Introduction
There is often a debate among the new historicist critics whether ethnicity was a major factor in the play or not in the Shakespearean play Othello. Othello is a play based on jealousy, revenge, and war. The new historicists try to find any evidence that could support their view. Othello is a great play written for the popular theater in 1604, which is more of a new style of theater that people are used to in the modern era. This play is based on the life and fate of people captured as enslaved people by Western sailors and brought back to Europe as prisoners. Shakespeare uses these facts from real life to form his characters.
Therefore, it would only be natural to assume that Othello was written based on individuals’ experiences with racism or prejudice. Racial and ethical tension experienced by non-English people during the early modern era represented in the Shakespearean play Othello demonstrates that it was a racist play, ironically showing how Shakespeare’s life and the period influenced his work. There is often a debate among the new historicist critics whether ethnicity was a major factor in the play or not in the Shakespearean play Othello.
Discussion
In the play, different comments are used by various characters that enable readers to learn that Othello is a black African of sub-Saharan origin. For instance, Iago refers to Othello as ‘the thick lips’ (1.1.66) in the opening scene, and later in scene two, he raises a toast to ‘the health of black Othello’ (2.2.29). In the early 1500s, the English adventurers who had set out to the coast of Africa raided villages kidnapped some of the inhabitants, and brought them back to Europe(Newitt). Shakespeare may have known of African heritage or been aware of slavery in Europe. It is because, in the play, Othello describes how he was briefly imprisoned as an enslaved person before he became a general in the Venetian army.
Modern conceptions of race influenced by the history of racial slavery and the pseudo-science in the 18th century are usually based on scientific traditions bound to a very narrow and arbitrary conception of race. The literary critic, Kalt, believes that in Shakespeare’s plays, race is created through the writer’s racist attitudes and assumptions. Characters choose to use some words to describe other characters because they are locked in a struggle with irrational beliefs and behaviors (Butler). The characters named Iago and Othello are an example among many other literary critics who believe that race has been used as a motive for inflicting injury on others (Kalt). Therefore, the new historicists contend that people can adopt different speech styles to fit their societal beliefs and may reveal more about their ethnic origin.
Shakespeare, one of the first playwrights to use the English theater, explores the themes of race and racism. The play ‘Othello’ challenges many racial preconceptions because of its open criticism of the concept of race or ethnicity and its prejudices through the characters’ attitudes toward one another. The term “Moor” in Othello means someone who is not white. According to Corredera, this term is meant to separate Othello based on his race and culture. Throughout the play, Othello is set apart from the other characters with labels and comments that constantly point out his race (Corredera).
In the play, Brabantio’s remarks in Act 1, when he says, “Come hither, Moor” (1.3. 192), is an indication that Othello is seen as a member of another race, which justifies what is today accepted as racism. In addition, the Duke’s assertion that Othello is ‘far more fair than black’ and Montano’s dictum that ‘the man commands ‘like a full soldier’ (2.1.36–37) show the high esteem others have for Othello.
This play also demonstrates how many socially powerful characters do not show honesty or integrity but instead show their hypocrisy. In contrast, the Duke refers to Othello as “thou” (2.1.33), and “thou” is an informal word that implies that the Duke respects Othello more than any other character in the play, thus implying that Othello is somehow socially superior to all other characters. Nevertheless, references to Othello as black and a Moor of Venice, and his lack of comprehension of Venetian customs, establish his position in Venetian society.
When Shakespeare first performed the play, Richard Burbage, a white actor, performed in Othello. To match the physical description of Othello, Keenan states that Burbage had to wear black make-up and black lamb’s wool as a wig. It was because, during the early 19th century, a truly black Othello was not tenable in Europe (Keenan). Various white actors used to wear different shades of make-up to take the role of Othello, which later in the twentieth century when black actors such as Paul Robeson undertook the role to impersonate Shakespeare’s Moor(Maguire). The literary critic, Keenan, believes that Shakespeare’s plays are written to play on stereotypes of race and ethnicity. Moreover,
Maguire argued that in Shakespearean plays, race is created through the writer’s racist attitudes and assumptions. For example, Iago compares black Africans and monkeys in Othello. Furthermore, the racism demonstrated by Othello against Desdemona (his wife) was derived from the misinformation that Othello had been told about Desdemona’s background by his father and pilots.
In addition, many non-English people were considered non-persons in Shakespeare’s time, more so than the other Europeans. In Act V Scene II of Othello, Othello states that he is ready to hand Desdemona over to her father with no delay of “an hour because that I cannot take her” (5.2.99). Here it is obvious that Othello is completely unaware that Desdemona’s father is not her biological father, which explains why he has no qualms about handing over his wife. Therefore, Shakespeare’s Othello had the same view as many of the other English of his time. Also, Maguire asserts that Shakespeare’s stagecraft shows that he believed in a hierarchical view of humanity, as demonstrated in his treatment of Desdemona and her handmaiden Emilia: he presents them as interchangeable but psychologically separate characters.
For instance, in Act II Scene 3, Emilia states that Desdemona has been having a good time with Othello. Shakespeare shows that Desdemona “is not merry” (2.3.223) but is angry at her husband for taking her handmaiden as a lover. It gives the impression that Shakespeare does not believe that blacks are equal to whites and also portrays his disregard for multicultural unity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the play ‘Othello’ explores how characters create a particular view of race among them through their distinct mannerisms and behavior. Shakespeare’s Othello was strongly influenced by his time’s historical and social context. The way different players portray their roles together with their interpretations is very influential on modern-day actors such as those who are currently performing Othello in various theaters all over the world. Also, the literary critics’ interpretation of Shakespeare’s writing plays a major role in how future generations interpret Othello. It is because critics can show the relevance of Shakespeare’s play to modern times.
Works Cited
Butler, Anita Marguerite. The Shakespearean Blush: Body, Colour, and Emotion within Material and Dramatic Culture. Diss. King’s College London, 2019. Web.
Corredera, Vanessa I. “The Moor makes a cameo: Serial, Shakespeare, and the white racial frame.” The Routledge Handbook of Shakespeare and global appropriation. Routledge, 2019. 359-369. Web.
Kalt, Andrea. “The (De-) Construction of Racial Stereotypes in Shakespeare’s Plays.”. Web.
Keenan, Siobhan. “New Evidence About Shakespearean ‘Star’Actor, Richard Burbage.” Notes and Queries (2019). Web.
Maguire, Laurie. Impressive Shakespeare: Identity, Authority and the Imprint in Shakespearean Drama. Harry Newman. Material Readings in Early Modern Culture. London: Routledge, 2019. Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 73, no. 3, 2020, pp. 1130–31. Crossref. Web.
Newitt, Malyn. “Prince Henry and the Origins of European Expansion.” Historiography of Europeans in Africa and Asia, 1450–1800. Routledge, 2019. 85-111. Web.
Shakespeare, William. “Othello:[1622].” Oxford Text Archive Core Collection (1991).