Who are the Moors in Shakespeare's Othello?
Othello was an European noble, from a line of royal men, and a christian. He is a person and a symbol. In western art there are a lot of Blackamoors, classical Africans, who symbolize blue blood (1100-1848). In the play Othello is the highest ranking person by birth and merit. The objections against him are those of the middling trading classes against the nobility. The Venetians cannot be considered mere racists as for one, human races were only invented in 1760, and they made The Moor their military leader. He was not lynched for marrying Desdemona, but was given a fair trial. I urge people to look farther then conventional opinions. Find my blue blood theory by Egmond Codfried in google.
Where is Othello from in Shakespeare's Othello?
The full title of Othello is Othello, the Moor of Venice, so Othello is from Venice to some extent.
Othello is a person and a symbol. He is a noble man from a line of royal men, and is the highest ranking person in the play. By birth as by personal merit. The fight is between the middling, trading classes and the nobility who was forbidden to trade, but instead married rich heiresses coming from trade. Desdemona's father is against her alliance with Othello because she quits the sphere of her middling class. He cannot marry her out and use her to bolster his social position in Venice. The Venetians are remarkably non-racist as they made the sole Black in their midst the highest military leader. Even Brabantio, Desdemona's father often invited him to dinner, where he met Desdemona and could woo her. He is giving a fair hearing over his elopement with Desdemona and not automatically lynched, as should expected if the Venetians were racists. The racist remarks are really anti-nobility remarks, in a sharp but satirical fashion, as not to give to much offence to the people who bankrolled Shakespeare, to begin with.
Why is the play Othello famous?
There is a lot of undue focus on racial issue's, to the point that the role of Othello was often played by white actors, while Shakespeare even tells us that Othello was Black and thick lipped. According to my research, The Blue Blood is Black Blood Theory (1100-1848) by Egmond Codfried (to be found in google): Othello should be compared to the images of blackamoors in European Art, symbolising blue blood. The nobility adorned itself, their houses, family crests with images of Moors and even choose family names based on the root Moor. The nobility and kings were described as brown and black of complexion, and some had classical African looks as well: considered proof of pure blood. As the middling classes resisted the rule of the nobles, they attacked the symbol of nobility: the Moor. Othello is a symbol and a person, like Mr. Elton in Emma, who is spruce, black and smiling. The supposedly racist remarks are really mild jibes at the nobles as Shakespeare was not anti-status quo or a revolutionary.
Was Othello foolish in the play Othello?
Othello, the play starts with the possibility of a war against the 'Ottomites,' which rhymes with sodomites. But anyway, Othello is supposedly a successful army leader, and the play sets out to show how and why he is successful as a man of war. He lives in a violent universe, and his solutions are violent. The war is transported to the war of the sexes, as there is a lot of talk about the relations between men and woman, in regard to love and marriage.
What is the storyline of Othello?
Othello is a noble man from a line of royal men and ranks higher then Desdemona who comes from a trading family. He is the military leader of Venice. How racist can the Venetians be if they make the sole Black man their military leader? The supposedly racist remarks should be understood in a different light. The objections against him are the objections the rising middling classes had against the nobility. As the European nobility symbolised their superiority with images of Moors, Othello is a person as well as a symbol. The play voices mild attacks at the nobility, mocks their traditions, but is not revolutionary in nature. As a symbol, the Moor is superior and blameless, as a person he can have demerits. Compare Othello to Mr. Elton in Emma (1816) or Mr. Crawford in Mansfield Park, both by Jane Austen.
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