What Is The Underlying Theme Of Shakespeares “Othello”?
From Shmoop Literature on Othello In A Nutshell Othello is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. The play tells the story of a powerful general of the Venetian army, Othello, whose life and marriage are ruined by a conniving, deceitful, and envious soldier, Iago. Othello is possibly the most famous literary exploration of the warping powers of jealousy and suspicion. At the same time, it’s among the earliest literary works dealing with race and racism. Othello, undeniably heroic even if ultimately flawed, is the most prominent black protagonist in early Western literature. He is defined by his race and faces constant racism from other characters. Yet Shakespeare, writing in the early seventeenth century, never makes Othello into a stereotype. Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, a privileged white woman, first defies, and then ultimately succumbs to, the taboo on interracial relationships between blacks and whites.
