Racism in Othello and Elizabethan England

The racial undertone in Othello is quite obvious, especially in the first Act.  Othello is introduced through references to his skin color, anatomical features, and his inferiority to the other Europeans.  Shakespeare differentiates Othello from the white Europeans by calling him a "black ram" and "thicklips" and "the Moor, " all names that separate him from higher society, which was caucasian.

In Elizabethan England, there was an idea of racial superiority.  Many North Africans were in England, many working class, and there was a feeling of anxiety surrounding these immigrants.  Shakespeare was playing on these anxieties when introducing Othello.  However, he  turns all those fears on their heads by portraying Othello as the opposite of the stereotypes.  He is a refined gentleman that is a far cry from the "beast" that he was called.  Shakespeare uses the audience's prejudices to form an opinion of Othello before he appears on stage.  By flipping the prejudices around, he makes the audience question their own opinions on the foreign immigrants in England.