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Do you think shakespeare is racist? why or why not?

Thesis: Shakespeare is not racist because all white Europeans looked down upon blacks during the 17th century.


 * Pg. 3** Rodrigo States "What a full fortune does the __thick-lips__ owe, If he can carry 't thus!"


 * Pg. 3** Iago says "....now,very now, an old __black ram__ Is tupping your white ewe...."

This quote goes along with the first example we have provided Below.
 * Pg. 4** "....To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor..."

He claims that Othello could only get a girl like Desdemona if he drugged her or put her under a spell.
 * Pg. 8** Brabontio calls Othello "foul thief".

Brabontio would have been mad at Othello even if he was not black for stealing his only daughter away from him because Desdemona was everything to her father.

on **Pg. 27** Iago also says" Her eye must be fed; and what delight shall she have to look on the devil?" Also on **Pg. 85** Emilia states "o, the more angel she, and you the __blacker devil!__" referring to Othello as the devil.
 * Pg. 18** The Duke says "Your son-in-law is far more fair than black"
 * Pg. 3** Iago says "...Or else the __devil__ will make a grandsire of you:..."

along with "...O gull! O dolt! As i__gnorant as dirt__! thou hast done a deed...."
 * Pg. 86** Emilia states the following "...She was too fond of her most __filthy bargain__."


 * Pg. 88** Montano states "Come, guard the door; without let him not pass, but why kill him rather. I'll after that same villain, __For 't is a damned slave.__"

Iago sticks to the racist insults because he is just an all around evil person. He would pick and choose features or the place they take in society to criticize about people.

We believe that Shakespeare was not racist, but his generation was.

http://www.folger.edu/documents/Africanus1.pdf
 * for example:**

This document on the above link dates back to Shakespearean times when the Europeans would travel to Africa and document their findings.

John Proy writes about the people of Africa in a very subjective way. First he starts out the letter saying how they discipline their children and all of the positive things about them but the letter takes a sharp turn documenting all of the negative things about Africans. John goes into detail about how the Africans have no manners and are ignorant. They always speak with a angry and loud tone, and by nature they are vile people. The Shepherds are born for theft, deceit and brutish manners. They have no churches or prayers and lead a savage and beastly life because of this. All the Numidians are addicted to theft, murder, robbery and treason. John Proy continues to explain all of the negative ways the Africans live.

Proy tries to balance the negative and positive by saying there is positive things about the Africans but he goes on and on about all of the "negative".

When this piece of documentation was released everyone read it. They all assumed how John explained the Africans was how they really were, which formed the way white Europeans looked and felt towards blacks.

Europeans in the 17th century looked down upon blacks and thought of them in a negative way. Shakespeare was not a racist person, he just acted the way most Europeans did towards blacks.

@http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/othello/tg_race.html
 * Another example would be**:


 * Another example** **would be our powerpoint presentation**.

Although the people in the 17th century were racists in everyday life, Shakespeare did not seem to follow the pressures of people around him. Shakespeare has shown Othello not as inferior but as a high ranking general. Also Othello has the arm of a very highly known woman, Desdemona. Whereas, the remarks made by Iago and Rodrigo in the beginning about how he had won the hand of lovely Desdemona were highly racist.