Alienation of Othello

Alienation of Othello


The Alienation of Othello
During the 15th century, many people of the Christian faith had a strong dislike for the people they called “Moors”, which refers to a person from North Africa of the Islamic faith. This dislike sparked from back in the 8th century, when the Moors invaded and conquered the Iberian Peninsula. Christian kingdoms in the area fought back against the Moors, in efforts to take their beloved land back. The wars spanned from the 8th century up until the 15th century, when America was discovered. Othello takes place in the late 16th century, where the Moors are much less of a problem, and conflict between the two has died down. Discrimination against the Moors did not, however, as the use of “Moor” became generalized, and used as a synonym to “Negro”. Othello is of Moorish decent, but not of Islamic faith, as he converted to Christianity. With this, we can see that when Othello is labeled throughout the play as a “Moor” it is done in a derogatory way, because being a Moor also requires one to be of Islamic faith as well. Due to Othello’s alienation by the community around him, Othello is self-conscious with reduced self-confidence, causing him to give in to Iago’s manipulation.
Alienation, in this case refers to a person that is different in some way than those who compose most of the surrounding population. In Othello’s case, he is a Moor living in Venice, a predominantly white and Christian coastal city. He finds himself in a tough situation, because Othello is a valuable asset to the Venetians, being a general, but he will still never completely fit in with their society. Selen Takalp put it this way, “Othello gets stuck between two worlds. He continuously struggles with the problem of being a foreigner, who is never completely included, and a potential insider, who is not completely excluded because of his utility” (Takalp). Being in a position like this comes with certain psychological effects. Contributing members of society, with...

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