Patricia Salinas

June 11, 2018

Period 1

"To be, or not to be" relevant, “that is the question” (Shakespeare 127). Even four-

hundred years after his death, Shakespeare’s work continues to be taught in schools nationwide.

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, who made a significant

contribution to the English literature through his work. He is widely regarded as one of the

greatest writers in the English language. His plays also provide insight into the culture and

society during his time. The tragedy of Othello begins with a conniving, deceitful, and envious

man, Iago, who is willing to risk everything to ruin the life and marriage of Othello. His scheme

is fueled by the fact that Michael Cassio, an inexperienced candidate, received the promotion to

be lieutenant rather than himself. Despite being a renowned general of the Venetian army,

Othello is faced with prejudice for being an African American. Even more so for marrying

Desdemona, a noble Venetian lady, without the consent of her father. Throughout the play,

Othello experiences a rollercoaster of emotions only to meet ultimate death alongside the woman

he loved and killed. One may wonder why such an old play is still taught today but there is much

more to it than what meets the eye. “Othello” is much more than a love story. It covers a wide

list of themes, which are still applicable to today’s audiences. Students, especially, can learn

much from character interactions and development. Despite all this time, Shakespeare

continuous to be relevant today because his work relates to basic human nature and explores

societal issues.

In his plays, Shakespeare incorporates ideas that revolve around basic human nature.

Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling,

and acting— which humans tend to have naturally. In the story of Othello, these human natures

were what led to his downfall. The play itself starts with Iago, a vengeful man full of anger after

not receiving the position he believed he was best suited for. This ambition and jealousy

influenced his scheme to ruin Othello’s relationship with Desdemona with lies of adultery.

Ultimately, Othello is convinced of Desdemona’s infidelity and smothers her to death. Othello is

left devastated upon learning the truth and commits suicide. Some of his last words were, “Then

must you speak / Of one that loved not wisely, but too well; / Of one not easily jealous, but being

wrought, / Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand, / Like the base Judean, threw a pearl

away / Richer than all his tribe” (Shakespeare 263). He claims he was not a jealous man but

simply worked up too easily. His actions, however, say otherwise. To say his jealousy was

sparked by a missing handkerchief. Othello’s decision to murder Desdemona was not only rash

and reckless but also showed a strange but frightening metamorphosis which had overtaken him.

The once noble Othello had become ignoble and vile. All humans will encounter jealousy at one

point in their lives but stories like these show the consequences that can arise when they are left

uncontrolled. To an extent, some ambitions can lead one to success by motivating oneself to seek

higher possibilities, but they can also lead to one’s downfall. Throughout his various plays,

“Shakespeare's characters fall in love, and out of it, take a dislike to each other, betray each

other, misunderstand each other, argue, fight and kill each other, are angry, sad, happy, jealous,

envious, distrustful, untrustworthy, deceptive, magnanimous, forgiving... - experiencing

practically every human emotion you can think of, and every human situation” (Stoker). The

themes explored in Shakespearean plays are just as relevant in 2018 as they were in the 16th and

17th century. Human emotions are themes that all humans can relate to regardless of age, race,

language, et cetera. This is because they are related to basic human nature, which remains
constant regardless of evolutionary, industrial or scientific developments. The fact that

Shakespeare’s work reaches so many different people and continuous to do so year after year is

partially based on this factor - human nature.

Shakespeare incorporated various social issues in his work, many of which still apply to

present day. These social issues include class division, racism, sexuality, intolerance, the role and

status of women, crime, war, death, disease - which are still the burning issues in today's society.

“Othello,” in specific, incorporates racism, spousal abuse, gender relations, social class issues. In

the beginning, Roderigo and Iago awaken Brabantio to inform him of his daughters relationship

with Othello. Roderigo is a nobleman who takes part in Iago’s plan in hope to win Desdemona’s

love. Iago shouts, “For shame, put on your / gown! / Your heart is burst. You have lost half your

soul. / Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise! /

Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, / Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you”

(Shakespeare 13). While speaking to Brabantio, Iago uses the terms “black ram” and “devil” to

degrade Othello and make the idea of him and his daughter together seem repulsive. This is a

clear indicator of the racism that existed at the time, and unfortunately still exists today.

Othello’s marriage with Desdemona was looked down upon simply because of the color of his

skin. Othello himself was a nobleman who had earned respect and honor for his bravery on the

battlefield. However, the status he had built crumbled to nothing just for being an African

American. According to an article by the University of Melbourne, “Shakespeare offers

stimulating examples of complex material that helps hone our critical thinking skills. After

studying the construction of racial identity and prejudice in Othello – a play in which racial

Otherness was literally constructed in Shakespeare’s day (just as gender was) by a white male

actor using cosmetics and gestures – we are better equipped for analysing the motivations and
strategies of racist thought in contemporary society” (McInnis). In other words, analysing plays

such as “Othello” can help understand racist behavior and mentality in the real world through a

different perspective. Trying to comprehend the issue is the first step to solving it and that is

exactly what Shakespeare’s work does. The principle of equality has improved over time yet it

can be said without a doubt that it is still lacking in modern society. This can be seen with police

officers that abuse their power and discriminate against non-white people and even the racist

remarks that are made towards people of color. Shakespeare’s plays are not only relatable, they

also promote growth as a society and encourage the elimination of social issues.

On the contrary, Shakespeare’s dramatic scenarios are no longer relevant since society

has grown vastly in the last four centuries. From the very beginning the story was set in an

outdated setting with unrealistic scenarios. When Brabantio confronts Othello, he states, “O, thou

foul thief, where hast thou stowed my / daughter? / Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted

her!/ ... For an abuser of the world, a practicer / Of arts inhibited and out of warrant.— / Lay hold

upon him. If he do resist, / Subdue him at his peril” (Shakespeare 25-27). Back in the 17th

century, women did not have as much freedom and often were restricted by their parents. This

especially applies to women like Desdemona who were nobles are relied heavily on their parents.

In the lines above, Brabantio was accusing Othello of stealing his daughter and putting her under

a spell to make her love him. He even threatened to imprison Othello with these claims.

Nowadays, no parent confronts their child’s partner in this manner and even less with such

unreasonable claims of enchantment. Society has developed greatly in the last four-hundred

years and surpassed that of Othello’s. People no longer wield swords, refer to each other as “My

lord,” or have personal attendants, to name a few. However, the same ideas of relationships and

disapproval still exist. It has been hundreds of years but these themes will always continue to
develop. More often, parents prefer when their children date within their race or status. Similar to

Brabantio’s expectations for Desdemona. They may even convey disapproval when they don’t.

In some cultures, these values may even be similar when it comes to relationships. It may seem

like Shakespeare is merely someone from the past with no correlation to the present but there are

actually many similarities.

Altogether, Shakespeare’s work remains relevant today as it explores timeless themes

based on human nature and societal issues that still exist today. Students may often complain

about the language and predictable plot but it is clear that much can be learned from his work.

Not only that but this man, after all, helped define a sense of culture and shape american

literature. There are many reasons as to why he continues to remain relevant even after four-

hundred years and these can be seen all throughout his work.

References
McInnis, David. “Why Shakespeare Still Matters.” Pursuit, The University of Melbourne, 14

Mar.

2016, http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/literature-and-creative-

writing/literature/shakespeare-our-contemporary.

Stoker, Gill. “Shakespeare: Our Contemporary?” OpenLearn, The Open University, 27 Oct.

2005,

www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/literature-and-creative-

writing/literature/shakespeare-our-contemporary.