Othello

9 Pages 2352 Words

haracters such as Iago and Roderigo. This attitude may have been encouraged by the widespread belief in the legend that blacks were descendants of Ham in the Genesis story, punished for sexual excess by their blackness.

The Elizabethan's discussed at length whether this skin colour was due to life in a hot climate or whether it was a punishment for sin.

To the Elizabethan's, who thought hierarchically, fair skin was the epitome of beauty and therefore dark skin ranked below it. The term "black" was used in a variety of texts to stand for sin, filth, ugliness, evil, and the Devil. This value is ascribed to Iago when he describes Othello as the "black moor" hinting at something other than just colour.

Attitudes to race aren’t the only attitudes revealed in the text though. Attitudes and values about gender are also revealed in the portrayal of women and their actions in the text. A prime example of this is when Desdemona elopes with Othello without her father’s permission, which during that time would have been socially unacceptable. This is revealed to us through Brabantio’s reaction as Shakespeare uses Brabantio as a vehicle for the representation of higher society’s views on matters.

Another value revealed in the text is that of marriage. In the Elizabethan era marriage was not just a spiritual union but also a property transaction; the bride brought a dowry from her father and the groom’s father (or the groom if he had already inherited his estate) had to settle lands on her in return, as a "jointure."

Therefore, to marry without the bride's father's permission could be seen as an act of theft. This may explain why Brabantio reacted so strongly to the union of Othello and Desdemona.These attitudes and values contrast quite drastically to those ascribed to society today. Nowadays coloured skin is a common occurrence and a character such as Othello would be quite socially accepted. Race is both more accepted a...