Othello--1119 #5

A strong theme in the play is that of hatred beginning with preconceived notions. Act I is filled with racial slurs of sorts against Othello. Iago uses the term "old black ram" (I.i.88), and many of the men in the play refer to Othello as "the Moor" rather than by his name. Brabantio hates Othello just because he married Desdemona. He too includes racial references in his speech when he uses the term "sooty bosom" (I.ii.70) to refer to Othello. Othello's race plays a huge part in people's reactions to him in the first act. The duke respects him, but he also sees Othello's race as a defining characteristic. He even says to Brabantio "If no virtue delighted beauty black, Your son-in-law is far more fair than black" (I.iii.286-287). Race is the root of most of the men's opinions about Othello. The racial tension creates a more dramatic feeling about the play. The audience wants to find out what happens in Othello's relationships, but the effect his race has intensifies the desire for knowledge. The themes make the play more pleasurable for the audience because they provide greater resolve at the end. Emotion is what the audience wants from a play, and the racial theme creates that without seeming inhuman. As demonstrated in the Civil Rights Movement, racial ideas are powerful and human. It is natural to feel threatened by different ideas.