Theme Of Racism In Othello And The Tempest By William...

Is there racism in Shakespeare’s works or is this notion absurd? Shakespeare may not be racist, but two of his plays do contain racism. One may argue that Shakespeare does not openly speak of racism in his plays, but Shakespeare does write with the idea of racism in mind, because his characters do make comments that can be considered racist. In Shakespeare’s plays Othello and The Tempest, the underlying idea of racism is present in these works, and his audiences can come to this conclusion, because of the way the characters Othello and Caliban are unjustly treated due to their appearances. In the play Othello, the idea of racism is first revealed in Act One, Scene One. Iago and Rodrigo are talking to Brabanzio about how his daughter,†¦show more content†¦This leads to the following question: Why is Othello not good enough in Brabanzio’s eyes, when he is supposedly viewed as a friend? The answer is simple. The reason why Brabanzio has Othello as a guest in his home is because of all the good deeds he has done for Venice. Othello is good enough to be friends with Brabanzio, but Othello is not good enough to be a son-in-law, because of his outsider status and skin color. Later in the play, Brabanzio’s claim of the use of magic may be true, when Othello freaks out about Desdemona losing the handkerchief, because Othello claims that it is supposed to keep her faithful to him. Others may argue that the handkerchief is merely a keepsake from his past, but since he goes into detail of the handkerchief’s power and history, Brabanzio’s argume nt about magic no longer seems that farfetched; therefore, this scene helps prove Brabanzio’s sanity. By proving Brabanzio’s sanity, audiences can now come to the conclusion that Brabanzio’s outrage about the news of the wedding is due to the fact that he is racist and does not approve of Othello, because of his dark skin color and outside status. Overall, these are just some of the numerous examples of racism throughout the play Othello. Like the play Othello, The Tempest also, portrays numerous examples of the idea of racism. Caliban is unjustly treated by Prospero, because Prospero feels that he is superior to him. Many mayShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Othello And The English Language1649 Words   |  7 PagesPoet, playwright, actor and dramatist, William Shakespeare is one of the most influential and greatest writers up to this day in poetry and the English language. Known, for his many acclaimed works such as his famous plays, â€Å"Othello,† â€Å"King Lear,† and â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† etc. More than four hundred years have passed and William Shakespeare’s work still alive as if it was during the early ages of Shakespeare work. Shakespeare influenced ranges from literature, theater, films and even the English languageRead MoreOthello and Identity1730 Words   |  7 PagesIdentity is a very key, important thematic issue in William Shakespeares tragic drama, Othello. Identi ty, or what may be better explained as a characters public perception, is highly valued in the Elizabethan Age in which Othello is set. There is a varying range between the characters in the extent that how they are perceived in public is not how they behave in private or how they really are, thus creating more than one identity per character. A characters identity is the overall essence ofRead MoreEssay on The Moor in the Works of William Shakespeare4150 Words   |  17 PagesThe Sources and Representations of the Moor in the Works of Shakespeare      Ã‚  Ã‚   One theme consistently reemployed throughout Shakespeares plays is that of the Other. The Other is usually characterized as a character that is somehow separated, stigmatized, or noted as being different from the mainstream ideal. For the Elizabethan England of Shakespeares time, it may have been a self-defensive maneuver against the encroachment of something which threatened too close to home (Bartels 450). BryantRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 Pagesblunt instrument. Filtering software isn’t particularly selective. By filtering the words ‘hate’, software will certainly screen out most hate Web sites but may also block access to valuable and legitimate resources such as sites dedicated to anti-racism, Jewish culture, war museums etc. †¢ Forbidden fruit effect †¢ A critical analysis on the media will inspire youths to question why violence is so prevalent in our media today †¢ Help them to realize that media is not a reflection of reality