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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page research paper/essay that examines racist attitudes in Shakespeare's Othello and compares these to how racism is represented in Andrew Davies' modern adaptation of Shakespeare's famous play. The writer's examination of both plays shows that Davies' retelling of Shakespeare's famous tragedy within the context of contemporary London reveals that the nature of racism has not changed substantially in the ensuing centuries between Shakespeare's era and ours. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khothtan.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
the Elizabethan era. During Shakespeares time, black people were outsiders in the most profound sense of the word, as they were associated in the popular imagination with monsters (Aubrey 221).
Andrew Davies retelling of Shakespeares famous tragedy within the context of contemporary London demonstrates that the nature of racism has not changed substantially in the ensuing centuries between Shakespeares era
and ours. While Shakespeares Othello is set in the city of Venice, it is recognized that the culture depicted, whether the setting is medieval Denmark or an exotic island,
is always Shakespeares own Elizabethan England. Consequently, the Elizabethan attitude that equated blackness as synonymous with the monstrous is quite evident throughout the opening scenes of Othello. The most dramatic
reactions to Othellos skin color occur in the opening scene between Iago and Roderigo (Berry 316). Othellos first appearance in the play occurs against the backdrop of vicious racism already
established by Iago and Roderigos conversation. Iago describes Othello as an "old black ram" (I.i.88), "the devil" (I.i.91), as well as a "Barbary horse" (I.i.111). The two men appear to
be particularly repelled by the image of Othello and Desdemona making love. Iago derogatorily describes the consummation of their marriage as making the "beast with two backs" (I.i.115-116). Roderigo appears
to share Iagos disgust and refers to Desdemonas acceptance of Othello as her "gross revolt" (I.i.134) and Roderigo shows his distaste for the image of Desdemona "gross clasps of
a lascivious Moor (I.i.126). As this demonstrates, Iago and Roderigo, with a few well-chosen epithets invoke the racist stereotypes that already existed in Elizabethan culture (Berry 316). Othello is
most definitely black and, to the Elizabethan, his skin color connotes "ugliness, treachery, lust, bestiality, and the demonic" (Berry 316). This poisonous cultural image of the black man later
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