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Race And Gender In Shakespeare's Othello

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Shakespeare’s Othello is a complex play full of deceit and dicey issues of race and gender where controversial marriage is destroyed by one man’s malicious revenge. The degree to which this work, written in the seventeenth century, can be read as a progressive play is a highly debatable and complex question. While it is undeniable that Othello offers a plethora of large scale progressive points, upon assessment of its details and more nuanced points, it is clear that this play is largely, even predominantly regressive with regards to it's presentation of race and gender. To begin, while this play may seem progressive in its navigation of gender, the reality is that beneath the surface level of occasional empowerment and equality, there is a strong undercurrent of sexism and problematic gender relations that go undisputed. The first issue regarding …show more content…
The absence of female voices in this play perpetuates the sexist, antiquated idea that the words and opinions of women are less worthy of being heard. So, while it can not be denied that this play is progressive in it's presentation of a woman making the choice to marry a man looked down upon by society, it seriously lacks the voice of such a woman, making it impossible to call this play truly progressive. Next, the reader sees an undisputed display of toxic masculinity in response to vulnerability shown by Othello. Othello suffers a seizure after hearing Iago’s accusations against his wife. Iago appears to be appalled by this show of “weakness”, saying, “would you bear your fortune like a man!” (IV.i.76). This attitude is seen again when Othello asks for proof of this infidelity and Iago retorts, “Good sir, be a man!” (IV.i.81). It can be argued that the repetition of this problematic sentiment is used to emphasize Iago’s amoralty, but this seems

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