Finally, after 60 years, a Black Doctor Who

Race is the most defining theme of Othello, breeding the sense of outsiderdom and otherness that underlines Othello's descent into psychotic lunacy and causes him to lose his self-belief and belief in those who love him. Social divisions such as class, race and gender all contribute to a fundamental misunderstanding of human character based on stereotype, and create artificial divisions which become reifiedMake something more concrete or real. as the play progresses. Othello is acutely aware of others' prejudices and stereotypes on the basis of his race, but it is also to these stereotypes that he eventually succumbs, leading some critics to dub the play racist in the manner of Shakespeare's other plays Titus Andronicus and The Merchant of Venice. For them, Shakespeare depicts a "witless Black man incapable of keeping his feelings in check and reverting to savagery". However, others point to the solemn, reputable and upstanding man who appears at the beginning of the play and remark that the play provides a shrewdShowing good powers of judgement. commentary on prejudice, showing how easily internalised discrimination can be, even discrimination against oneself.

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The fundamental tragedy at the heart of Othello is that the lovers - Othello and Desdemona - can overcome towering differences of social status, race, age as well as her family's disapproval, but fall victim to the most human trait: jealousy. Othello and Iago in particular have been described as "twins", both turned to evil by the same fatal flaw. Iago's pride has been injured by Othello's success as a courageous and well-respected military General - success which Iago sees himself as more entitled to as a White man. Furthermore, he has promoted over him a younger man called Cassio, when he considers that he would have been better placed for the position. Othello's pride is injured by the idea that his beloved and cherished wife could be unfaithful to him. Both of them suffer from a parasitic jealousy which becomes a catalystA substance able to increase the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed or changed by the reacting chemicals.  for death and tragedy as a result of this injured pride.

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Whilst Iago represents the commercial values of mercantileRelating to trade. Venice, Othello represents a more traditional military honour code. In this code, Desdemona takes on the identity of conquered terrain, something that was once his but has been vanquishedDefeated. by an enemy. His murder of Desdemona is a way of recovering his honour in military terms. Iago and Othello both couch their accusations against Desdemona and her supposed infidelity in terms of a dichotomyThe difference between two completely opposite things. between light and darkness, fraternity and enmityFeelings of hate. , loss and conquest, contributing to Othello's sense that this is essentially a military dilemma which can be resolved with violence. Critics have also remarked that the constant underlying threat of the invading Turks is a symbolic double to Othello's fear of another man having relations with his wife, further escalating his paranoia, confusion and distress. We can remark that Desdemona, then, is consistently dehumanised throughout the play, treated as an object of military conquest rather than a fully sentientAble to perceive or feel things. agent. As such, many critics have suggested that war defines the parameters of the play.

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'This case is a turning point in history'

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Othello's suspicions against Desdemona are couched in legal terms. He asks for "ocular proof", calls her a "perjured woman", asks her to "deny each article" and ultimately sentences her to death - a "sacrifice". His way of justifying Desdemona's death is by convincing himself that he has given her a fair trial, and that the conviction is based on the severity of her crime. However, clearly he overestimates his own ability to come to an objectiveRelating to external realities rather than internal states. The opposite is subjective. These are important concepts in philosophy but also notoriously hard to clearly define. verdict. Though Othello's justice may be misguided, poetic justice is ultimately achieved when Othello commits suicide upon realising the awfulness of what he has done, and when Iago is taken away to be tortured for his villainy.

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Marriage in Othello is an institution not only seemingly incompatible with happiness, but also one which functions as a patriarchalA society in which adult men have a monopoly on power. In these societies, men tend to hold all political positions, and women and children are also expected to obey the men in their families. tool. Just as Desdemona's father sees her elopementA wedding planned suddenly or in secret, without knowledge of family or friends. with Othello as a theft of his own property, Othello comes to objectify Desdemona and treat her as a possession which has been pilferedStolen. by somebody else. Both Desdemona and Emilia suffer greatly at the hands of their abusive husbands, and both are ultimately killed by them too. Marriage, as the ultimate patriarchal institution, is an arena for women's suffering. Emilia's cynical comment about the marital state in Act 3 summarises it: "'Tis not a year or two shows us a man./They are all but stomachs, and we all but food."

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