Although Othello appears at the beginning of the second scene, we do not hear his name until well into Act I, scene iii (I.iii. As mentioned earlier he is suggested to be barbaric by Iago, which shall be shown to be false in the next scene. The references to witchcraft and the devil also help to emphasise Othello’s differences: “The devil will make a grandsire of you”, “the beast with two backs”. In the beginning of the play love between the couple is portrayed as lust through Iago’s perspective, and is can be seen when he makes remarks about the elopement of Othello and Desdemona such as “Your daughter covered with a Barbary horse” (Act I, Scene I, Line 125). After this, Othello’s isolation becomes more physically marked onstage. After this, Othello’s isolation becomes more physically marked onstage. 113). In Act 1 Scene 3, for example, he says Othello will be easily led ‘as asses are’. His devilish ways are particularly illustrated by his use of beast imagery. It is until later in the scene that the reader has been introduced to names associated with the flattering descriptions of the terms like “the Moor, the thick lips, an old black ram and a black Barbary horse. I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, racism is certainly featured throughout the play. The use of animal imagery is used to help convey Othello as a monster and the choices of animals shows the underlying racism: “Old Black ram” and “Barbary horse”. This continues in Iago’s soliloquies. This shows the obvious lack of honor and respect shown by his so-called ‘friends’. 25), inadvertently echoing Iago’s description of Othello as a “Barbary horse” (I.i. When Desdemona tells the story behind the “Willow” song that she sings, she says that the name of her mother’s maid was “Barbary” (IV.iii. you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you. These include “the Moor” (I.i. From the offset of the play, the racial prejudice is apparent, with Iago describing Othello’s affair with Desdemona in a bestial format, that the “old black ram is tupping your white ewe” or, simply, that he is a “Barbary horse”. (4.1.263) , which is an echo of Iago's earlier assertion to Othello that "It is impossible you should see this [Desdemona and Cassio having sex] , / Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys" (3.3.402-403) . (Act I) 3) Jealousy is the main cause of dysfunctional relationships. Othello contradicts him strongly but it is only when Desdemona persuades him that she made a free choice in marrying him that Brabantio reluctantly accepts the situation. Soon afterwards in the same scene, he says, “Zounds”, and he speaks crudely of Othello’s seduction of Desdemona (Quotes #2 and 3 above). 48). Theme Analysis 1) Discuss briefly the following four themes in Othello: 1) Prejudice allows people to treat others in a socially accepted negative fashion. Iago especially attacks his race; he is always ‘the moor’, ‘the devil,’ and even a ‘Barbary horse’. Such descriptions portray Othello with undesirable character of animal and indeed undesirable traits. However, once he makes a decision, he is again the military man, decisive in action. Othello actually appears at the beginning of the second scene in act one, yet despite this we still do not hear his name mentioned until scene three. Iago: 'I must show out a flag and sign of love' metaphor. (Allusion to a Roman God with two faces) Allusion “Sir, you are one of those that will not serve God if the Devil bid you” (I.i.122-123). His meaning of Othello and his comparison of his relatives with animals and Roderigo’s stating that Desdemona has actually gone “To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor” and “made a gross revolt “are once again other examples of severe attacks towards blacks in Elizabethan time. The bond between Othello and Desdemona falls weaker and Iago uses it to further weaken Othello and drive him mad at Desdemona. Also, he constantly uses the imagery of beasts in his choice of words: ram, ewe, Barbary horse, baboon, cats, puppies, snipe, asses, “the green-ey’d monster,” etc. The connotation of the words 'Barbary' and 'horse' implies Othello is a brutal and domineering person accentuating on the assumption that black men are violent and unnatural beings in Elizabethan society. 113). These include “the Moor”, “the thick-lips”, “an old black ram”, and “a Barbary horse”. Othello was written some time between 1600 and 1605. After this, Othello’s isolation becomes more physically marked onstage. 88), and “a Barbary horse” (I.i. 66), “an old black ram” (I.i. He is associated with blackness, devilry, and all things animalistic and dark by his enemies, and yet this shows only the traditional Elizabethan suspicion of other races. Roderigo is the first to surface this racist attitude when he refers to Othello as "the thick-lips" (66); then, Iago, unsatisfied with Roderigo's ability to incense Brabantio, refers to Othello as "an old black ram" (88) who "is tupping your white ewe" (89) (Desdemona), "a Barbary horse" (111) and "the lascivious Moor" (126). Othello actually appears at the beginning of the second scene in act one, yet despite this we still do not hear his name mentioned until scene three. The following sample Literature critical analysis is 1178 words long, in MLA format, and written at the undergraduate level. It has been downloaded 140 times and is available for you to use, free of charge. Iago: 'an old black ram is tupping your white ewe', 'You'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse', 'making the beast with two backs' Animal images, sexual imagery, crude language to make Brabantio hate Othello . Iago’s descriptions of Othello, which we would now view as racist, are a key part of the negative black stereotype that is being created. In an time were ethnic minorities were so unimportant that they were almost ignored, a black man rises and has a position of a general in Venice, and is a well respected and trusted by his white leaders. These include “the Moor”, “the thick-lips”, “an old black ram”, and “a Barbary horse”. His evilness is evident throughout the entire play. For instance, telling Brabantio about the marriage, Iago refers to Othello as a “Barbary horse.” In contrast, Desdemona is described as a “beautiful creature.” Moreover, Iago calls Othello “old black ram,” while Desdemona is a “white ewe” (act 1, scene 1). Othello is an object of scorn too. At the end of the same scene, after Othello thinks he has overheard Desdemona confess her love for Cassio, Othello exits with the exclamation, "Goats and monkeys!" Iago says to him, “…You’ll have your daughter / covered with a Barbary horse.” (I, i, 112-3) Iago obviously wants Othello to seem more evil, and wants Brabantio to take action against him. Telling Brabantio that his family will become beasts by saying that he’ll have his relatives all be horses (of one type or another) implicates his whole family in this incident, thus making it seem more urgent that Brabantio take action. In Act 1 Scene 1, he calls him a ‘Barbary horse’ and an ‘old black ram’, using these images to make Desdemona’s father angry and telling him that Othello and Desdemona ‘are making the beast with two backs’. Othello is described as a “Barbary horse”, an animal incapable of virtuous human qualities. and a “Barbary horse” (1.1.). Roderigo had been trying to woo her for himself. “Even now, now very now an old black ram is tupping your white ewe” Othello and Desdemona (racist, symbolizes Des being pure. Roderigo: 'wheeling stranger' highlighting that Othello is an outsider to Venetian society. Whatever the precise details of Othello’s racial and religious identity, they are clearly enough to provoke anxiety when Iago torments Brabantio by referring to Othello as “an old black ram” (1.1.) When he describes Othello’s match with Desdemona he uses crude animal imagery, 'an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe' he informs the senator (I.1.87–8); his daughter has been 'covered' with 'a Barbary horse' (I.1.110); the couple are 'making the beast with two backs' (I.1.115). Othello cannot stand uncertainty; it drives him to destroy his sanity. Calling Othello a “Barbary horse” makes it clear that he is no nice man, that he is in fact an uncontrollable beast. “the thick-lips”, “an old black ram”, and “a Barbary horse”. Othello’s suspicions Iago reminds Othello, in Act 3 Scene 3, of Brabantio’s accusation that Othello had used witchcraft to win Desdemona’s love, as well as the fact that she did deceive her father in marrying Othello. Cave paintings of horses have been found in Algeria. 4) A feeling of isolation causes many to do negative things. ‘you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse;’ ‘your daughter and the Moor are making the beast with two backs.’ (Act 1 Scene 1) This crude account of the act of love is distasteful and clearly shows Iago’s cynical and bestial attitude to the marriage and sexual love in general. The Moor is courageous and smart in the battlefield but after all his race and colour make him feel like being ostracised. Othello's insecurities are so close to the surface that a few words of hint and innuendo from Iago can tear the confident exterior and expose his fears, desires, and tendency to violence. 57), “the thick-lips” (I.i. 125). Othello actually appears at the beginning of the second scene in act one, yet despite this we still do not hear his name mentioned until scene three. Ewe=female sheep) Metaphor “By Janus, I think no” (I.ii38). Once again, this is an instance of overt racism on Iago’s part. About “Othello Act 1 Scene 1” As the play begins, Roderigo is upset to learn that Desdemona has eloped with Othello, a Moorish general of Venice. These blatantly disrespectful terms are used by both Roderigo and Iago, who is considered one of Othello’s close acquaintances. Iago's statement is doubly potent, since it not only condemns Othello for his alleged lust, but also plays on Brabantio's misgivings about Othello's color, and outsider status. In North Africa, the horse is an integral part of human life, throughout its history. The Barb is an indigenous breed from the Maghreb in North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco and Libya), according to paleontological studies and DNA analysis. In this way, race plays a small but still significant role in Shakespeare’s play. Allusion The Ewe and the Barbary Horse: Reading Othello alongside Edward Said’s Orientalism as a Means to Better Understanding Both . Iago’s references to ‘an old black ram’ , ‘a Barbary horse’ and ‘the beast with two backs ’ (lines 87, 110, 115) reinforce the idea that Desdemona has made an unnatural match and cast Othello in a repugnant role as lustful predator. Iago later compares Othello to a "Barbary horse" coupling with Desdemona, reinforcing a lustful picture of Othello (I.i.111). Whatever the precise details of Othello’s racial and religious identity, they are clearly enough to provoke anxiety when Iago torments Brabantio by referring to Othello as “an old black ram” (1.1.) Othello: We do not meet the titular character in the opening scene but hear descriptions of him such as ‘the thick-lips’ and ‘a Barbary horse’, which imply he is dark-skinned. 97) and a “Barbary Horse” (1. i. Such a sharp disparity between the spouses is a result of Iago’s crafty word choice. The words “devil”, “barbary horse”, and “gennet” are all associated to Othello’s race. "you'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you'll have your nephews neigh to you; you'll have coursers for cousins, and gennets for germans...." See in text (Act I - Scene I) Iago continues to use animal imagery to evoke scenes of Othello and Desdemona making love. 2) The manipulation of others creates misunderstandings with disastrous effects.