Culture in Othello

Culture in Othello

1. Race

   • Renaissance England, 15-17th Century
     • Arab Africans 'Tawny Moors'
       • 'most honest people'
       • 'destitute of all fraud and guile'
       • 'most strong and valuable people'
     • sub-Sarahan Africans 'Blackmoors'
       • 'brutish'
       • 'wholy apply their minds to theft and violence'
       • 'beastly'
     • racist ideology that permeates society at the time
     • villainous image of blackness
     • trapped in racist discourse
   • Shakespeare
     • In contact with 'strangers' (court)
     • is Othello black?
       • does it matter?
         • Desdemona doesn't subscribe to racist ideology
         • Duke willing to look past
       • 'sooty boosom' 1.2.70
       • 'thick-lips' 1.1.67
       • 'old black ram' 1.1.89
       • TEXT IS AMBIGUOUS
       • better to be tawny moor?
       • hyperbolic - could just have slightly darker complexion?
         • 'as black as my own face' - realising differences and imperfections
     • presents a world where race and its importance is contested

2. Theatre

   • actors painted face black - mockery
   • Arab vs. Black actors changes racist ideology and how new meanings can be derived
   • Othello first played by black man in 1833 but only in 20th century it became dominant idea
     • last white man to play Othello in 1981 (Hopkins)
   • 1952 - Welle - convincing less like minstrel show
   • 1965 - Olivier - affected an accent - critics say poorly conceived but many applauded

3. Women

   • limited rights
     • Desdemona high up in social order
       • due to father's authoritive social status
       • judged by familial name and status
     • passed from father to husband
       • PROPERTY
     • Emilia puts Iago before friends
       • handkerchief
       • fatal loyalty and betrayal

4. Religious Divisions

   • strong Christians would be defensive of their religion
     • where racism could base as foreign religions take over
       • Moors = religious outsiders (could be Muslim)
     • early modern English Catholicism