Racism and Gender in Othello: An Analysis

Running head: ENGLISH LITERATURE
English Literature
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ENGLISH LITERATURE
Othello is one of the most celebrated tragic plays written by William Shakespeare. This is
considered as one of the best along with other three great tragedies Macbeth, Hamlet and King
Lear. The ending of the play Othello is really tragic where he goes on to kill his beloved wife by
suspicions. The suspicions finally came to be identified as false one. In this course, the readers
have found some important themes in this play. The probable important themes in this play are
race and gender. Both these themes have been equally important for the structuring and overall
plot of the play. The married life of Desdemona and Othello had been completely ruined because
of the racial and gender assumptions (Smith: 104). Still in order to compare between these two
themes and their impacts on the ending of the play, it can be said that racism has been the most
powerful one. The portrayal of the character of Othello had been such a way by the playwright
William Shakespeare that he had been deprived of the social status as other Europeans enjoyed
in the contemporary Elizabethan society (Shakespeare: 18). So, the assumption of race is thought
to be the most crucial factor for the ending of the play.
Racism has been a very important factor in the lives of people in the older times. Still, it
has been considered as having serious impact on the lifestyles of the people. In the contemporary
Elizabethan society, the racist considerations had been quite impactful. Othello had been
introduced as a moor as per the descriptions of William Shakespeare. Also he was the only black
skinned person in the entire play. The concept of inferiority had been in his mind about the
surrounding society from the beginning (Smith: 104). Though, he ws full of confidence when he
was courting Desdemona, the daughter of Brabantio. In the descriptions of the playwright,
Othello is depicted as a very brave and successful solider and he was a reputable nobleman of
Venice as well (Nachit,: 97). He was appreciated by everyone in the court for his valor. This play

2ENGLISH LITERATURE
is definitely a tragedy occurring because of the racial conflicts and the end results coming in the
likes of death of the central characters of the play.
Critics have highlighted both the racial issues and gender issues having an equal impact
on the final outcome of the play. The racial prejudices have always been important factors for the
negative impacts in the minds of people. Here Othello is a moor and his skin color is black. It is
quite evident that his rights have been ignored and many powerful people in the contemporary
society. The gender conflicts between Othello, Desdemona and Cassio comes much later. The
impacts of racial abuses have been regarded as quite instrumental in defining the fate of the
entire play (Shakespeare: 18). He is respected throughout for his valor in the army and he gives
his best efforts for the country. Thus his service becomes very integral and he is sent on different
missions. The role of language in the context of racism is very crucial from all the aspects. The
racial prejudices and discrimination within the society can be shown best by the use of language
instead of the physical activities. Critics have opined that use of language and racism goes hand
in hand so Othello has been the victim of the racism many times as well (Nachit,: 97).
“Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe, Arise, Arise!
Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,
Or else the devil make a grandsire of you
Arise, I say!” (1.1.97-101).
The otherness of Othello within the play has been shown in the play verbalizing the
words like ‘moor’ and ‘black’. The play begins and the racial attributions are found. This can be

3ENGLISH LITERATURE
located in the very first act of the play where Othello is described through the terms like ‘thick-
lips’ and ‘an old black ram’ (Abuzahra: 189). The name of Othello comes after the use of these
terms. These terms have been used by the people working under him. It is really surprising and
disrespectful at the same time as well. Iago was one of the plotters who made reports to
Brabantio about the ongoing relationship between Othello and Dsdemona. He even went to
Brabantio and told “Even now, very now, an old black ram/ Is tupping your white ewe” (Grady:
68). This is why the racial perspectives are very much present in the overall growth of the play.
This way of description is very much full of poison from all the perspectives. Here the gender
issues also come into play where the daughter’s infidelity to father is regarded as a crime indeed
(Nachit,: 97). Readers get to understand the fact that Othello is not at all peace because of his
black skin color. He continuously suffers from the inferiority. This has been quite problematic
for him from various points of views (Abuzahra: 189). Brabantio also calls Othello a black Moor
and he does not consent the marriage between his daughter Desdemona and Othello.
“The last thing Pa and Big Ma wanted to hear was how we made a grand Negro spectacle of
ourselves”
The downfall of Othello is one of the most intriguing outcomes in the play and many
other themes have been explored here as well. These themes are of jealousy by Iago, deception
and gender issues (Olson: 18). The gender complications have been shown in the play and it is
definitely one of the deciding factors of the play. The factors that are crucial for this kind of
outcome are the social, cultural and cultural ambience of the country. According to the social
conditions of that time, racial factors are the most necessary reasons for the feeling of insecurity
among Othello. Othello becomes insecure and he is very much doubtful about the character of
her wife Desdemona. In his lifetime and situation faced by Othello, he comes face to face with