Nov 22, 2008

Othello | Race

In this excerpt, Ruth Cowhig provides background on blacks in England during Shakespeare's time. She concludes that lago's racism is the source of his hatred of Othello, and that he plays on the prejudices of other characters to turn them against the Moor. Cowhig asserts that Shakespeare consistently challenges stereotypes with his depiction of Othello.

Ruth Cowhig
[Cowhig provides background on blacks in England during Shakespeare's time, stressing the use of racial stereotypes in the dramas of the period. Observing that black people were typically depicted as stock villains, she suggests that Shakespeare's presentation of the noble, dignified Othello as the hero of a tragedy must have been startling to Elizabethan audiences. Cowhig also examines how several characters in the play, especially lago, are racially prejudiced. lago's racism is the source of his hatred of Othello, she claims, and he...