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The rigid metanarrative of Eurocentric normality ingrained in the Elizabethan society
removes Othello from the centre of his narrative due to his race. Shakespeare mirrors the
racist attitudes towards marginalised groups in his society as he restores the natural order
with Othello’s inevitable death, foreshadowed by his lack of agency throughout the play.
Not only is the audience presented with a subjective view of Othello through Iago’s
authority, he is defined by his race from the very start of the play, with Iago and Roderigo
stereotyping him with derogatory epithets as both a “Moor” and “thick-lipped.” In doing so,
Shakespeare highlights racist attitudes towards marginalised groups in the Elizabethan
society. The privileging of essentialism in Elizabethan society predetermines Othello’s tragic
fate as he is viewed with a sense of spectacle. He utilises his seductive nature to woo the
audience when he was, “taken by the insolent foe and sold to slavery,” the emotive imagery
highlighting the omnipresent sexuality at the heart of Othello’s character. These traits signal
a life outside the European experience which alienates Othello as the ‘other,’ signposting his
descent into madness. As Othello submits to the discrimination of his society, his fall is
accelerated and he admits, “Haply for I am black,” and that he would, “rather be a toad and
live upon the vapour of a dungeon.” The grotesque imagery emphasises the truncation of
his speech patterns with Othello embracing his blackness and unleashing his savagery as a
consequence of his infiltration in a predominantly Western world.
However, a shift in Othello’s language and mentality at the start of Act 5 Scene 2 perhaps
illustrates the only moment where he is granted true agency and positioned in the centre of
the narrative. But befitting of a tragic hero, he rejects the opportunity for catharsis as he
plans to, “put out the light, and then put out the light.” Shakespeare employs the use of the
ritualistic light imagery to symbolise the end of Desdemona’s life and Othello’s sanity,
showing the inevitable effects of racist conditioning on Othello and his fate. Othello’s
portrayal as the ‘other’ due to his race exposes the underlying racist nature of Elizabethan
society and excludes Othello from this world.
In Beneath Clouds, Ivan Sen represents a more culturally diverse society through the
Australian context but still reflects the prevailing of certain social narratives pertaining to
race. Although Vaughn is marginalised in the Moree setting, by journeying with Lena; an
audience identification figure into his world, he retains some of his narrative agency unlike
Othello. Although Sen positions Vaughn in opposition to his world, the audience is placed
with him as viewers shaped by 21st century perspectives. Shakespeare, however, positions
Othello against his society and his audience, determining his lack of autonomy. Vaughn is
able to seek help from his ‘cousins’ as they transgress police surveillance and rebel against
barriers represented visually through the use of structures that separate such as the
policeman peering in the car window and tapping the car with his baton.
However, when faced with the decision to stay and bear witness to domestic violence or
leave with Lena, Vaughn is able to shape his own predetermined narrative. While Othello
submits to his tragic fate, the shift in context allows Vaughn to attempt to rewrite his
narrative even as he is bound by the assumptions of his society. This would have been
impossible in Shakespeare’s time and the change to a contemporary society has granted
more fluidity for Sen to insert a vision of Australia’s future. Although the degree of racism
has regressed from Shakespeare’s time due to transition in context, Sen still recognises the
implicit subjugation of indigenous Australians in our 21st century society and presents this
through the representation of Vaughn’s experiences.
Women are also placed on the margins of the patriarchal narrative underlying the
Elizabethan world as they are silenced throughout the play. Shakespeare adopts an almost
feminist attitude that transcends his time by both affirming and challenging biased views
against women through the exploration of female characters in Othello and how they reflect
Renaissance Humanist ideals. Othello and Iago’s misogynistic epithets are utilised to create
pathos for their wives, especially Desdemona, as she is wrongfully persecuted for her
crimes. Othello labels her as a ‘subtle whore’ while Iago describes women as people who
‘rise to play and go to bed to work’. In doing so, Shakespeare aims to criticise the
objectification of women and their confinement to the domestic sphere. Moreover, he
grants Emilia and Desdemona their own intimate conversation before their respective
deaths, uncommon in Shakespeare tragedies as they both espouse contrasting perspectives
towards gender inequality. Desdemona represents the loyal, subservient standard of an
Elizabethan gentlewoman, as she questions, “that there be women do abuse their husbands
in such gross kind?” Shakespeare’s use of hyperbole accentuates Desdemona’s disbelief to
acquit her of any guilt as Shakespeare positions her as a reflection of the Elizabethan
metanarrative.
Contrastingly, Shakespeare utilises Emilia to present a different form of womanhood, one
that is more pragmatic and reflective of a transitioning society. She wishes to, “let husbands
know, their wives have sense like them… is it sport? I think it is,” the forthright language
brutally exposing the dehumanisation of women and their lack of agency as Emilia asserts
for gender equality. Shakespeare mirrors individualistic values through Emilia who offers a
counternarrative for the oppression of women in the Jacobean society. They are both
ultimately silenced by their husbands as Desdemona is “smothered,” Othello essentially
deaf to her speech for breath and prayer, “sacrificing” his wife for the greater good.
Similarly, Emilia dies confessing the truth and betraying Iago while he silences her in an act
of true defiance making him shout, “Zounds, hold your peace!” While Desdemona dies lying
to protect Othello, Emilia dies telling the truth to betray Iago, just as Othello physically
suppresses Desdemona’s voice, Iago verbally does the same. T hese opposing character arcs
reflect Shakespeare’s critical attitude to the oppression of women by portraying their just
and virtuous nature contrasting with their respective husbands.