Othello LOA Starters Flashcards
(2 cards)
The flashpoint of critical controversy has most often been…
The race and social status of its title character.
Iago, a deeply malignant racist, played by the first black actor Msamati in the royal Shakespeare company. Then the problem of race wouldn’t really be a big deal since it would turn racial animosity to a sense of brotherhood rivalry since both the protagonist and antagonist would be of the same race, which could be more or less tragic. But the point is that to the contemporary audience of that time, working on their belief of the great chain of being, having iago as a ‘white’ actor is crucial in understanding racism at that time bc according to critic Rhymer, have a non-European in the illustrious ranks is loathsome. So race is an important component and social construct in this play to be tragic- a power struggle between white Venetians and the moor. Racial epithets.
But no one is bothered most by skin color than othello himself
