Feminism and Racism in Shakespeare's 'Othello'.

Othello is an extraordinary later work of Shakespeare's which, as an indication of true greatness and a testament to its literary worth, can be interpreted in many ways. Two such ways helping us to draw a deeper understanding of society and its values are to be found by making a feminist and racial reading. Studying the women in Othello one is able to gain an insight into their expected position according to the Elizabethan ethos. …

…language and action, represents and upholds the views of a patriarchal society where white men have the power and the women and black men are marginalised. No matter how one examines the various intrigues and ambiguities that is Shakespeare's art of expression, the pure facts remain: men involved with women suffer for it, a black man cannot hope to exist in a white culture, and anyone threatening the usual order of Venetian society will die.