Is Shakespeare Racist?

In class on Tuesday, our Brit Lit class watched several videos on the idea of racism in Othello. One of the arguments was that Othello was written in a time where racism did not exist and there were just black people in society so it makes sense that they were written about in a play. This could be true, but what I've decided is that although it may have not been written with racist intentions, that doesn't mean that it isn't seen as racist today. Our society today is very different from the society that surrounded Shakespeare. We are very cautious about what we say and do, making every effort not to appear the least bit racist. Over time, stereotypes have developed and some qualities present in those stereotypes may appear in the play simply because it was what Shakespeare observed. Seeing those qualities, we latch on to the idea that because it is present in a stereotype, it is racist. As society changes, I think there should be some changes in plays like this one in order to avoid offending someone or starting an argument. If plays were adapted to our society and what we find acceptable instead of being performed as they were written for a society years and years ago, I think many arguments could have been avoided.

The images above have clearly been created on new interpretations of Othello without any thought of what ideas the author original meant to convey. As of now, I have not read much of the play and don't know the premise of it. Just looking at these pictures, I get a strong sense of the "black" stereotype and racism against them. The first picture, of a white actor in black face, seems to make Othello look as if he has captured his wife, with his hand across her neck making him appear as a threat to her. In the second picture, with both the white and black hand intertwined, it is very clear that race is a factor in this play: instead of just showing two hands and focusing on portraying love, the picture is quick to establish that there is a difference in skin color. The skin colors aren't even realistic, being bright white and solid black, it seems to identify the people by color instead of allowing them both to just be seen as human beings. The third picture is similar, focusing on color and no other theme. In the fourth picture, we see an image very similar to the first. The white female looks vulnerable and afraid while the man is posing a threat to her, taller and stronger than her with his hand around her neck. The fifth picture shows Othello in stereotypical garb and size, looking at a small white woman who almost looks like a chess pawn. Again, we see the stark differences in skin color and the separation between white and black. The last picture is silhouetted, saving me from mentioning skin color one more time. The pose Othello is in and the color surrounding him make the image feel threatening, showing him as a criminal.

All of these pictures have illustrated how we have turned Othello into a racist play by identifying themes/qualities in the written play and associating them with the stereotypes we have ingrained in us instead of imagining the author's mindset before interpreting the play for ourselves.