Have you ever thought about how Othello's race and the racism around him affected his life? Othello struggled a lot throughout the play due to his dark skin color. He was called several racist names such as “the Moor,” “old black ram,” “Barbary horse,” and “thick lips” (Shakespeare 1.1.40; 1.1.88; 1.1.111; 1.1.66). The term “racism” has been around for several years; it began in the 20th century (Bartels 433). The way the Elizabethan era viewed blacks was similar to how racism is today, with all the racial comments and stereotypes .Being a person of color in a predominantly white ethnic area at that time must have been challenging based on Othello's experience. Othello was the black sheep flocking around a flock of white sheep, he was an outcast were made by many characters such as Iago, Brabantio, Roderigo and Emilia If there was an award for the most used racist comment towards Othello, Iago would win. Racism in Othello had a huge impact on Othello. It was judged by colour of his skin and not his personality. Othello's race and the racism around him affected his life by ruining his marriage to Desdemona, alienating him from everyone in Venice and making him an easy target for Iago to manipulate. To begin with, Othello's race and the racism around him ruined his life. marriage to Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona made a beautiful couple, but you know what they say, all good things must come to an end. Almost everyone had a problem with their relationship. At that time, interracial relationships and marriage were not allowed. While Brabantio (Desdemona's father) was sleeping, Iago and Roderigo woke him up saying that Othello was having sex with his daughter Desdemona at that very moment (Shake...... middle of paper...... mostly of people. Most of the actions that took place in Othello still occur today such as racism, stereotyping, manipulation and jealousy. Works Cited Adelman, Janet "Iago's Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Shakespeare Quarterly 48.2 ( 1997): 125-44". JSTOR Web. 17 February 2014. Bartels, Emily C. "Making more of the Moor: Aaron, Othello, and Renaissance Refashionings of Race". 2014. Berry, Edward. “The Alienation of Othello ” of racism in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly 44.3 (1993): 304-24. Web 17 February 2014. Shakespeare, William Othello Ed. 2005. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost).. 2014.