Racism Quotes In Othello

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Shakespeare is able to make a statement with Othello on the toll that racism takes on a man over time, causing a once distinguished character to devolve into an obsessed killer. The presence of racism surrounding Othello can be witnessed within the first scene of the play, from which Othello is absent and instead is talked about by Iago and Roderigo, who forego discussing him by name and call him “the thick-lips” (1.1.66) instead, which is a derogatory and racially-charged term. Roderigo and Iago go on to inform Brabantio, Othello’s new father-in-law, of his daughter’s secret marriage to Othello, resulting in Brabantio’s immediate rage and condemnation of Othello. Brabantio accuses Othello of thievery and witchcraft, both accusations based in racial stereotypes, claiming “O thou foul …show more content…
Here, Brabantio is saying Desdemona could not have married Othello without kidnapping and the influence of magic. Othello takes this in stride, explaining that Brabantio had actually held Othello in high regard previous to this incident, and that Desdemona had fallen in love with Othello’s storytelling. The Duke, who had been called initially to arrest Othello, believes what Othello says, and tells Brabantio, “If virtue no delighted beauty lack / Your son-in-law is far more fair than black” (1.3.288-289). The Duke means for this to be complimentary of Othello, but it can in fact be seen as a racial microaggression, as the Duke utilizes the double entendre created by “fair” and “black” and implies that Othello is a good man because he is fair, referring to both his good character and any qualities that make him more similar to a white person. This is a common occurrence in the play, in which praise given to Othello is in fact praising him for qualities that oppose any stereotypical characteristics thought to be possessed by Moors, or rather anything that proves he is unlike any other dark-skinned people to caucasian

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