Why did Shakespeare make Othello black?
A black man was even more of an exception back then so the racism would have been mixed with wonder and excitement. Also you can’t forget that to people at that time (and well into the last century) the black guy in a play was usually the bad guy. It stereotyped him as the inhuman monster, and suddenly they realise oh, he has feelings after all. It would have torn audiences between thinking he is “just” a moor/an animal and realising that he maybe is human too.
