Short Assignment on 4 Othello
March 4, 2015
Short Assignment on 4 Othello
Help Received: None
Matthew Penaranda
March 4, 2015
Help Received: None
Short Assignment on 4 Othello
A)
Race was a relatively new distinction during the early modern era in England in terms about how people thought about categorizing people. Scholars generally looked to religion as the primary aspect of culture throughout Europe predominantly in the centuries prior to and initially in the England during this time. Perhaps religion given its overbearing political and social scope facilitated the conception of race-thinking. The outlook towards the Moore is debatably the result of the emphasis on cultural distinctions associated with more exotic peoples.
Literatures as well as visual representations of foreigners, such as the Moore, are testament to the increased awareness of the differences between European culture and that of people of ethnic descent. Peter Mark makes the observation that in the “early Christian church black skin was relatively free of derogatory connotations (173). The figure on pg. 185 is a not too uncommon publishing of a Christian Moor’s testimony of his own experience with the salvation of his conversion; the idea that there was an obligation to bring the virtues of Christianity to the Moore would have powerful rhetorical implications in terms of vindicating the emerging idea that those they brought salvation were actually inferior. Not only did it foster a sort of religious supremacy but races became associated with cultural practices considered inferior to Christianity. As such, other races in general were considered less virtuous because of their lack of Christianity.
However, conversion did not necessarily disassociate the Moore from the racial stigmas associated with them. Figure II on pg. 173 portrays the baptism of a Eunuch. The symbolism of white holy water cleansing the black man’s soul is a representation of the race based thinking paralleling religion. Not only is Christianity made the hero in this situation, but also the man of race is depicted as thankful and indebted to the white man for saving his soul and effectively this notion was applied to a societal scale eventually. Spiritual “whiteness” was what Europeans had to offer the black man.
The Moore was also victim to the climate theory of the times. Climate theory suggested people were influenced by their climates: notherners being typically white and calmer whereas the farther south towards the equator and the tropics were more primitively designed and more undesirable demeanors (175). The negative connotations f being a Moore increasingly became associated with not only their differing religious practices but also their different physical characteristics that somehow reflected their character as portrayed in the climate theory.
B)
Throughout Shakespeare’s play Othello portrays the cultural perspective of early modern England towards the Moore. Iago fosters the racial stigma of being Moors being “lascivious, duplicitous, vengeful, superstitious, and jealous” to the other characters in the play (177).
In the beginning, it is Iago that reveals to Brabantio that his daughter has eloped with the Moore Othello. Iago not only brings awareness to this development but also slanders Othello in the process saying, “even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe” (I.I.85-86). The semantics of Iago’s words not only touches on the fact that Othello is black but also suggests that Othello is a “black ram,” black representing his lack of virtue and comparing him to an animal as a reflection of the believed primitive nature of the Moore. Conversely, Iago describes Desdemona as a “white ewe,” but the ewe is a weaker animal making her seem a victim and white suggests her innocence. Iago compares Othello to beasts as a reflection of the attitudes of the culture that was convinced about climate theory. Comparing Othello to animals is a way of speaking to the notions about the negative virtues associated with Moore character at the time.
In the Duke’s counsel, Brabantio accuses Othello of black magic to seduce his daughter. Once again, the Moore is persecuted for being associated with the religious practices common amongst his race of origin despite being a converted Christian and his accomplishments in service of Venice.
Perhaps one of the most powerful reflections of the racial stigmas conceived during the early modern era is when Othello himself muses about his soul being as black as his own skin. Upon being deceived into believing Desdemona to be unfaithful Othello says “my name, that was as fresh as Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and black as mine own face” (III.III.54). At this point Othello has surrendered to the racial ideologies of those around him and he himself feels foolish for believing Desdemona could love a black man such as himself.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, and Kim F. Hall. Othello: Texts and Contexts. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. Print.