Black and White Symbolism in Othello
Black remains black and white remains black. Black is used to characterize the dark side of something, and how something physically and ethically gritty and uncomfortable might be. White, instead, is used for physically or ethically representing something pure and clean. Shakespeare used a literal metaphor in which black can manipulate white to make it grim and white can be used in black purification. Shakespeare used Othello to demonstrate how his white individual is hanging inside his black body, according to Doris Alder. Othello who is a well behaved man relates with Desdemona well by expressing love and affection towards her (Erickson and Ruben 162).
The Society's Perception of Black and White
Othello has a black skin color which has trapped a white soul inside while Iago is a white-skinned man with a dark skin color. It is important to note that Iago has darkened Othello's soul by affecting the white Desdemona. Shakespeare describes how Iago who is black in the inside but white on the outside while Othello is black on the outside and white on the inside, and the society views both of them from their outside color which is evident from Desdemona's father who believes that Othello is the one who is darkening her daughter. It is also ironic that Iago, who is black on the inside, darkens the white in Desdemona and additionally darkens Othello. Othello is described by Shakespeare as a black ram who stains Desdemona the white ewe, "Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe" (Alder 251). The external appearance is not the same as the internal experience, but the society has an already established stereotype that black is evil while white is pure.
Analysis
Shakespeare has explicitly shown how dark represents darkness and white represents purity and how Othello (darkness) stains Desdemona (white). However, the implicit perception shows how darkness is used by Iago to darken Othello's heart who believes that his wife isn't loyal from Iago's stories. Doris Adler has shown how it is easy for darkness to stain white, citing how easy it was for Othello to be convinced that his wife is cheating despite his white inner-self where he knew that Desdemona was not cheating (Adler 249). Despite Othello being white, it is surprising that he becomes stained so easily by Iago and ends up killing her. It is therefore important to consider that Othello being black already on the outside had an already stain on the inside by his external appearance; this is because he is convinced easily by Iago, which should not be the case if Othello is entirely white.
Racism and Feminism in Othello
Doris Adler's argument is based on racism where Africans are racially abused by whites due to the color of their skin. Blacks are considered to be evil, barbaric, and savages by the whites as Othello is described by Desdemona's father. Feminism is also evident where Othello does not believe his wife but considers the constant lies from Iago to kill his wife, which shows that women are not regarded (Smith 110). Doris Adler has used Iago to darken Othello's soul and make him not believe that his wife is innocent to show the tough fight between good and evil. Shakespeare has based the main theme of the play as a struggle between good and evil, which has been analyzed by Doris Adler to get a deeper understanding of the fight between good and evil. The play plays a great role in my essay since racism plays a significant role in the fight of good versus evil where racism seems to influence what is good and what is evil depending on the race of the character.
Works Cited
Adler, Doris. "The rhetoric of black and white in Othello." Shakespeare Quarterly 25.2 (1974): 248-257.
Smith, Ian. "We are Othello: Speaking of race in early modern studies." Shakespeare Quarterly 67.1 (2016): 104-124.
Erickson, Peter, and Ruben Espinosa. "Race Words in Othello." Shakespeare and Immigration (2016): 159-76.
