tendencies. What was the attitude of Shakespeare’s England to Blacks?

England first “encountered” Blacks sometime in the sixteenth century, probably around 1554 (Orkin 166). By 1601, however, there must have been enough rise in the Black population for Elizabeth I to have noticed and criticized the “great numbers of Negars and blackamoors which are crept into” England (Jones 12). There was therefore, already a culture of mistrust against the Moors in England. The word “black” at the time had many different, negative associations of evil, as the OED suggests.

However, Shakespeare may not have been part of this attitude. Aaron in Titus Andronicus is still a racial stereotype, but by the time Shakespeare writes Merchant of Venice, he is ready to present a more dignified Moor (Orin167). Also, it must be noted that the characters that say the most racially offensive lines are the villainous Iago, Roderigo and Brabantio. For instance, it is Iago who says “an old black ram/ Is tupping your white ewe” and calls Othello a “Barbary horse” (1.1). But the grief of Brabantio, who is certainly not portrayed nearly as viciously as Iago, is not just at his daughter’s choice in husband but also at the fact that she betrayed him.

Brabantio tells Othello, “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see;/ She has deceiv'd her father, and may thee” (1.3). This shows that the deception of his daughter is what causes him the most hurt. We see therefore, that Shakespeare sketches Othello as a man who is given to jealousy and suspicion, perhaps because he is Black and an outsider. This may be considered a racist outlook by itself but if we consider the larger picture, we see that Shakespeare’s treatment of race is much more progressive than his times.

He gives the most racist lines to the least likeable of his characters, makes the father’s anger ambiguous and certainly gives Othello a certain dignity that all Shakespeare’s heroes possess. Also, by dealing with the Black question Shakespeare is starting a debate on the issue, which for his times was quite a liberal outlook to have. Shakespeare therefore, though not entirely free from racism or his own circumstances, is definitely a much more liberal and progressive thinker than the majority of the population of England at the time.

Works Cited Orkin, Martin. "Othello and the 'Plain Face' of Racism." Shakespeare Quarterly 38.2 (Summer 1987): 166-188. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 89. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Print. Jones, Eldred D. Othello's Countrymen. London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1965. 12-13. Print.