How Racism and Pride Drove Othello to Suicide

Othello is able to gain acceptance into Venetian society through his work in the military, but he is never truly accepted by the Venetians. They are fearful of a black man joining a white society. Some of the characters distrust and dislike Othello solely for the fact that he is black. In the opening scene Iago and Roderigo speak about Othello, but never actually state his name. Instead, they refer to him ambiguously as “he” and “him,” also calling him “the Moor” (I.i.57), “the thick-lips” (I.i.66), and “a Barbary horse” (I.i.113). In the next scene, Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona, using his “foul charms” (I.ii.76) to woo her. Brabantio’s racism is evident and he is only accusing Othello of sorcery because he is black. Brabantio accuses Othello three times for using witchcraft in act 1 and only speaks of him with a mixture of anger and fear, but Othello tells the duke that Brabantio loved him and invited him into his house often to hear about the battles he has fought. Brabantio clearly respects Othello as a soldier, but despises him personally because of his race. The duke and senate hold Othello in very high regard as a soldier enough that they trust him with full control, militarily and politically, over Cyprus. Othello is a very proud man because of his feats as a soldier and he is especially proud of his honorable appearance. His pride and sense of self worth play a major part in his downfall. Due to the fact that he is black, he is still treated as an outsider no matter how well he performs as a soldier. For example, even though he was entrusted with full control of Cyprus, he still arrives on the last of the three boats there. His role as the outsider makes him easy prey for Iago, who cleverly uses Othello’s pride to force him into thinking Desdemona is unfaithful. Feeling betrayed and disrespected by his own wife, Othello goes mad, eventually killing himself. Othello is a tragic character because of how he was victimized by the people of Venice because of his race and his own need to appear powerful, accomplished and moral.