What is Orientalism? Search the web for a clear definition; Edward Said is the primary source for this topic. How does Orientalism apply to Shakespeare's Othello? Orientalism is a way of studying how the "West" looks down upon, and misjudges, the "East." The West (The Occident--Europe and North America) writes about its notions of the East (The Orient--Africa, The Middle East, Asia) and misrepresents people and customs of the East. Applying this theory to the play: Shakespeare is showing a bias against the East in the way he makes Othello inferior, rash, illogical, overly passionate, even animalistic. The ethnocentric Elizabethans would think the Spanish and Italians were backward and uncivilized, but the Elizabethans would have believed that Africans or Arabs were barely human. Is this an interesting concept to you? I think Orientalism is highly useful when looking at today's world. It is applicable to any war with the Middle East, that is certain.
4 comments:
I believe that Shakespeare because he is from England and knowing that English dont like Italy but hate Spain, he himself is portrayed as the West (Christian). He is blinding writing about a culture that he knows very little about. He depicts the Italians as angry, blind, jealous monsters. Just as the West depicts the East. The East (primarily islamic) was very tolerant towards the West, but the west is blindly irrational towards the east and all that relates to it. I am very unfamiliar with information and lit. that regards the feelings of the Italians towards the English; however, being that you have taken the time to post this blog about this specific comparison, I am assuming that Italy was tolerant of the English.
First of all, Orientalism is about the orient, NOT Italy. Italy is considered part of the west. Second of all Othello is NOT Italian, but Moorish (North African Muslim). And I think you generalize when you say "the East was very tolerant towards the West." On what grounds, when, where?
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