Abstract
Eurocentric views that African men are barbaric, illiterate, promiscuous studs (good enough only to be used in servitude as the white man’s property) have been perpetuated through time and space. In the play Othello, Shakespeare presents an African man who negates such stereotypical views. In shocking his audience with this deviation from the norm, Shakespeare presents a reality that African men are indeed civil, literate, faithful husbands. Othello’s tragedy transcends race and is based on a natural human weakness. His lack of self-esteem makes him an easy prey for the white devil, lago.
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He is also the executive director of the Caribbean American Repertory Theater in New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and theater from Queens College CUNY, and a master’s degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY.
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Shaw, R.A. “Othello” and race relations in elizabethan England. Journal of African American Men 1, 83–91 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02692094
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02692094