Abstract:

Othello, written by William Shakespeare, is one of the greatest works of all time. It is believed that Othello was written in 1603. The protagonist of the play, Othello, is a black man who is also the general of the Venetian forces. His wife is Desdemona, his lieutenant is Casio and his ensign is Iago. Othello centers on the private lives, problems and passions of its main four characters. Othello believes in Iago’s lies about Desdemona’s relationship with Casio so he kills Desdemona and kills himself at the end of the play. This paper aims to illustrate the portrayal of Othello as an evil man according western people’s views in the 16th century since the black man was seen as evil at that time. Besides, the Oriental character who was from the eastern part of the world was seen as illogical and immoral. Thus, Othello both as a black man and an oriental man might be seen as evil and illogical man in the eye of Shakespeare, too. That’s why Shakespeare might have thought that Othello may be a successful and strong man, but, as an oriental man, he has an evil side which is be revealed in time with the help of Iago.

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