This is the first thing that the reader hears about Othello. Iago is mocking Othello by making a comment on his race. This introduces Othello being looked down upon because of his race. Even Othello, himself, thinks he is a lower class citizen and because of his race he is not as good as the other characters in the story, many of his insecurities are based in his race. Along with the issue of race, Iago calling Othello a Moor also starts the mocking tone and attitude that Iago has. He is constantly mocking the other characters in the play, and places them in different categories. By doing this he not only shows how he feels towards everyone else, but Iago creates a shared point of view with the audience. By placing Othello in the category of a Moor, people begin to see him in terms of "is he one of us, or one of them?" Shakespeare creates linguistic categories when Iago mocks the characters in this way. Iago's habit of mocking others also raises a red flag about his character and the kind of person that he is.
Sharya de Silva
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I am always intrigued by Shakespear's use of racial adjectives used to describe Othello. I was present at a lecture by Jaques Lezra where he discusses the use of the term "turbined turk" in Othello. Othello describes himself as the turbined turk, and Lezra continued to discuss the historial root of this term and the shifting social context as well. Othello as a name is diminished by the use of racial adjectives, most commonly the use the moor. These adjectives accurately describe Othello's origion, but are used by the decitful Iago and others under his spell to tarnish the name and stature of Othello. Though accurate these discriminatory adjectives hold an inevitable negative connotation as the character of Othello is rarely referred to by his name, instead he is referred to mostly by his distinguishable skin coloring. This discriptive use makes the audience and reader aware that Othello is not worthy of a name, that it is satisfactory to only describe the form, and not the man. Like a master would call a dog, Iago binds Othello in his speech, and manipulates him after cutting out all his self-control. In the end Othello murders like a beast, and he embodies the low adjectives used to describe him throughout the play. - Nicole Boettcher
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