Shakespeare and "Othering"
This semester we have discussed the roles of minorities in Shakespeare's plays. The roles of minorities are evident in plays like Othello and Merchant of Venice. In the Merchant of Venice it is easy to look at the Prince of Morocco and the Prince of Aragon as the only minority characters, but I contend the way Jewish characters in the play can also be classified as minority characters.
The Oxford English Dictionary refers to the Other as, "a person or thing that is different or distinct from one already mentioned or known about" (OED). I think in Shakespeare's plays the idea of the "Other" is made clear. Othello is refered to often as the "Moor," and Shylock is portrayed as a greedy and vengful Jewish money lender. Even the Prince of Aragon is portrayed as a bit of a bafoon in his rationale when he picks the casket.
Many of the characters refer to Othello as the "Moor." The characters like Iago or Roderigo do not refer to Othello by his name when they are speaking about him to each other. They choose to specifically diminish him not using his name. They also attach negative adjectives to hi when they speak about him. The line, "to the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor-" shows that he is not a man of stature or standing in the eyes of Iago or Roderigo (515). This could be construed as jealousy, but I consider that a misreading of the play. I think there is an effort to portray Othello as "other" or different to help justify their actions against him.
When someone is stripped of their name or assigned negative traits is helps people view that person or group of people as less than human. This takes place in Othello and the Merchant of Venice. In the Merchant of Venice Shylock is portrayed as calculating and vengeful. This portrayal has been a narrative of Jewish people for a long time throughout history.
I am not ready to conclude that Shakespeare was racist, but I do think there was a concious choice made by him to portray these characters in a way that dehumaizes them.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare: Histories. Edited by Stephen Greenblatt et al., W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.
The Oxford English Dictionary refers to the Other as, "a person or thing that is different or distinct from one already mentioned or known about" (OED). I think in Shakespeare's plays the idea of the "Other" is made clear. Othello is refered to often as the "Moor," and Shylock is portrayed as a greedy and vengful Jewish money lender. Even the Prince of Aragon is portrayed as a bit of a bafoon in his rationale when he picks the casket.
Many of the characters refer to Othello as the "Moor." The characters like Iago or Roderigo do not refer to Othello by his name when they are speaking about him to each other. They choose to specifically diminish him not using his name. They also attach negative adjectives to hi when they speak about him. The line, "to the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor-" shows that he is not a man of stature or standing in the eyes of Iago or Roderigo (515). This could be construed as jealousy, but I consider that a misreading of the play. I think there is an effort to portray Othello as "other" or different to help justify their actions against him.
When someone is stripped of their name or assigned negative traits is helps people view that person or group of people as less than human. This takes place in Othello and the Merchant of Venice. In the Merchant of Venice Shylock is portrayed as calculating and vengeful. This portrayal has been a narrative of Jewish people for a long time throughout history.
I am not ready to conclude that Shakespeare was racist, but I do think there was a concious choice made by him to portray these characters in a way that dehumaizes them.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare: Histories. Edited by Stephen Greenblatt et al., W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.
Comments
Post a Comment