In Shakespeare's Othello, racism towards the protagonist Othello is evident. Racism plays different roles, allowing certain characters to get what they want while hurting Othello in different ways. Othello is a black Moor living amongst Venetians and is regularly praised for being valiant and well-spoken. The Duke even considers him as the first choice when it comes to commanding his army. Because of his status, Othello is always around people of high rank. Othello and Desdemona, the daughter of a senator, fall in love and elope. Her father becomes aware of the marriage through the workings of sly Iago. The senator is incredibly against it because Othello is a Moor more specifically, a black man. His troubles begin when his jealous soldier, Iago, begins to wriggle into Othello's mind through mind-games claiming that Desdemona is cheating on him with his second in command. This eventually causes him to go mad and kill Desdemona. This constant threat of racism causes many troubles for him.

 

In The Souls of Black Folks, W.E.B. DuBois' illustrates his concept of "double consciousness" by explaining it's when a black person "sees himself through the revelation of the other world" (DuBois 4). This can be applied to Othello's reason for madness. In Act 3 Scene 3, the cunning Iago begins planting seeds of doubt in Othello's mind. Iago tears him down in subtle ways but it eventually leads to Othello's destruction. 

 

Although Othello starts with a strong footing, we can see Iago forcing his way into Othello's brain in that same Act 3 Scene 3. Othello continues, "If I do prove her haggard, … / I'd whistle her off and let her down the wind... / Haply, for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have…" (Shakespeare 3.3.265-270). This is one of the first instances where Othello sees himself the way the white world views him. He considers the idea that perhaps he is not soft and doesn't have pleasant manners because he is black. This statement on Othello's part could not be further from the truth because as the play has shown so far, he is actually very well-mannered and perhaps even the most well-mannered out of everyone introduced. 

 

Othello's madness is rightfully justified by DuBois' reasoning when he writes, "the black man's turning hither and thither in hesitant and doubtful striving has often made his very strength to lose effectiveness, to seem like an absence of power, like weakness." (DuBois 5). Othello's back and forth between believing Iago and finding trust in Desdemona causes a lot of confusion, leading to doubt. However, he is not actually weaker or less powerful; as Dubois points out, it only seems as if he is. Othello is just as strong, but because his level of virtue has shifted in his own eyes, it causes him to act the way people like Iago expect him to. As the head of a powerful army, one would’ve expected Othello to be strategic and sense when the enemy has something planned, but Othello couldn’t even see the plotting happening right under his nose, leaving the audience to feel sorry for him.

 

Othello is pointed out many times as being a very gifted storyteller. Almost like an enchanter. Through his storytelling, Othello shows what Edward Berry refers to as “self-dramatization”. In the essay, Othello’s Alienation Edward Berry explains why Othello is so inclined to tell his stories the way he does. Berry writes, “To see this behaviour as self-dramatizing, however, and especially to moralize it as a symptom of pride, is to ignore its underlying cause… Othello’s alienation forces him to woo Desdemona indirectly..”(Berry 325). This performance on Othello’s part can be seen as assimilation. This is the only instance where it can be argued that Othello is aware of his blackness early on. 

 

In Janet Adelman’s essay Iago's Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello, she opens the topic of Iago’s selfishness and manipulation of Othello for his own benefit. Adelman states, “Iago successfully attempts to rid himself of interior pain by replicating it in Othello. Othello – and particularly in relation to Desdemona – becomes Iago’s primary target in part because Othello has the presence, the fullness of being, that Iago lacks.” (Adelman 127). This is a prime example of blackness working in favor of white people. Of course, Iago is a highly manipulative figure and is able to manipulate his fellow white counterparts like Rodrigo and Cassio, but it's Othello who he truly damages psychologically. He uses Roderigo for surface-level things to carry out his master plan to destroy Othello. So, this double conciseness allows Othello to become more aware of his blackness but he fails to see how it can also be used in favor of other people to cause harm.  

 

Shakespeare’s Othello shows how racism can cause a dichotomy in the brain between personal identification and who the white world tells them they are. A black man or woman living in a white world like Othello should tread carefully knowing they could be taken advantage of at any time. The relationship between Othello and Iago presents a parallel to what is seen between those in racial power and those who are not. Additionally, Iago's manipulativeness reflects how influential white people can play into the further exhaustion of the Black community. In Shakespeare’s play, the Venetians have the mindset that Othello has good qualities for a Black person. This is reflective of the bias the Black community faced and continues to face at the hands of those with preconceived prejudices.

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Adelman, Janet. “Iago’s Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 48, 

no. 2, [Folger Shakespeare Library, The Shakespeare Association of America, Inc., Johns 

Hopkins University Press, George Washington University], 1997, pp. 125–44, 

https://doi.org/10.2307/2871277.

 

Berry, Edward. “Othello’s Alienation.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 30, no. 2, [Rice

University, Johns Hopkins University Press], 1990, pp. 315–33, 

https://doi.org/10.2307/450520.

 

DuBois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. 1903.