Shakespeare's Othello

Othello was written by William Shakespeare and first performed as play for King James in 1604. Since then, it has been played, interpreted and influenced regularly around the world. Shakespeare intensifies the growing dichotomy between black and white and reflects the stereotypical notion of blacks as mystical pagans, a notion that largely rejected by contemporary society as a perversion of racial equality. Although Othello is subject to racial onslaughts, he draws empathy through his racial disposition. Understanding his predicament in Act 3 Scene 3, Othello's introspective soliloquy, 'haply for I am black, and have not those soft parts of ...