Alisa Scott
Discrimination and a fear of the unknown have led to the unique, disturbing phenomenon of feeling hatred for one’s own ethnicity. A conditioned perception of oneself can potentially distort reasoning and cause destruction. In the Shakespearean tragedy Othello, the protagonist’s insecurity transcends his feelings for Desdemona. Iago encourages conflict, but he is not the sole perpetrator. Othello is his own worst enemy, desperately attempting to establish himself as an ideal individual in a foreign land, and Desdemona is a mere catalyst for advancing the plot. It is vital that an individual embodies his or her place of origin, regardless of how others react. In The Tragedy of Othello, William Shakespeare demonstrates the danger of self-hatred by detailing the drastic effects of judgement about Othello’s identity and marriage.
Othello is introduced to the audience through the eyes of high-ranked, Venetian men troubled by a Moor’s place in Desdemona’s heart. Rudolph Shaw says, “Eurocentric views that African men are barbaric, illiterate, promiscuous studs have been perpetuated through time and space” (83). Negative perceptions of those who are physically different from the norm often extend to individuals’ romantic relationships within the society, especially if their partners look different from them. For example, interracial relationships are not always seen as genuinely loving because, in some people’s minds, such relationships suggest a desire for the forbidden. Shaw continues, “names are often attached to interracial couples—in Spain it is ‘leche y chocolate’…and in the United States of America it is ‘Jungle Fever’” (83). Prejudiced terms meant to degrade a relationship may negatively affect a couple’s view of their relationship and, possibly, themselves. Though ideas about black men and interracial affairs in the Elizabethan era and Shakespeare’s text are eerily similar to terminology utilized in modern society, it is important to note societal differences in these time periods.
The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England shares discussions on literary and historical topics regarding Shakespeare’s texts and their impact on contemporary society. In one discussion, Hugh Quarshie, an actor playing the part of Othello, and historian Onyeka Nubia debate if Shakespeare’s Othello is a racist play. Quarshie states that he once resisted playing Othello’s part because he initially felt Shakespeare bases Othello’s behavior on his color and, thus, falsely represents all black people. Nubia asserts that early English societies did not have a term for racism, and that we “then overlay our twenty-first century ideas of everything that’s gone before… including the Transatlantic slave trade, and then we place it back on the fifteenth and sixteenth century where it shouldn’t necessarily be.” During the Elizabethan era, physical appearance led to a distaste for certain people not necessarily the underlying perceptions tied to that appearance.
However, just because a blatant, suitable term is not yet assigned to an authentic dislike for the exotic, its absence does not indicate a lack of such feelings. “Othello is black, and his blackness connotes ugliness, treachery, lust, bestiality, and the demonic” (Berry 68). In addition to these extreme indications, Iago presents a stereotype: “These Moors / are changeable in their wills / The food that to him now is as luscious as locusts / shall be to him … as bitter as coloquintida” (1.3.343-346). Instead of criticizing an individual he undoubtedly despises, Iago slanders a specific group of people. Also, referencing Quarshie’s complaint about Shakespeare’s inclusion of stereotypes, it can be inferred that Shakespeare is foreshadowing the play’s major conflict. If Moors are likely to become quickly dissatisfied with food, Othello is likely to become dissatisfied with his wife. In the play’s opening, Roderigo says, “What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe / If he can carry’t thus!” (1.1.62-63). Again, instead of simply insulting Othello, Roderigo derogatorily emphasizes a physical trait associated with people of African descent and emotes discriminatory feelings.
The thought of this black male copulating with a Venetian woman disturbs other characters. When Iago informs Brabantio of his virtuous daughter having relations with Othello, he exaggerates the situation: “Your heart is burst, you have lost your very soul / […] an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe” (1.1.84-85). Iago’s descriptions are not only meant to disgust Brabantio, they are meant to imply that Desdemona and Othello are not a believable couple. The term tupping is specific to intercourse between non-human animals. “Othello and Desdemona become not nameless or blank but all too clear: copulating animals whose relationship violates… race, age, and even species” (Leggatt 115). In response, Brabantio thinks witchcraft must be the source of such madness: “thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, / Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals” (1.2.73-74). He even asks why Desdemona would “fall in love with what she feared to look on” (1.3.98). Negative descriptions of Moors, including Othello’s childhood experience of being sold into slavery (1.3.137), and views of interracial relationships provide insight into Othello’s own perception of his identity.
Though Othello and Desdemona’s marriage is exemplary for defying others’ judgement, one spouse eventually becomes the other’s downfall. If a romantic relationship has an insecure participant dependent on superficial validation, the relationship is bound to end. Othello and Desdemona’s marriage is not meaningful enough to survive conflict because it is based on tangible qualities meant to guard Othello from his insecurities. The emotional connection between Othello and Desdemona is clear. Their first informal encounter results in instant attraction: “She loved me for the dangers I had past, / And I loved her that she did pity them” (1.3.166-167). The love expressed by both spouses surpasses admiration for physical attributes, and this open affection leads to Othello’s covetous behavior throughout the play. “I do love thee! and when I love thee not, / Chaos is come again” (3.3.91-92). Despite claiming genuine love, Othello’s marriage enhances his internal conflict.
Clinical psychologist and civil rights leader Dr. Umar Johnson states the following: “A black man marries a white woman, not because he is necessarily in love with the white woman. He is in love with what she represents… [I]t helps him deal with his insecurity complex.” Marriage can be considered an escape from oneself, especially if the favorable traits of one spouse are meant to overshadow the other spouse’s appearance. Iago makes the strategic decision to turn Othello against his beloved because Iago is not physically capable of destroying him, and Desdemona’s romantic bond with the protagonist encourages conflict. Aside from possible underlying issues keeping their marriage intact, both spouses have ideal traits that satisfy their public images and personal needs.
For example, Othello states, “my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company / …Where virtue is, these are more virtuous” (3.3.186-188). Just as Othello is reliant on his wife’s image, Desdemona is financially dependent on her husband after Brabantio disowns her. Since there is an exchange of spousal duties, the husband can easily discard the wife if that exchange is somehow violated by rumored infidelity: “O curse of marriage! / That we can call these delicate creatures ours / And not their appetites!” (3.3.270-272). Othello is hesitant to acknowledge the possibility of adultery, but he relies on Desdemona’s desirable qualities to determine her worth. Emilia accurately describes Desdemona’s predicament: “Hath she forsook… / Her father and her country and her friends, / To be called whore?” (4.2.127-128). Despite sacrificing her own reputation, Desdemona is treated poorly because Othello becomes overly critical.
Losing the handkerchief is a genuine mistake presented as a transgression: “That handkerchief which I so lov’d, and gave thee, / Thou gav’st to Cassio,” to which Desdemona responds, “No, by my life and soul! / Send for the man / And ask him” (5.2.47-50). Othello’s decision to blindly accuse Desdemona of cheating without requesting to hear her side of the story is expressive of his consuming insecurity. However, some may argue that there is a lack of race-related evidence involved with the handkerchief dilemma. John Hodgson says Desdemona is a bit careless about guarding the handkerchief “because she is preoccupied by her loving concern for Othello; her care… makes her careless of a mere token” (313). Desdemona is simply unaware of the rich, cultural history behind this “mere token.” Othello’s dying mother gives it to him on her deathbed: “To lose’t or give’t away were such perdition / As nothing else could match” (3.4.65-66). The handkerchief serves the purpose of providing insight into Othello’s cultural background, but it also reveals another aspect of Desdemona’s relationship to the protagonist.
Robert Rogers believes Desdemona has a maternal role in Othello’s life. “Othello appears to equate the integrity of his faith in Desdemona with the place of his earliest origin, the person/breast/womb… he refers to as the ‘fountain’ (4.2.59) from which his current runs” (169). Despite Othello’s feeling insecure about characters’ responses to his physical appearance, audiences could argue that the conflict in Othello’s marriage has nothing to do with race and more to do with femininity, a surface-level aspect of the conflict. Iago is unaware of the handkerchief’s history, but he knows a display of carelessness will infuriate Othello. Whether Othello’s anger with Desdemona is fueled by her disregard for his identity or her failure to be a maternal figure, he epitomizes self-destruction. Othello questions Iago’s claims and physically assaults him in Desdemona’s defense: “Villain, be sure thou prove / my love a whore!” (3.3.359-360). Unfortunately, Othello still dramatizes the situation.
David Scott Kastan suggests, “If [Othello] believes Iago rather than Desdemona, it is because at some deep level he is incapable of believing that she could love him” (122). Desdemona’s affiliation with the handkerchief, a remnant from Othello’s parents, and knowledge of her husband’s past are relevant to his identity. Losing the handkerchief is insulting. Though their initial encounter is exemplary, Othello and Desdemona’s relationship ends in a drastic manner. Their love is reliant on external factors meant to eliminate Othello’s insecurities. Before committing suicide, he requests that the witnesses of the murder describe him as “Like the base Judean, [who] threw a pearl away / Richer than all his tribe” (5.2.53-54). He recognizes the value of his most prized possession, a loving wife. Othello might not have allowed an outsider to influence his decisions if his insecurities and selfish need to remain acceptable in Venetian society did not reemerge while badgering Desdemona.
The surface-level conflict of Othello does not reflect the protagonist’s history; it mainly involves his feelings about killing his wife after facing a culmination of prejudice. “It would be reductive to read Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists merely in terms of a struggle between reason and madness” (Paster 160). Othello is not a simple good-versus-evil scenario detailed in some other Shakespearean tragedies. Othello is unique because this tragedy involves an inevitable eruption of extreme emotions and an innocent character who suffers the protagonist’s inner wrath; if anything, the blatant good-versus-evil scenario is internalized in Othello’s character. “With his dagger poised to strike himself, Othello drags into the play a memory buried deep in his pre-play past” (Cohen 10). The final monologue contains admiration for Desdemona, the very reason this suicide is occurring, as well as interesting information that does not involve his wife.
Mark Rose says, “This speech is a clue to Othello’s romanticizing imagination,” as he recounts tales of warfare and violence (62). Eric Illif adds that Othello excuses his transgression because he feels justified in killing Desdemona, but “he is completely ignorant of his tendency towards self-deception” (2). There is no mention of the effect prejudice has had on Othello’s predicament, but it can be inferred that societal judgement is a contributing factor. Othello compares Desdemona to one of his military missions because he is a prominent war general for the Venetian army, an impressive position. It seems as though he is going off on a tangent: “Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk / Beat a Venetian / … I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog, / And smote him-thus!” (5.2.358-361). Illif continues, “Othello is… a man driven by pride and a need to maintain his own reputation” (2). It seems that Othello prioritizes his rank and assimilated identity over Desdemona and disregards past judgements about him because he thinks he has successfully assimilated during his final moment. A desire to assimilate can be indicative of self-hatred because assimilation requires the abandonment of oneself.
Othello’s words seem to defy any theories about this play involving race, but his actions supplement the argument that self-hatred leads to both self-harm and the harming of others. Perhaps, the possibility of prejudice surpassing physical appearance never occurs to Othello because, once again, he believes that he has assimilated into Venetian society. It is possible that Othello is not about race, after all. However, some people, including fictional characters meant to represent living people, are not able to admit that they dislike themselves because of judgement from others. Othello’s dilemma is relevant to current society, and it can enrich an audience’s understanding of certain issues. Othello’s suicide is a disturbing part of the tragedy, and it sends an important, often understated, message about violence resulting from suppressed anger. To draw a parallel to modern society, Dr. Umar Johnson notes that when black males commit homicidal acts, they are given plenty of media attention, whereas the issue of black male suicide is not discussed nearly as often (Johnson). Iago is a disturbing antagonist because his psychological manipulation and blatant lies are direct causes of suicide and murder; he never utilizes blunt, physical force.
Iago makes his hatred for the Moor very clear and wishes “to abuse Othello’s ear” (2.1.386), but he is also able to emotionally manipulate him. Johnson continues, “When a black man takes his own life, it benefits the system” (Johnson). Of course, in the context of the play, Othello’s suicide directly benefits Iago’s mission and restores the normality of Venetian society. Shakespeare’s choice to have the protagonist end his own life sends a message, not only about the dangers of feeling consuming self-hatred, but also how self-hatred is exclusively relevant to the individual emoting its effects. Iago confesses, “Though I hate him as I do hell pains, / Yet, for necessity of present life, / I must show out a flag and sign of love” (1.1.151-153). By genuinely believing that he has assimilated and responding to Iago’s false acceptance, Othello fails to realize Iago’s insincere admiration. As the play progresses, Othello becomes a disappointing character because he is easily influenced and duped. However, it is still important to note the effects prejudice has had on Othello as a character with realistic, unique traits and a result of unfortunate circumstances.
The concept of feeling or expressing hatred for one’s own race is especially relevant in many contemporary societies with a better understanding of prejudice. “Genetic differences among humans have always been a source of prejudice, discontent, and other social evils” (Shaw 83). William Shakespeare, an innovative playwright known for utilizing complex ideas, does not necessarily detail this concept in an explicit manner. Instead, he creates Iago, an antagonist who never struggles to pursue his mission because Othello is easily led astray by his claims. Some audiences may be oblivious to the underlying issues contributing to Othello’s fall, and some may only see his identity as a fascinating accessory to the historical setting. However, the Moor’s identity is much more valuable. William Shakespeare attempts to depict the disastrous results of self-hatred by emphasizing Othello’s uncertainty regarding judgements about his identity and marriage.
Works Cited
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“Is Othello a racist play? Highlights with subtitles.” Debates: Royal Shakespeare Company, performances by Hugh Quarshie and Onyeka Nubia. YouTube, 15 Dec. 2015. https://youtu.be/zAcmVH8vqZw.
Johnson, Umar. “Dr. Umar Johnson (Black People are Programmed to Hate Themselves).” YouTube, 12 Dec. 2015. https://youtu.be/leiJttkxJT4.
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