George Washington University

The Rhetoric of Black and White in Othello

Author(s): Doris Adler
Source: Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Spring, 1974), pp. 248-257
Published by: Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2868467 .
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 of Blackand
The Rhetoric
Whitein Othello
DORIS ADLER

S a whiteteacherof black studentsat Howard University in

i969 when the heightened sensitivityto and the justified
rebellionagainstthe pejorativevaluesand racialovertonesof
black in our language and literaturehad reachedan explo-
sive pitch,I foundthepreparation of Othelloan arduousbut
illuminating exercise.
The repeateduse of the termsblack
and white,withvariousbut alwayspolarizedmeanings,and therelationship of
thosetermsto othersuggestedand dramatizedelementsof the play required,
indeed demanded,a full explicationof the termsand of Shakespeare'suse of
themin Othello.Such an explicationsuggeststhatthe complexand confusing
values of blackand white are used to reinforcethe themeof man's tragic
blindnessin Othello.
The termsblack and white have been complex and confusingsince the
beginningof the language,and Shakespeareseemsto have fullyexploitedtheir
complexitywithin Othello. Accordingto the OED, the origin of the word
blackis obscure,but seems to be relatedto the verb Blaekan, "to burn,or
scorch,"and is used forthatcolorof charcoalwhichis the totalabsorption, or
the totalabsenceof light; however,the originalterm,blac, is so close to bl4c,
meaningshiningwhite-thetotalreflection or presenceof light-thatthemean-
ings of the two are not always distinguishable,' even by context.This early
confusionof the literal,denotativemeaningsof the termsis a vivid precursor
of possible confusionsavailable by Shakespeare'sday when both blackand
whitecould be accuratelyused fora wide varietyof specificdenotations, each
with its own range of connotations.Shakespearenot only employedvarious
meaningsof the termsand theirconnotations literallyand metaphorically,
but
also persistently applied the connotationsof one meaning black
of to another
meaningof black.In addition,theconflatedand confusingvaluesof blackthat
resultedfrom this treatmentare heightenedby a similartreatmentof the
oppositevaluesof white,or,moreoften,fair.
Within Othello,black is used with fiveexplicitdenotations, and whiteor
fairis posed in each instance,eitherexplicitly or by suggestion, as theopposite
quality.First,black is used as a colordesignationforthe darkesthue, "an old
blackram" (I. i. 88)2; white,as theopposite,designatesthelightesthue: "white
ewe" (I. i. 89). Second, black.is used to designatea Moor, a Negro, one of
1 ExamplescitedfromMiddle English.See paragraph7, underBlack,OED.
Othello,The Moor of Venice,ed. GeraldEades Bentley,WilliamShakespeare:The Complete
2

Works,gen. ed. AlfredHarbage (Baltimore,I970).

 THE RHETORIC OF BLACK AND WHITE 249

African origin:"theblackOthello"(II. ii. 29); whiteis suggested forEuropean

counterparts, as in Othello'sreference to Desdemona, "thatwhiterskinofhers
thansnow"(V. ii 4). Third,blackis usedto describe a brunette, "blackand
witty"(II. i. I31), and bothwhiteand fairare usedto describe a blond,"fair
and wise"(II. i. I29), "a whitethatshallherblackness fit"(II. i. 133). Fourth,
blackis used to denotethe soil of filthor grime,"Her name. . . is now
begrimedand black" (III.iii.386-87),and by suggestion, whiteis clean or
unsoiled.Fifth,and finally, blackis usedforthemorally foul:"blackest sins"
(II. iii.334),"blackvengeance" (III. iii.447); and fairis usedas an aspectof
virtue:"If virtueno delighted beautylack,/Your son-in-law is farmorefair
thanblack"(I. iii.289-9o).
Whileonlytwoofthemeanings ofblack-literally soiledor morally foul-
evokea specifically negativeresponse, theothermeaningshad accumulated
negativeconnotations thatShakespeare coulddrawon. The proverbial black
sheep,theblackandburning pitofhell,and theblackdeviloflegend,illustra-
tion,and dramatic representation servedas elements to combinethemeanings
of blarkas a simplecolordesignation and blackbothas grimeor filthand as
morally foul.Shakespearedrawson theseassociative valueswhenhehasEmilia
say to Othello,"And youtheblackerdevil!"(V.ii. i 30). He further stresses
and reinforces theevilvaluesof thecolorblackbyusing"theblacksheep"in
thegrosslysexualimage,"Even now,now,verynow,an old blackram/Is
tuppingyourwhiteewe" (I. i. 88-89),and byusingtheominousblackbirdof
evil omen: "As doth the raven o'er the infectedhouse/Boding to all!"
(IV. i. 2I-22).
Blackas a racialdesignation,
likeblackthecolor,was a negatively
charged
word.Even withoutEldredD. Jones'excellent accountof the Elizabethan
viewof Africans,'
manyof theingredientsof thepejorative
stereotypeofthe
African
arediscernible
in Othello.
The African
is considered
ugly,

sucha thing
as thou,tofear,
nottodelight
(I. ii. 71)
Fornatureso preposterously
toerr
Beingnotdeficient, orlameofsense,
blind,
(I. iii. 62-63)

lascivious,

To thegrossclaspsofa lascivious
Moor,
(I. i. 127)

an unnatural
matefora European,

Nottoaffect
manypropos'd matches
Ofherownclime,complexion,anddegree,
Wheretowe seein all things
nature
tends-
(III. iii. 229-31)

8 EldredD. Jones,Othello'sCountrymen: The Africanin RenaissanceDrama (London, x965);

and The ElizabethanImage of Africa(Charlottesville,
I97I).
250 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

a practitioner
of forbiddenarts,

Thou hastenchanted her,

(I. ii. 63)

of a volatile,even savagenature,

Dangerousconceitsare in theirnaturespoisons;
Whichat thefirst arescarcefoundto distaste,
Butwitha littleactupontheblood
Burnliketheminesof sulphur,
(III. iii. 326-29)

and clearlynot as polishedor as cultivatedas Europeansof a similarclass,

Haply,forI am black
And havenotthosesoftpartsofconversation
That chamberers
have.
(III. iii. 263-64)

Obviouslytheseare not the attributes of Othello,who is attractiveenoughto

win Desdemona, of such a continentnature that he considers"the young
affects/In me defunct"(I. iii. 263-64),of sucha "constant, loving,noblenature"
that even Iago thinks "he'll prove to Desdemona/A most dear husband"
(II. i. 283-85),practitioneronly of the magic art of winningwords,at which
he has clearlysurpassedhis Venetian rivals,and no more subjectto lethal
passionthanCassio or Roderigo,bothof whom are incitedto violencebyIago.
But the negativeconnotationsof blackness,which are neitherin the simple
denotationof the word,nor in the characterof Othello,are availableto super-
imposeupon theracialdescription, black.
The thirddesignatedmeaning,black as a dark-haired person,like the first
two,also connotesqualitiesor valueswhichare theresultof tasteor preference
ratherthantheinherent qualitiesof theclassdesignated.The black,or brunette,
was consideredless attractive, less fortunate,
thanthefair,or blond.According
to Iago, "If she be black,and theretohave a wit/She'llfinda whitethatshall
her blacknessfit"(II. i. I32-33). Unlike thefair,she will have to use wit to find
a suitablemate. In addition,the black in this passage is made to sharecon-
notationsof black as literallyand morallyunclean by means of a rhetorical
exchangeof terms.In the interchangebetweenDesdemona and Iago, Iago is
chargedto praise firstthe "fairand witty,"thenthe "black and witty,"then
the "fair and foolish,"and, lastly,not the expected"black and foolish,"but,
instead,the "foul and foolish"(II. i. 129-35). Foul as a synonymforblack as
eitherliterallyor morallyunclean is substituted for black as a brunettewith
theeffect of makingtheearlieruses of blackequivocal.The substitution of one
meaningof black foranother,theequivocaluse of synonymous terms, and the
yokingof attributes of one meaningof black withthoseof a different meaning
of black are used throughoutthe play with the effectof confoundingand
intensifying the value of black wheneverit is used in any sense.
In theopeningscene,beforetheaudiencemeetsOthello,a numberofracially
 THE RHETORIC OF BLACK AND WHITE 251

pejorativereferences are made, the stereotypedlasciviousness by a

is intensified
seriesof bestialassociations,and the blackof race and the blackof devil are
combined.Roderigo emphasizes Othello's Negroid featuresin his lines to
Iago: "What a full fortunedoes the thicklips owe/If he can carry'tthusl"
(I. i. 66-67).The xenophobia,implicitin thedistastefornon-Europeanfeatures,
is made explicitin Roderigo'sdescriptionof Othelloto Brabantio:

Tyingherduty,beauty,wit,and fortunes
and wheelingstranger
In an extravagant4
Of hereand everywhere.
(ILi. 134-36)

Brabantio'scry,"O treasonof the blood" (I. i. i68), suggestsboth the un-

naturalrebellionof a dutifuldaughterand the assumed unnaturalunion of
Africanand European,particularly when it is followedby Brabantio'simme-
diate questionabout foul practices:

Is therenotcharms
Bywhichtheproperty ofyouthand maidenhood
May be abused?
(IL i. I70-71)

The gross sensualityof the stereotypicalimage, used by Roderigoto inflame

Brabantio'soutrage,"To thegrossclaspsof a lasciviousMoor" (I. i. i25), is not
onlyreinforcedby the persistent but also givenbestialimpli-
sexual references,
cationsby the repeateduse of animals,black animals,and Africananimals:

Even now, now, verynow,an old black ram

Is tuppingyourwhiteewe,
(I. i. 88-89)

You'll haveyour
daughtercoveredwitha Barbaryhorse;you'llhave
yournephewsneighto you;you'llhavecoursersfor
cousins,and gennetsforgermans.
(110i-I1O3)

The blacknessof the devil and the blacknessof Othello,the unnaturalunion

of evil withgood, and of AfricanwithEuropean,are made identicalwiththe
simplesubstitution: "Or else the devil will make a grandsireof you" (I. i. 9i).
When the audience meets the noble Moor, his blacknesshas been verbally
linked with ugliness,the strangeand unnatural,grossanimal sensuality, and
theevil of thedevilhimself.
Brabantioreinforces the negativeassociationswhen he confronts Othelloby
a
applying synonym for blackas dirty to the raciallyblack Othello, "O thou
foul thief"(I. ii. 62); by assuming that black Othello like the black devil is

4Extravagant,accordingto the OED, means "thatwandersout of bounds; straying, roaming,

Bentleyglossestheword as "expatriate."
or vagrant";thispassageis citedas an illustration.
252 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

damned,"Damned as thou art" (I. ii. 63); by assumingthatOthello,in com-

pliancewiththe stereotype, has used forbiddenarts,"thouhastenchantedher"
(I. ii. 63); and by stressinghis own supportof the generalbeliefin the un-
naturalness of theunionof black and white,

me toall thingsofsense....
For I'll refer
Whether a maidso tender,fair,and happy....
Wouldeverhave,t'incura generalmock....
(I. ii. 64,66,69)

Fair, in this passage, is ambiguous; is Desdemona white,blond, beautiful,

virtuous,or all of these? Brabantioadds the qualityof soiled or dirtyto the
alreadyoverloadedsignificance in thepassage,"Run from
of Othello's-blackness
her guardageto the sootybosom" (I. ii. 70), further stressesthe associationof
Othello and the devil by apprehendingOthello in termsmore applicableto
the devil,"For an abuserof theworld,a practicer/Of artsinhibitedand out of
warrant"(I. ii. 78-79),and combinesthe associationsof ugliness,unnaturalness,
and thediabolicalin his accusationbeforetheDuke:

to err,
For natureso prepost'rously
blind,orlameofsense,
Beingnotdeficient,
couldnot,
Sans witchcraft
(I. iii.62-64)

... and she-in spiteofnature,

everything-
credit,
of years,of country,
maimedand mostimperfect
It is a judgement
Thatwillconfess so coulderr
perfection
Againstall rulesof nature,and mustbe driven
To findoutpractices ofcunninghell
Whythisshouldbe.
(I. iii.96-102)

Othello, through hisownwordsandDesdemona's testimony,is exoneratedand

giventheblessing of thecouncil,butblackness is not. The Duke's concluding
words,"If virtueno delighted beautylack,/Your son-in-law is farmorefair
thanblack"(I. iii.289), posesfairand blackas opposites; and
fairis beautiful
virtuous; blackis uglyand evil.The black-skinned Othellois exoneratedas
beingmetaphorically white.
Withtheplayfulinterchange betweenDesdemonaand Iago at thebegin-
ningof ActII, thenegative ofblackas brunette
connotations aresubtlyfused
withtheevilcomplex ofblacknessestablishedin ActI, firstin thepresumption
thatfairis superior to black;second,in thesubstitution of "foul"fortheex-
pected"black"in posing"foulandfoolish" (II.i. 140) against"fairandfoolish"
in thesuggestion
(II. i. 135); and,finally, of thelines,"If shebe black,and
theretohave a wit,/She'llfinda whitethatshallherblacknessfit"(II. i. 132-33).
The assumptionthata cleverblack,i.e., a brunette,seeksunion witha white,
raisedabouttheunionof theblackOthello
i.e.,a blond,echoesthequestions
 THE RHETORIC OF BLACK AND WHITE 253
and thewhiteDesdemona.In addition, thequibbleon thewordwhite,5 pro-
nouncedthe sameas wight,a person,suggests thatblackdesignatesa non-
humanthatseeksunnaturalunionwitha human.
As theactionprogresses,
theugly,satanicconnotationsofblackareblatantly
reinforced
bydirect suchas Iago'stoRoderigo,
statements,
Hereyemustbefed;andwhatdelight
shallshe
havetolookon thedevil?
(II. i. 214-15)

loveliness
infavor,
... manners,
andbeauties;
all whichthe
Mooris defective
in,
(II. i. 226-28)

and by theassociation of blackwithpassion,wrath,drunkenness, and then

thecombination of thesewiththedevil.Othellodescribes theeffect
ofpassion
on his betterjudgment as one of blackening:"And passion,havingmybest
judgement collied"6(II. iii.I96). Wine,whichcolliesor blackens
Cassio'sjudg-
ment,andtheeffects ofwinearedescribed byCassioin terms ofthedevil,who
is black:

It hathpleasedthedevildrunkenness
to give
placeto thedevilwrath,
(II. iii. 283-84)

Everyinordinate
cupis unblest,
andtheingredientis a
devil.
(II.111.294-95)
However,it is notthemetaphorical devil,but theliteral"Divinity
of Hell"
(II. iii.333) thatis summonedbyIago,whothensetsforththedichotomy of
blackandwhite as goodandevilintwopowerful contrasts,
Whendevilswilltheirblackest sinsputon,
Theydosuggest
atfirstwithheavenly shows,
(II. iii.334-35)

So willI turn
hervirtue intopitch.
(II. 111.343)
Withthenegative valuesofblackand thepositivevaluesof whitefullyestab-
lished,Iago giveswarningthatfoulwill seemfair,and fairwill seemfoul;
blackwillseemwhite, andwhitewillseemblack.
Untilthispointin theplay,onlythosewithself-serving
reasons
haveviewed
5 The quibbleis glossedby G. B. Harrison,The CompleteWorks(New York,i968).
6 Collied,accordingto the OED, means "begrimed;blackened;darkened,murky."
254 SHAKESPEAREQUARTERLY

Othello as metaphorically black: Roderigo,Iago, and Brabantio.From this

pointin theplay,whenIago beginsto exploitOthello'stragicblindness, Othello
begins to describehimselfin termsof the racial stereotype, and to describe
Desdemona as metaphorically black. AfterdescribingDesdemona in terms
that suggestthe whitenessof skin, beauty,and virtue,"To say my wife is
fair,feedswell, loves company.. ./Wherevirtueis, theseare morevirtuous"
(III. iii.i83,i85), Othello,himself,suggeststheirunion was unnatural:"And
yet,how natureerringfromitself"(III. iii.227). Iago, catchingthe edge of
Othello'sself-doubt, and blackeningDesdemona's virtuousappetite,setsforth
thefulluglyimagewhichOthellois readyto acceptas reality:

Ay,there'sthepoint!as (to be boldwithyou)

Not to affect
manyproposad matches
Of herownclime,complexion, and degree,
Wheretowe see in all thingsnaturetends-
Foh! onemaysmellin sucha willmostrank,
Foul disproportions,
thoughts unnatural-
(III. iii. 228-33)

Othello,blinded in his bettersightand seeingas his enemiessee, concludes,

Haply,forI am black
And have not thosesoftpartsof conversation
That chamberershave.
(III. iii. 263-65)

Aftera momentof doubtthatanyoneso literallyfaircould be metaphorically

black, "If she be false, 0, then heaven mocks itself"(III. iii.278), Othello
drawson the-blacknessof filthto describeDesdemona'snameand hisown face:

Her name,thatwas as fresh

As Dian's visage,is now begrimedand black
As mineown face.
(III. iii. 286-89)

Iago adds the fuel of the handkerchiefto the fireof Othello'sblind rage,and
Othellocalls for,"black vengeance,fromthe hollowhell" (III. iii. 447), swears
"by yond marbleheaven" (III. iii.46o), evokingthe image of both whiteness
and hardness,and like theblackand evil devilasks formeansto killthewhite-
skinnedblack devil:

Damn her,lewdminx!0, damnher!damnher!

Come,go withme apart.I willwithdraw
To furnishme withsomeswiftmeansof death
For thefairdevil.
(IIL. iii. 476-79)

Othello,so oftencalled devil himselfthroughoutthe earlypartof the play,

now uses "devil" repeatedlyin reference to Desdemona. On takingher hand,
he comments,"For here'sa youngand sweatingdevil here/Thatcommonly
 THE RHETORIC OF BLACK AND WHITE 255
rebels"(III. iv.42-43). He cries,"O devil" (IV. i. 43), as he fallsinto a trance
afterreiterating the ingredientsof his poisonedvisionof her.He calls her
"Devil" as he strikes "0 devil,
herbeforeLodovico(IV. i. 233), and repeats,
devil!"(IV. i. 237),as he sendsherfromthem.Whenhe finally comesto con-
frontDesdemonawithhis irrational accusations,he does so in termsof
damnation and devils:

Come,swearit,damnthyself;
Lest,likebeingoneofheaven,
thedevilsthemselves
Shouldfeartoseizethee.Therefore
bedouble-damned-
Swearthouarthonest.
(IV. ii.35-38)

Desdemona, seenbyOthelloas a blackdevil,is fairand beautiful likeone of

heaven;therefore,Othellofearstheliteralblackdevilsmightfearto layhands
on her,and asksherto further blackenherselfwithevilby lyingabouther
adultery. The batteryof negative
connotationsof blackusedin contrastto the
beautyof whiteness againstOthelloin ActI is nowusedbyhimin histirade
againstDesdemona.Patience,described as a young,roselipped Cherubin, is
askedtoturnher"complexion" towardOthello'splightand"lookgrimas hell"
(IV. ii.62-64).Aftercomparing Desdemona's honesty to blackfliescopulating
in the shambles(IV. ii.66-67),Othelloagain seesherwhiteness and beauty,
"Whoartso lovelyfair"(IV. ii.68), and,in an imagethatcombines whiteas a
color,a cleanpage,and virtuous content,
and blackas theoppositeof these,
asksaboutDesdemona, "Was thisfairpaper,thismostgoodlybook,/Made to
write'whore'upon?" (IV. ii. 7V-72). He thenbids his black cheeksto become
blackfurnaces to burnherwhitemodesty to blackcinders(IV. ii.74-75).
Othello,the black-skinned, is called"fair"by theDuke; Desdemona, the
fair-skinned, is.called"black"byOthello;Bianca,whois described as,"A hus-
wifethatby sellingherdesires/Buys herselfbreadand clothes"(IV. i. 4g9),
bears a name thatmeans "white,"and is called the "mostfair Bianca"
(III. iv.171) byCassio.Biancahas theblackened reputation Iago wouldgive
to Desdemona,yetshe is called"white"and "fair."A fairwhore,named
Bianca,is a further complicationin thedramatic rhetoricof blackand white.
Desdemona'swhiteness-literal, beautiful,and metaphorical-is nowhere
morepowerful evokedthanin Othello'slinesbefore he killsher:
YetI'll notshedherblood
Nor scarthatwhiter skinof hersthansnow,
Andsmooth as monumental-alabaster.
(V.ii. 3-5)

The imageofherwhiteness, as an angel,is hurledbyEmiliaat Othello,along

withthecompounded imagesof black,now usedto describe thestateof his
own damnedsoul.EmiliacallsOthello"theblackerdevil"and repeats thathe
is a devil(V. ii. 132-33). Othello,himself,says,"O I weredamnedbeneath all
depthofhell"(V. ii.I38), and,stillbelieving in Iago,defends hishonestywith
a vividimagethatevokesanother senseof black:"An honestmanhe is and
hatestheslime/That stickson filthydeeds"(V. ii. 149-50). Emiliaechoeshis
256 SHAKESPEAREQUARTERLY

adjective andhitswithdoublemeaning in declaring ofDesdemona, "Shewas

toofondofhermostfilthy bargain"
(V. ii.158), andselects
a grimy termto
useas a comparison forhisignorance:
"O gull!0 dolt!/As ignorantas dirt!"
(V.ii. i64-65). Onlywiththefullrealization of Desdemona's innocenceand
hisownguiltdoesOthello seeDesdemona's whitenessas heavenly,
andhethen
commends himself to theblackness
ofhellanddevils. The whiteness ofher
faceanddress, thecoldnessthatsuggeststhewhiter snow,theunblemished
chastity,thefairness oftheheavenly sight, arecontrastedwiththeblackness
offiends, devils, andhellitself:

Paleas thysmock! Whenweshallmeetatcompt,

Thislookofthine willhurlmysoulfrom heaven,
Andfiends willsnatch atit-Cold,
coldmygirl?
Evenlikethychastity.
0 cursed,cursedslave!Whipme,yedevils,
Fromthepossession ofthisheavenly sight!
(V. ii.274-79)

Othello's blackness is nowneither African nordevil,butthatofthevictim,

damned tohell.
Theblackness ofthedevil, oncetheairiscleared bytragedy, belongs notto
Othello, buttoIago,andwhenOthello says,"I lookdowntoward hisfeet-but
that'sa fable,/Ifthatthoube'sta devil, I cannot killthee"(V. ii. 286-87)heis
stating,in yetanother way,a theme thathasbeendramatized throughout the
play:manis tragically unableto recognize goodorevil;thedevilcannot be
identifiedbycloven hoofs, noris theblackmandevil.Eyescannot seethatthe
blackOthellois notthedevil,or thatthewhiteandhonest Iagois. Iagois
blindto Emilia'sfairhonesty thatdiesin orderto bringhisevilscrashing
aroundhim.Othello is blindtoDesdemona's whiteinnocence. Desdemona is
blindtoIago'sblackheart, Othello'sblackpassion, and,mostofalltoherown
blindness.Man'sbetter eyes,hisreason, alsofailhim;blackOthello, knowing
hisblackness is notwhatitseems toothers, canallthemoreeasily believe
that
Desdemona's whiteness is nottheemblem of virtueothers assumeit to be.
Muchthatmanhasbeentaught tobelieve, suchas beingabletoidentify the
devilbyhisclovenhoofs, is fable:blackis notalways evil,butblackcanbe
evil;allcalledwhite arenotfair, butsomearelovely fair.Theverb, see,sounds
insistently
through theplayalongwithdozensofrelated words-"look toyour
wife". . . "Lookto't"(III. iii.I94-96)-butmancannotseeclearly, andhis
blindness damnshim.Blackandwhiteareusedwiththeconfused valuesof
fableandreality: itisa fablethatthedevilisblack, yetblackOthello isdamned
bykilling hiswife;itis a fablethatwhite isthecolorofvirtue, thefairBianca
is a whore, andyetthevirtuous Desdemona is lovelyfair.Blackandwhite,
usedwiththeconfused valuesoffableandreality, reinforce, the
rhetorically,
tragictheme ofOthello.
The useofthisexplication in theShakespeare classroomat HowardUni-
versityservesthree valuable purposes.First,itaffordsanobjective andnatural
occasion fordiscussing thehistoricalorigins andbackground ofthepolarized
valuesofblackandwhiteandfordemonstrating thewaylanguage hascon-
 THE RHETORIC OF BLACK AND WHITE 257
fusedthe conceptof race and, conversely, how racial values have further
con-
foundedthe values of the words.Second,it servesas an effective introduction
to the elaboratecraftof Elizabethanrhetoricas it is employedin drama.And,
finally,it is a vivid illustration
of the seemingartlessness of Shakespeare'sart.
What could seemmorenaturalthanfrequentreferences to blackand whitein a
play-withOthello as hero and Desdemona as heroine?What could be more
complexthan Shakespeare'selaborateverbal and dramaticstructurebuilt of
wordsshapedby rhetoricintocompoundedequivocation,imagesof wordsand
sightthatcapturethe multiplesuggestionsand carrythemto sensesand emo-
tions,and charactersmoving throughdarknessto darknesswith theireyes
sealed up like oak? I owe a specialdebt of gratitudeto my Howard students
who throughtheirown sensitivity to black and whiteallowed me, in part,to
see with theireyes,feelingly, and come to see anotherdimensionof Othello.

HowardUniversity