Importance of Race in Othello

So the other day, I had to write an essay on the importance of race in ‘Othello,’ on whether or not it’s essential that Othello is black. I basically said that it’s important to the drama of the play, but that it’s not absolutely essential, because the major point is that Othello is the outsider, and the racial difference is an added emphasis on that (as opposed to ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ where Shylock’s being a Jew is a central part of the plot, context, and character motivations). But it was a tricky question and I was really quite torn, so I was wondering what everyone else thinks?

Best I can tell, it sounds like you're about right. It's one of those things that contributes to his insecurity. He's older, Desdemona is young; he's militant, she's domestic; he's black, she's white; etc. I'm not sure, though. I mean, the play is subtitled "The Moor of Venice"; one would expect there to be a bit more significance. Perhaps it contributes more to Brabantio's objection to the marriage. I can't actually remember precisely why he hated the match so much, other than it's being done behind his back.

Yes, I would agree with both of you.

Nice to see you Jamesian. I hadn't seen you around lately.

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Originally Posted by Virgil

Nice to see you Jamesian. I hadn't seen you around lately.

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Yeah, I was gone for a while, locked in my little hole reading for school. I've definitely learned a lesson this semester about just how many hours of literature is reasonable...