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1、On Inevitability of tragedy of “Othello”Abstact: “Othello” was written by Shakespeare in 1604 and it is the most controversial one of Shakespeares four major tragedies. According to many views on the tragedy of “Othello”, in my opinion, the tragedy must be inevitable. Based on racial discriminnation
2、, this paper tries to explore the causes of tragedy of “Othello”, including internal and external causes. Because of the tumor of racial discrimination in society, the white has superiority of its race and culture ,while the black has to take the burden of their sense of inferiority complex. When Ot
3、hello as one representative of blacks couldnt bear the whites racial discrimination and his own self-abased sense, he will make a action beyond imagination, namely, he kills his beloved wife and destroies himself that leads to the tragedy. Key words: inevitable, racial discrimination, inferiority co
4、mplex, tragedy摘要：奥瑟罗是莎士比亚在1604年所创作的，它是莎士比亚四部主要悲剧中最有争议的一部。根据对奥瑟罗悲剧的不同观点，笔者认为，这部悲剧是必然发生的。从种族歧视的角度分析，本论文探究了造成奥瑟罗悲剧的内外原因。由于社会存在种族歧视这颗毒瘤，白种人有着种族及文化优越感，而黑人不得不承受自卑的心理压力。奥瑟罗作为黑人的代表，当他不能忍受白人的种族歧视以及他自卑心理无法自拔时，他会采取意想不到的行动，那就是杀害自己深爱的妻子并且自杀，从而导致悲剧的发生。关键字：必然的，种族歧视，自卑情结，悲剧CONTENTSAbstract.1Introduction.2Chapter1 A
5、nalysis of Racial Discrimination.41.1 On Racial Discrimination Briefly.41.2 Racial Discrimination In “Othello”.4Chapter2 Internal Causes for Tragedy “Othello”.7 2.1 The Whites Superiority of Its Race and Culture.72.2 People Living on the Margins of Society Owing Self-abased Characteristic.102.3 Flaw
6、s in Othellos Characterists.13Chapter 3 External Causes for Tragedy of Othello183.1 Brabantios Prejudice against Othello.183.2 Iagos Scheme.213.3 Desdemonas Overconfidence in Her Love.22Conclusion.25Notes.26Bibliograbhy. 27AcknowledgementIntroductionWilliam Shakespeare is one of the great dramatists
7、 and poets, symbolizing the great achievement in literature in the English renaissance. As we all know, William Shakespeare has written many famous plays, including comedies and tragedies. Among them, Othello is one of Shakespeares four major tragedies. Although the plot of the play is very simple,
8、it reflects many aspects of life. The plot of “Othello” is like this: the main character Othello who is a moor kills his beloved wife Desdemona who is beautiful and has white skin and then committs suicide for many reasons. Since hundreds of years ago, many critics have been arguing on what the root
9、 of tragedy is. One view is that jealousy and credulity make Othello lose his reason and human nature, and another view is that the great power of evil causes the tragedy of Othello However, I think, no matter what the view is, the tragedy is inevitable and it has a close connection with Othellos bl
10、ack skin. Iago is a dangerous person who provokes the anger of Desdemonas father, then arouses Othellos sense of inferiority complex and consequently loves between Othello and Desdemona ends with thorough destruction. On the angle of racial discrimination, “Othello” just reflects the whites superior
11、ity of its race and culture and people living on the margins of society owning self-abased characteristic in their deep heart. So, in consequence of such a society background, Othellos characteristics have many shortcomings, Desdemonas father has prejudice to black Othello；Iago would do harm to the
12、marriage between the white and the moor； Desdemona has over-confidence in love between Othello and her. Because of so many factors that cause the tragedy of Othello, the tragedy must happen and it is inevitable, but not accidental.Chapter 1 Analysis of Racial Discrimination1.1 On Racial Discriminati
13、on Briefly“Race is born as human society exists” said it in “Human Rights Dictionary”. So, race is also regarded as ethnic group, which has common origin and heredity. Certainly, different races have different physiology characteristics and cultures. Because of different races, racial discrimination
14、 commonly appears. Especially in western society, the black and yellow are looked down upon and the white think their race is the most powerful one in the word, while any other race is inferior. So, the white oppose the marriage between the white and the black, refrain the blacks basic rights and fr
15、eedoms and furthermore carry out race isolation policy and so on. Racial discrimination typically points out taxonomic differences between different groups of people, even though anybody can be racialised, independently of their somatic differences. According to the United Nations conventions, there
16、 is no distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnic discrininaton. 1.2 Racial Discrimination in “Othello”In fact, this racial discrimination can be reflected in the Shakespeares tragedy play” Othello”. Firstly, Desdemonas father Brabantio is the typical one. He is one representative
17、 of the upper lever rulers who have racial discrimination towards Othello.It is too true an evil: Gone she is; And whats to come of my despised time is nought but bitterness. Now, Roderigo, where didst thou see her? O unhappy girl! With the moor, say st thou?1In Brabantios eyes, his daughter shouldn
18、t marry a moor who belongs to the inferior race. Moreover, he regards it as a shame. Brabantio is set in his prejudices of black people, and will not trust even his beloved daughters judgment once it contracticts his own racist beliefs. Thus Barbantio suggests that a disrespected white man just like
19、 Boderigo is superior to a respected noble and gentleman in the army whose only problem as Brabantio sees it is that he is black just like Othello. Secondly, Iago and Roderigo also have racial discrimination towards Othello. Beginning with the opening lines of the play, Othello remains at a distance
20、 from much of the action that concerns and affects him. Roderigo and Iago ambiguously refer to a “he” or “him” for much of the first scene. When they begin to specify whom they are talking about, especially once they stand beneath Brabanzios window, they do so with racial epithets, not names. They i
21、nclude” the moor”,” the thick-lip”, “ an old black ram ” and “a Barbary horse”. So, Othellos status as an outsider may be the reason he is such an easy prey for Iago. Besides, from what Roderigo says to Brabantio in the following, we can know in the white mind, white girls like Desdemona shouldnt ma
22、rry “a stranger” who has just a black skin.Your daughter, if you have not given her leave, I say again, hath made a gross revolt; Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes in an extrsvagant and wheeling stranger of here and everywhere. 2As a result, on analysis of the play, racial discrimination appe
23、ars every part of the play. In my opinion, the real root of tragedy of “Othello” is racial discrimination which is the malignant tumor of the society. In this play of “Othello”, although Othello and Desdemona feel deep love in each other, the reality of society is so cruel that it is no simplity of
24、Othello and Desdemonas true combination. Brabantio opposes against marriage of Desdemona and Othello strongly, just due to Othellos black skin; Iago and Roderigo tries their best to destroy the happiness of Desdemona and Othello. Finally, it makes Othello pay price with his and his wife blood.Chapte
25、r 2 Internal Causes for Tragedy “Othello”2.1 The Whites Superiority of Its Race and Culture2.1.1 The Whites Superiority of Its Race Since great geography was discovered in the 15 century, the whole earth, navigators and challengers appeared one by one in Europeans eyes. European got through the new
26、course to east paradise, fought for markets and materials in the east and plundered pearls, jewels and slaves in the Africa, Mexico and western India. European countries such as Britain and France treated badly towards Africa colonize. They controlled black peoples politic and sprit in a hegemony wa
27、y. Under such a background, blacks were regarded as inferior race, namely “low class”. Moreover, blacks had no culture position, no right and no self-esteem. In other word, they were called “uncivilized human”. In Europeans mind, they looked down upon everything in Africa and considered Africa as un
28、civilized world while European as civilized one. Clearly, European has superiority of its own race.In Shakespeares times, great achievements and marvelous talksof out sea aroused peoples great interests, just like Othellos tells about his experiences to Desdemona and her father.Wherein I spake of mo
29、st disastrous chances, of moving accidents by flood and field of hair-breadth scape; the imminent deadly breach, of being taken by the insolent foe and sold to slavery, of my redemption thence and portance in my travels history: wherein of antres vast and deserts idle, rough quarries, rocks and hill
30、s heads touch heaven it was my hint to speak, such was the process3Othellos such experiences just point out he was one representative who suffered the whites aggression, enslavement and robbery and so on in that times. At the beginning of the play Othello has been a senior general in Venice, but he
31、is just a “black general” or “moor” from the beginning to the end. Furthermore, as for the great difference between Othello and Desdemonas skin, Iago takes the chance to plot against him, calling Othello” an old black ram” and Desdemona” a white ewe”.Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not s
32、erve God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, youll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; youll have your nephens neigh to you; youll have courses for cousins and gennets for germas. 4From what Iago says, we can know Iago thinks his race
33、is superior to moor. Moor is just a black horse. In other word, Moor, in the white mind, doesnt belong to human being. At the beginning of the play, Iago has superiority of his race, so he wouldnt like to attend to a black general; maybe he thinks he is better than the moor. So, when Iago finds Othe
34、llo looks superior to him, in his deep hearts, he hates Othello who has a skin in black. Moreover he takes advantage of Othellos black skin to arouse Othellos senseof inferiority complex and jealousy. As a result the tragedy happens.Besides, Desdemonas father Brabontio is angrier with Othello. When
35、he realizes his daughter married a moor, he feels very ashamed. In fact, Brabantio is one representative of the white, so the superiority of race exists all the time. It is common that Brabontio has such a feeling after hearing the news of marriage, because in Brabantios opinion, Othello is an “ugly
36、 black ghost”. His daughter is just enchanted by Othellos witchcraft. Ay, to me; She is abused, stoln from me, and corrupted by spells and medicicines bought of mountebanks; For nature so preposterously to err, being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense, sans witchcraft could not. 5According to Ot
37、hellos experience, Iagos attitude towards Othello and Brabantios racial discrimination, we can clearly know that the white has superiority of its race, so Othello is just outsider who has difficulties in surviving in such a society.2.1.2The Whites Superiority of Its CultureIn the play of “Othello”,
38、the whites superiority of its culture can be shown from Othellos acceptance of Catholicism. As we all know, since the time of renaissance, Christian religion was regarded as the center one in European, However, other religions were called Paganism in European, including all the “heterogeneous races”
39、. However, heterogeneous believers were often regarded as “uncivilized persons”. So, the mission of colonists is to make heterogeneous races “civilized”. In other word, it is to transplant the whites culture into heterogeneous races. From the play, we can know the moor Othello who suffered a lot had
40、 accepted Catholicism and the culture of the center religion country. “For Christian shame, put by this barborous brawl.” From the word which Othello says, we can clearly know he submits to the center religion of the white. He considers it as an honor. However, the white just treat him as a tool. Ot
41、hello can be sent any battlefield in order to service the white. Since Othello has accepted the religion, it is easy for him to accept the whites opinion about prejudice to women. The prejudice is that women are descendants of Xiawa and easily changeable in born. Just as what Iago said to Othello.In
42、 Venice they do let heaven see the pranks they dare not show their husbands; Their best conscience is not to leavet undone, but keept unknown. 6Othello began to accept what Iago said about white womens dissolute characteristic. Then he has suspicion of his wife. Consequently, it causes the tragedy.
43、In sum, it is the result of Othellos acceptance of the culture of the white.2.2 People Living on the Margins of Society Owing Self-abased CharacteristicFanon points out in his book” Black skin, White Mask” that blacks have a conscious and semi-conscious feeling of the psychological pain in the face
44、of racial discrimination. Therefore, black people have experience of racial discrimination and its crime. Under colonialisms economic, political and cultural invasion, without doubt, black people become a group of the inferiority and self-humiliation. In order to make the white change their attitude
45、 towards blacks, black people try hard to get rid of the yoke of their own nation race and the inferior quality, then squeeze into the society and erase a black identity because of their own shame inadvertently on the color of their skin. Unconsciously, Blacks generate hatred feeling on their skin a
46、nd have a low seft-esteem and self-destruction of body and soul. Othello as a black man and marginal person has such a period heart struggle that Iago has the opportunity to take advantage of him, which leads to the tragedy.It should be said that, from the beginning, there will be a non-harmonious n
47、oise in the love between Othello and Desdemona. One is a white and good-looking young aristocrats lady and the other is an old black warrior. The great contrast between them not only causes the uproar of the white, but also affects Othellos own mind. If there is no Desdemonas suggestion that Othello
48、 had a friend that loved Desdemona, his friend should but teach how to tell Othellos story and he will receive the love of her, Othello is afraid to reveal the sincerity of his love. And the other to allow Othello to be aware of his marginalized people is his father-in-law Brabantio. Although Othello has become a general in
