Gender, Identity, and Betrayal in Shakespeare's Othello

Introduction

Of the alleged chief tragedies penned by Shakespeare, Othello has led to a certain degree of critical embarrassment. This "domestic tragedy" lacks the dynastic and political consequences that characterize Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear. The protagonist, Othello, behaves like a blockhead, and readers are led to doubt his claims to greatness from the very start. Shakespeare is famous for his interest in identity issues: antagonists may cruelly impose themselves on other characters and assert their self-identity, while sensitive characters require external confirmation of their identity (Rees).

Othello's unique rawness stems from the way the playwright dramatizes the normal and ordinary, and exposes such normalcy as intrinsically cruel and horrific. A number of contemporary critics account for Othello's conduct by claiming it arose from the black Othello's insecure feelings in a white racist society. However, this play compellingly fights racism — a theory that hypothesizes an essential difference between whites and blacks — by depicting Othello as very much like all white husbands. Intriguingly, of all the jealous husbands Shakespeare ever introduced, the black Othello garners the greatest respect and empathy from both the play's characters and its readers, and his color in no way diminishes his authority over Desdemona. Ironically, society's prejudice against Othello makes Desdemona an outcast, placing her further at Othello's mercy. Being murdered by one's husband differs from being murdered by others, since the wife is utterly in the killer's power (Vanita).

This paper's thesis revolves around the play's male characters; however, an analysis of this tragic tale of faith and treachery is incomplete without Desdemona. To comprehensively appreciate Othello, one must consider it with respect to women, as the play constitutes a critical part of Shakespeare's sustained interest in women's role and nature.