... still have choices to make. They do this by cutting certain lines or scenes, or by making the focus of the play be on race or on jealousy. Over the years there have been many outstanding performances of Othello, each of which have left their mark on the stage history of the play by bringing something new and innovative to Shakespeare's timeless ... new Othellos, but none that were truly noteworthy until Edmund Kean took over the role in 1814. At the turn of the century there seems to have begun a dispute over Othello's race. Until this time, the actor in this role either was black, or w...

• Word Count: 1708
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... Desdemona I.iii 248-251) However Othello's trust in Desdemona is slowly chipped away at by Iago, the villain of the play. Iago plays on the fact that Othello feels outcast because of his race. This allows Iago to make Othello question Desdemona's loyalty. Iago does this, in order to gain Othello's trust so that he may ... attempt to supplant Cassio as Othello's chief lieutenant. Through out this ploy the fact that Othello is black makes him uncertain of ... losing faith in his wife, and that he takes people at face value. Neither of these traits can be in any way linked to his race. Othe...

• Word Count: 1913
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... Desdemona I.iii 248-251) However Othello's trust in Desdemona is slowly chipped away at by Iago, the villain of the play. Iago plays on the fact that Othello feels outcast because of his race. This allows Iago to make Othello question Desdemona's loyalty. Iago does this, in order to gain Othello's trust so that he may ... attempt to supplant Cassio as Othello's chief lieutenant. Through out this ploy the fact that Othello is black makes him uncertain of ... losing faith in his wife, and that he takes people at face value. Neither of these traits can be in any way linked to his race. Othe...

• Word Count: 1882
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... is to show how racist elements dominate the play, "Othello" by William Shakespeare. Generally, in Othello race and colour are important factors and they repeated in various ways. W. Shakespeare tries to instill the idea of equality in all people.. He thinks that all humans on the earth created equally. Because of this reason, W. Shakespeare created Othello who is a protagonist as a black man. He ... gives Othello an important duty. Shakespeare portrayed Othello as a commander in the ... . That is to say, blackness in Elizabethan England was associated with evil and wickedness. Therefore,...

• Word Count: 1299
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... the play is named is presented as an honest, kind and respected black man, in service to the Venetian state, who recently married Desdemona, the Venetian senator Brabantio's daughter. Interestingly, Othello does not make an appearance until Act I scene ii, where Shakespeare uses his first appearance to contradict the audience's expectations that were developed in scene one. Rather than a "black ... I scene ii, "my parts, my title and my perfect soul/ shall manifest me rightly-. Iago, who frequently refers to Othello in blatantly racist terms, at one point explains that "these moors are c...

• Word Count: 1558
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... context breeds the marginilisation of black characters, and consequently Othello feels extremely insecure about his social standing. It becomes apparent that Othello is depersonalized significantly and valued in Venetian society solely as a result of his military importance. While Othello's military rank would usually associate him with the upper class, it is evident that Othello's race leads him to viewed as a, damned slave. As ... a result of his evilness, Iago's perception of Othello is hardly credible when examining the social status of Othello. Rather it is the fact that as a resul...

• Word Count: 1812
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate