“Some 20th century producers have interpreted OTHELLO as primarily a play about race relations”...

The theme of racism runs throughout the text Othello by William Shakespeare. Racial prejudice was a vital component to the play and contributed to the tragedy. Constant snide references to the main character Othello’s race are made in the duration of the play. The colour of the main characters was also used to symbolize heaven and hell and to create feelings of unease. Despite this, Othello can be interpreted on a much deeper level and is primarily a play about love, and the insane jealousy which can stem from love.
Othello tells the story of a black man in a white world. Othello, a black army general has recently married Desdemona, a young white Venetian girl to the disapproval of her father Brabantio. Brabantio disapproves of interracial relationships despite Othello and Desdemona’s happiness and his former admiration of Othello, as Othello demonstrates in act I scene III “[Desdemona’s] father loved me, oft invited me, still questioned me the story of my life”. Othello...