How does Shakespeare use dramatic techniques to emphasise the idea of racism, inequality of women and power in this scene? -Richard Yang-

Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello opens with the dispute between Brabantio and Othello on his secret marriage with Desdemona. Like any other Shakespearean tragedies, the tragic hero, Othello, is introduced as a human being with many positive character traits, while many universal, underlying flaws in the setting are revealed early on, including the issues of racism, inequality of women and power, in order to provide explanation on the causes of the tragic events. This is emphasised through the use of dramatic devices in the scene.

The play is a reflection of racism during the Shakespearean era. Characters crafted by Shakespeare show strong discrimination towards those with different skin colours. Othello, although honoured by the Duke of Venice for his accomplishments as the state’s war general and is relied on against the Turkish invasion, is treated with prejudice because of his Moorish background. This is first evident when Brabantio accuses Othello of practicing witchcraft to allure his daughter into falling in love. This is achieved by describing her daughter as highly conscious through the listing of “Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense.” which is ironic because those are the qualities that enable her to fall in love with the highly regarded Othello, but is insisted as an impossibility by Brabantio because Othello’s darker skin has negative connotations that can easily be associated with negative forces, this device highlights the severity of racism in Othello’s society. The Duke defends Othello against Brabantio with “your son in law is far more fair than black”, though a compliment, paradoxically agrees to the discriminating idea that black skin colour has negative connotations, and implications of one’s character. The duke’s underlying prejudice is also reflective through the contrast between the language he uses to Brabantio and Othello. He greets Brabantio upon his entrance with “welcome, gentle signior”, is indicative of his high social status, juxtaposed to “Valiant Othello we must straight employ you…” right before, again, although praises Othello’s bravery and significance, his use of high modality language “must” implies Othello’s lower status as he is given no options whatsoever but to immediately attend war. This scene thus has a strong emphasis on the social issue of racism in Othello through Shakespeare’s effective use of dramatic techniques.

The inequality of women is evident in the Othello. Shakespeare’s female characters are regarded as men’s possessions and have no rights to make their own choices. Brabantio expresses this idea through “she is…stol’n from me”, showing Desdemona being objectified by his father. Although the Duke acknowledges Brabantio’s undermining statement as he follows with “Whoe’er he be that, in this foul proceeding...” his usage of inverted syntax in that line, implies his awareness of abnormality, which is the inequality of women. His is supposed to invite Desdemona to resolve the conflict considering her father’s high status but instead commands “Fetch Desdemona hither”, which depicts a violent visual imagery to the audience of Desdemona being grabbed and forced to the meeting particularly through the word “fetch”. Even she herself acknowledges her father’s power over her through the hyperbole “lord of duty”, and previously suggests herself loyal to both Brabantio and Othello in “divided duty”, which in reality was the female role during the Shakespearean era. The unfairness women suffered in the Elizabethan era is reflected in Othello.

Shakespeare represents power as a significant force in society. Power is an indication of his play’s characters’ social status. The Duke at first shows commitment to execute the offender described by Brabantio but then is influenced and shows hesitation when Othello is revealed as the perpetrator. Here, the Duke is in a tricky position because he cannot offend either of them, as both are established as powerful men in the play, Othello with control over the military and Brabantio over the economy and election. The Duke’s acknowledgement of Brabantio’s power is revealed through his consistently sincere tone when speaking to him, for example, “Good Brabantio, Take up this mangled matter at the best” in a situation where he should have displayed anger. Othello’s power on the other hand, is proven for instance where the Duke displays impressment upon hearing Othello’s convincing statements, by alluding himself into the affair in “I think this tale would win my daughter too”. The other characters are clear of the Duke’s absolute power over them through the repetition of “my lord” at the end of dialogues with the Duke. Power is therefore highly regarded by Shakespeare’s characters and has direct effect on their every act.

Through the effective use of dramatic techniques, Act One Scene Three of Shakespeare’s Othello introduces the issues of racism, inequality of women and power. These ideas foreshadow tragedy and are forces that cause the tragic hero’s act of crime, therefore it is extremely important to examine and acknowledge them.