Interracial Marriage in Shakespeare’s Othello Essay

Racial prejudice against the come outsiders existed during the Elizabethan Age and Shakespeare attempted to shit a parallel world in his tragedy Othello, The Moor of Venice where he captures a wide array of reactions towards a ominous Muslim by the white majority Christians in Venice. The racial discrimination has been latent in their minds for a long period and the interracial coupling of Othello and Desdemona acts as a catalyst resulting in a volcanic eruption like incident in the confederation through a prototype villain Iago.The innovation of conglutination is often looked at as a means of enhancing the alliance within a community and when an outsider attempts to become a section of a closed community then he is perceived as an intruder. This essay explores the tumultuous reaction of the clubhouse through Iago towards the interracial uniting of Othello and Desdemona. Human existences, once accustomed to a particular pattern, will reclaim it extremely difficult to al ter the same.Othello, the Black Moor with physical and heathen difference in the state of Venice has risen to the position of the army customary through his meticulous and painstaking hard work. Iago, the vicious villain has authentic an aversion towards Othello because of his Moorish background and it is intensified when Cassio is promoted to the position of lieutenant, overlooking Iago. Iago as well suspects an illicit relation amongst his wife Emilia and Othello. So he vows to bring the downfall of Othello and takes the interracial marriage as the ripe opportunity to avenge Othello.He instigates Brabantio, father of Desdemona to bring Othello under trial for luring his female child. Brabantio openly condemns Othellos marriage with his daughter and accuses that the marriage is maimed and most frail (1. 3, 99) and Against all rules of nature (1. 3, 101). Further he strongly suspects that Othello has utilize dissimulation potions on Desdemona and exploited her innocence by pushing her to run from her home to to the sooty bosom / Of such a thing as kB to fear, not to delight (1. 2, 70-71).Brabantio thus overtly expresses his racist views before the Duke because he is basically a Venetian who is obsessed with racial prejudice and it is so blatantly dis suffered because he learns that his daughter has fallen for the Moor from Roderigo, the half-wit consumed by lust for Desdemona and Iago, where the later has hidden his identity and has expressed their sock issue in the most obscene language as possible. Iago states, youll / Have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse (1. 1, 111-112) and I am champion, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter / And the Moor are now making the beast with two backs. 1. 1, 116-117).As Elizabeth Beaudin notes, The language Iago and Roderigo use to incite the senators anger is clearly disfavor they refer to Othello as an old scurrilous ram, a Barbary horse, and a lustful Moor (13). The racist remarks of Iago an d Roderigo against Othello reflect the prejudice that existed in the society when a Black Moor holds a better position in the society be it in military, society or the heart of a woman. some(prenominal) Iago and Roderigo refer to Othello as an animal, thick-lipped, uneducated, and crude, and never call him by his name in private.Othello is enquired about the charges levied by Brabantio and the Moor responds that their love is mutual which has been nurtured through conversation. He states that She loved me for the dangers I had passd, / And I loved her that she did pity them (1. 3, 167-168). The Duke is one of the few characters in the play who trusts that the love affair is beyond the specify lanes of racism and approves their marriage. When two the lovers are found to be in a state of complete bliss Iago remarks, O, you are well tuned now / provided Ill set down the pegs that make this music, / As honest as I am. (2. 1, 199-201).Iago swears to loosen the pegs in order to bring about a disharmony in their relationship. Mussari rightly states, From the opening scene the interracial marriage between Othello and Desdemona colors all aspects of the play. Race also provides further need for the resentful Iago to destroy the generals happiness. (40-41). Iago strongly believes that Desdemonas love for the Moor is nothing tho an unnatural sexual desire and schemes in the most scrupulous manner to infuse jealousy in bulge out of love in the mind of Othello.Earlier Othello believed that Desdemona loved him for his adventures and he not being a chamberer. solely under the poisonous influence of Iago Othello believes that it is the real same quality that has made her leave him. for I am black / And control not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have, or for I am declined (3. 3, 263-265) Iago is extremely sly and a master puppeteer who brings almost everyone under his dominion. He convinces Roderigo that h can win Desdemonas love altogether by p rocuring gifts for her and gains monetary benefits from him.Cassio also blindly believes him and thinks that Iago is striving hard to get hold Cassios lost position. The seeds of jealousy are sown in the minds of Othello and it has deep-rooted in him. He has made a thorough analysis of Othellos nature and produces the ocular proof for his wifes infidelity. Iago is unable to acquit the fact that Othello is not still the supreme commander of the arms notwithstanding has won the heart of a white Venetian woman. He is dead hostile to this interracial marriage and longs to dissolve the marriage at any(prenominal) cost.Roderigo, Cassio and his wife Emilia are made as pawns who unknowingly play a crucial role in disrupting the harmonious relationship between Othello and Desdemona. Iago goes to the extent of inventing an accusation that his wife is committing adultery with Othello. Twixt my sheets / hes through with(p) my office (1. 3, 380-381). Othello and Desdemona unlike many ot her lovers establish a get on with relationship in the beginning and are convinced that they share a mutual bond of love and affection.But it is not just the jealousy of Othello that plays a spoilsport. The racial inconsistency is internalized in every human being because humans are essentially social beings and accordingly are used to living in a homogeneous environment. The sudden intrusion whitethorn shock a majority section of the society like Brabantio, Iago and Roderigo. But a few may develop an initial fascination towards this heterogeneity like Desdemona. Desdemona herself is convinced that there is something unnatural about her love for Othello.She fails to check Othello on the whole because of the cultural and racial differences that existed between them. She had once remarked that she fears looking at such blackness as in Othello which is reaffirmed by Othello when Iago states, seemd to shake and fear your looks (3. 3, 207). Both Desdemona and Othello are initially d rawn to all(prenominal) other because of their physical appearance but later this difference of Black and White creates a gap between them. Othello is appalled not only because Desdemona corrupts herself ut because her blackness confirms his (Berry, 328).The interracial marriage, no doubt, intensifies the race-related social tensions and the society is completely turned into a chaotic environment. The reaction of the racially prejudiced society has been extremely intense because, the interracial relationship has matured to the level of married. If Iago had carried out such frenzied beastly act before Othello and Desdemona had married, it would have lead to the separation of the lovers. But the interracial marriage has mounted such an solicitude both in the society and the couple.Hence every other Venetian was easily exploited by Iago and Othello himself easily succumbed to the pressures of Iago. Being married, Othello is convinced that he could restore his honor only by killing h is wife who is believed to have cuckolded him. To conclude, Shakespeare has illustrated that the dearth of a society is certain when a racial incompatibility exists in the society. The interracial marriage of Othello and Desdemona may have survived a elfin longer if Iago has not intervened because Iago has just acted as a catalyst and speedup the dissolution of the marriage.The love affair between Othello and Desdemona was purely emotional but the moment they enter into the institution of marriage, it definitely has to withstand the whirlwinds of the society. An interracial marriage is perceived as a threat to the integrity of the society and hence it is rarely welcomed. Within such a hostile environment, it is truly a challenge for the couple to uphold their marital relationship in which both Othello and Desdemona fail miserably as they easily yield to the pressures of the society in the guise of Iago.