Perhaps this is more fitting on /int/, but I think here the conversation would be better.
What was the intended racial or ethnic makeup of the character Othello?
I've heard Shakespeare based the character off of an Arabic trader, but most modern depictions show Othello as a sub-saharan African.
So /his/, what was Othello, or does it not really matter at all as long as he is swarthy and foreign?
>>1190148
/lit/
>IAGO
>Even now, now, very now, an old black ram Is tupping your white ewe.
>OTHELLO
>Her name, that was as fresh As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black As mine own face.
>>1190148
Clearly black, just like Dido, Cleopatra, Hannibal etc.
>>1190148
Othello is simply referred to as a Moor which was a pretty ambiguous term for the time. It could mean anything from sub-saharan to arab. I think Othello used to be portrayed as sub-saharan more often because it was more exotic. Now it's just because there's a bigger pool of black actors.
>>1190148
>or does it not really matter at all as long as he is swarthy and foreign?
I think this is the gist of it. And keep in mind "Black" was often used to refer to people who were just generally swarthier than typical. The "Black Irish" are a good example.
Arab, moor, sub-saharan, doesn't really matter.
>>1190148
He's referred to as "thick-lips" in the text, which hints a bit at sub-Saharan.
>>1190292
Does swarthy only apply to darker skinned men or is it a general term for handsome and mysterious? I've always been confused on what it's specific connotation because I see it just used for "rugged handsomeness"
>>1192463
Swarthy generally refers to darker, course haired individuals, usually with a beard...
>>1190148
Black Berber
