Race- the thing that speaks for you, even when you do not speak at all. In this paper, I want to examine the racial dynamics depicted in the play Othello by William Shakespeare and how its depiction showcases a broader truth of how the model minority myth will never exist in systems of oppressive regimes. Throughout the play, race is the constant barrier for the main character, Othello, who is a Moor General in a White supremacist empire, who happens to be in an interracial marriage with a White woman named Desdemona. Since Othello is a Moor, he lacks access to the same respect his lower White officers gain, as they get to be called by their name, and Othello is only referred to as the Moor. Moreover, the constant reference to Othello as 'the Moor' facilitates a racial distinction to ensure that despite Othello being a high-ranked military general, he will never be equal to his White colleagues. This showcases how no matter how good Othello will ever be, since he is the minority, he will never be equal to the standard of the majority - White people. Throughout the play, these racial dynamics play a big role in shaping Othello's identity, as his identity is through the perception of others. This does not allow Othello to claim his actual identity. Since the characters in the play never perceive Othello as a person, this allows him to navigate his life through a lens of erasure, as he does not exist unless he is told to exist for the benefit of others. Through the use of dialogue and dialogue concerning Othello’s behaviors and external appearance, Shakespeare’s Othello depicts the racial dynamics of a White Supremacist empire and the gross impact it has on the identity of the Black male. Thus, Shakespeare showcases how the model minority myth will never exist in oppressive regimes through the negative implications it has on the main character Othello.

The discussion of Othello's race is made more frank and overt than any other discussion throughout the play, as Othello, due to his race, is treated like an object and a senseless commodity. Thus, the external perception of Othello as an object, and a senseless commodity, does not allow him to be seen as a person outside of his Blackness and work ethic. At the beginning of the play, Othello is condemned for his persona, yet praised for his contribution to his workplace's reality. Throughout the play, this realization becomes more stark and apparent as Othello, the worker bee, is appreciated, yet Othello, the person, is not. In Act One Scene Three, when Desdemona's father, Barbantio,  finds out about her interracial marriage with Othello, he  challenges  Othello in the courts since he  does not believe the intermarriage between Othello, a Black man, and his White daughter, Desdemona, is lawful. Through this, Barbantio decides to subject Othello’s character, race, and persona  to a common racial stereotype used against North Africans, "My daughter, O my daughter/ She is abused, stolen from me and corrupted/ By spells and medicines bought of a mountebank” (Shakespeare 1.3.58-62). Before  Desdemona's marriage  father, Barbantio, thought of Othello in high regard. He appreciated Othello's hustle towards being a war hero, yet Barbantio does not appreciate Othello becoming his daughter's husband.  In the text Othello states, “Her father loved me, oft invited me. (Shakespeare 1.3.149)”Thus, this proves how Othello is treated like a commodity rather than a real human being with emotions. Moreover, Othello is never seen as a person, just as a toy with disparaging physical attributes that can be capitalized and reproduced for its owners' benefit. No matter how successful Othello will be as a warrior ,  he will always be looked upon unfavorably because Othello is a Black man, and for the purposes of this play, the only Black man.  He will never be good enough for his white predecessors. To further corroborate this analysis, the academic journal "Analyzing Intertextual Relations Between Jordan Peele's Get Out and Shakespeare's Othello," by Abdelkader Ben Rhit, outlines the racial dynamics depicted in the play Othello and how it correlates with modern media. Consequently, through this research, the researcher states that it is not just the fact that they point out Othello's race or features. It's the racial distinction that arises from it. Their research points out how "Roderigo refers to Othello as 'the thick lips’ ”; it showcases how it is not just an observation Roderigo is making because the connotation surrounding Othello's features is not one that is positive (Rhit 1).Consequently, by Roderigo pointing out Othello's features, he indicates how Othello is the odd man out and will never be the same as the ever-so-elusive White man. Additionally, the researcher points out that Roderigo is not the only character in the play that helps facilitate this racial distinction. As I have stated, Desdemona's father has also facilitated this racial distinction, as Barbantio "uses very public micro-assaults against Othello ”(Rhit 1). Overall this showcases how through the use of dialogue the characters in the play cease to perceive Othello as a person. Throughout the novel, Othello never gets the chance to forget that he is Black. While that is not a bad thing in itself, the dynamics in which it is upheld through the external perception of Othello is one of bigotry, and racist ideals, which only allow for the erasure of Othello’s identity. Through this erasure and commodification of Othello in his role as the ineffable Black man, he becomes a caricature of the very being he is trying to become- a human. Due to this, and the way people treat Othello, it is almost as if he is a non-character. Although Othello is the main character, he is a character used for the manipulation and procreation of a White supremacy  that erases who he is entirely. Thus, Othello is not Othello because he is only respected when he is adhering to the unfair standards pressed upon him solely because of his race. This is especially valid as before Othello was unfairly discriminated against and prosecuted in a trial about his relations with a White woman, Desdemona, the Duke Refers to Othello as "Valiant Othello". Then he proceeds to discuss how to capitalize off of Othello's military skills by stating, "we must straight employ you/ Against the general enemy Ottoman. (Shakespeare 1.49-50)" This is especially relevant regarding how Othello is treated for his military prowess, yet discarded for his persona. This allows for Othello to become the token Moor and the external marker of how all Moors should behave, as Othello has to bow down to the hegemonic power of the White man. Thus this further corroborates how despite Othello being a model citizen, a General, and human being, he will never gain the benefits of being the model minority, as the model minority myth does not exist in White Supremacist empires. To further this claim, Researchers Jacqueline Yi and Nathan R. Todd wrote "Internalized Model Minority Myth Among Asian American: Links to Anti-Black Attitudes and Opposition to Affirmative Action," which outlines how discriminatory the practice of the model minority is towards African Americans. Through this research, they state, "endorsement of legitimizing ideologies is associated with beliefs that the root cause of Black Americans' lower status is of work ethic. ( Yi and Todd 3)" While Othello is not African American, he is a Black person among a White supremacist empire, which causes the intersectionality of his identity as a Black male to be tied to the mistreatment of his race and character. This is especially relevant considering that Othello is only appreciated when he contributes to White society rather than being his own person. This erases Othello's identity and showcases how the model minority will never exist in White supremacist regimes. Othello can never be White, which causes him to be perceived as less than others. Therefore, the accumulation of all of these external and racist pressures, the identity of the Black male, and even more so, Othello is not one that is liberated, free, or praised.

Ultimately, through the play Othello, Shakespeare depicts how the model minority myth will never exist in systems of White Supremacist regimes, as Othello, a hard worker, an honest fellow, and most importantly, a Black man, will never be equal to the White man. Thus through this, Shakespeare portrays the gross impact this has on the identity of the black male and how through the use of White Supremacist, and micro-aggressive tactics, Othello and many Black men, women, children, and people alike will never be equal to White people in White Supremacist societies. After all, if Othello were valued as a person throughout the play, why was his identity not valued?

Works Cited

  Abdelkader Ben Rhit. “Analyzing Intertextual Relations Between Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Shakespeare’s Othello.” Contemporary Literary Review India, vol. 9, no. 1, 2022, p. 1–.

Yi, Jacqueline, and Nathan R. Todd. “Internalized Model Minority Myth Among Asian Americans: Links to Anti-Black Attitudes and Opposition to Affirmative Action.” Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, vol. 27, no. 4, 2021, pp. 569–78, https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000448.