Bard of Bigotry of Merciful Muse: Comments on Shakespear's Portrayal of Shylock and Othello

Alexander 1
Clint Alexander
English 640
Dr. Boyd
11 December 2000
Bard of Bigotry or Merciful Muse:
Comments on Shakespeare’s Portrayal of Shylock and Othello
Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad and William Shakespeare have all been branded racist at one time or another. In all the above cases, the accuser has failed to read deeply into the text and discover the authors’ true intent. An author is affected by his society and invariably constructs stories which reflect the prevailing attitudes of his time so cannot be branded for a thing which he merely transcribes; authors are often simply mirrors to our world. Do we blame the mirror for reflecting a displeasing visage? Some do, and those people not only earn seven years of trouble, but reveal themselves to be mentally unreflective and possessors of hair-trigger sensibilities. Chinua Achebe and Spike Lee are two who misread their respective targets by instilling in them racist attitudes that, under closer scrutiny, disappear into the t...