"The languages they use and the social and historical context in which these languages signify are indirect and direct revelations of that power and its limitations." (Literary Theory, 1010)
Othello: She's like a liar gone to burning hell!
'Twas I that killed her!
Emilia: O, the more angel she,
And you the blacker devil!
Othello: She turned to folly, and she was a whore.
Emilia: Thou dost belie her, and thou art a devil
(Othello, Act 5, Scene 2, lines 132-137)
In the play, Othello gets referred to by many offensive names, such as devil (seen above), monster, and filty, among others. Does these names contribute in any way to the story or Othello's character?
The names first begin in Act 1, scene 1 when Iago and Roderigo inform Brabantio that his daughter, Desdemona is with Othello. They refer to Othello as "an old black ram... tupping your white ewe (85-86)" and say that Desdemona and the Moor "are making the beast with two backs (113)" which refers to sexual intercourse as bestial. The use of "beast with two backs" makes it seem as though the act of sex itself is not a problem, but sex with Othello is because of his race. At first, the names seem to be nothing more than a comment on skin color, but towards the end of the play there is a shift.
The names that Othello was once called turn out to be true, in a sense. He turns into the monster, or devil as Emilia says, that killed his wife. These names no longer comment on his race, but on his actual character instead.
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