Racial Issues and their Influences on the Characters in Shakespeare’s Othello

https://doi.org/10.22146/lexicon.v1i2.42072

Arfian Giri Prabowo(1*)

(1) Universitas Gadjah Mada
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


This study aims to describe the racial issues found in Othello and to analyze the influence of the issues on the characters in the play. In finding racial issues, the present writer analyses dialogues between the characters in the drama implicitly and explicitly.

The author uses Abrams‘ objective approach and also some references to classify the racial issues and along with the characters based on the types of racism such as individual racism, passive racism, active racism, and internalized racism. The data were obtained by observing the play without being influenced by materials outside of the text.

The result of this study indicates that there are racial issues in this play. The racial issues have a very significant effect on the characters‘ view, including Othello‘s, of the existence of black people. Othello becomes racist against himself and loses the confidence of being black, hence the cause of the fall of Othello.

 


Keywords


Racial issues; Influences; Fall of Othello

Full Text:

PDF


References

Abrams, M. H. Mirror and the Lamp. New York: Oxford University Press. 1953.

Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms (fourth edition). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1981

Adams, Maurianne., Lee Anne Bell, and Pat Griffin (eds). Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice : A Sourcebook.New York. Routledge .1997. PDF File

Dickinson, Leon T. A Guide to Litterary Study. New York : Rinehart and Company, Inc. 1959.

Butler, Shakti. Diversity Facilitation Training. University of Delaware :Office of Recidence Life. 2007. PDF File

Craniford, Ada., Doug Craniford, and Eric Weinthal. A Taste of Shakespeare: Othello. Eugenia Educational Foundation. N.d. PDF File

Ikrarini, Estri Oktarena. Iago’s Profile in Othello by William Shakespeare. Graduating Paper. UGM. 2005.

Jones, James M. Prejudice and Racism. Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. 1972.

Katelyn. "If virtue no delighted beauty lack,/ Your son-in-law is far more fair than black". Billy & Bodies, March 2009. Web. December 2012. http://www.102applegate.blogspot.com/2009/03/if-virtue-no-delightedbeauty-lack-your.html

Levin, Richard. TRAGEDY: Plays, Theory, and Criticism. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1960.

London and the Transatlantic Slave Trade‖. Portcities London. N.d. Web. August 2012. http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.103/chapterId/2245/London-and-thetransatlantic-slave-trade.html

Merritt, Dorrell. Blemmyae / Anthropophagi‖. October 2012. Web. December 2012. http://sangbleu.com/2012/10/12/blemmyes-anthropophagi/

Marger, Martin N. Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives, (Third Edition) .Wadsworth Publishing Company. 1994.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th Ed. New York: The Modern
Language Association of America, 2009. Print.

Stanton, Robert. An introduction to Fiction. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1965.

Simpson, George E., and J. Milton Yinger. Racial and Cultural Minorities: An Analysis of Prejudice and Discrimination, 5th Edition. New York: Plenum. 1985.



DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/lexicon.v1i2.42072

Article Metrics

Abstract views : 3423 | views : 3099

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2012 Arfian Giri Prabowo

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


Lexicon Office

English Department
Faculty of Cultural Sciences,
Universitas Gadjah Mada
Soegondo Building, 3rd Floor, Room 306
Yogyakarta, Indonesia 55281
Telephone: +62 274 513096
Email: lexicon.fib@ugm.ac.id

ISSN: 2746-2668 (Online)

Web Analytics View Stats

Creative Commons License
LEXICON is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Lexicon is indexed in

 

About UsSubmissionIssuePoliciesReview