Ottoman_(Leia+Trice)

1. 2. Aim 3. Leia Trice 4. The aim of the Ottomites in Shakespeare's Othello is to enact recognition, hatred, desire. First, Shakespeare used the Ottomites to display a distinct society that contrasted to Venice. English lecturer Mark Hutchings attests, "Not surprisingly, early modern travellers frequently remarked on that key marker of difference, clothing, and in particular attire that was distinctively other, such as the turban and the veil" (115). Othello is a play that was written in the 17th century. During that time, many people did not have any cultural influence outside of their own homes and neighborhoods because traveling was very a prolonged event and people did not have the money for it. The people of Shakespeare's time would not be able to notice minor distinction within his characters that display they are form different places. However, the Ottomites display a "key marker of difference." Their attire, the turbans and veils, that they were portray the distinction between them and western people. Though the people of the 17th century were not cultured; the distinction between the turks and the people of the western world would be obvious because the Ottomites would wear clothes that portray where they are from. Moreover, The Ottomites were also used to enact hatred due to jealousy. As Christine Woodhead conveys, "It enabled spices, silks, carpets, currants and other luxury items to be brought directly and more cheaply to England, without passing through entrepots such as Venice or Antwerp" (2). Woodhead is discussing the benefits of trading with the Ottomites during the 17th century. "Luxury items" were available to the people through the Ottoman empire. The people of the 17th century were able to obtain "silks, spices, and carpets" through the Ottomites. The Ottoman empire portrayed a luxurious place where one's desires could be fulfilled. It presented a place of hedonism to the English people who were able to fulfill their own desires through the objects sent by the Ottomites. By using the Turks within Othello, Shakespeare conjured up this image. The Turks were a wealthy people, who should be hated by the Western audience because they did not have the ability to obtain the same amenities that they did. Therefore, Shakespeare used the Ottomites to enact hatred within the people who were jealous of what they could not have. Finally, Shakespeare used the Ottomites to enact even more hatred. As Mark Hutchings asserts, "With few exceptions the Turk as ‘bogeyman' has remained solidly in place, and the world of the eastern Mediterranean and beyond" (112). Turks represented a "bogeyman" to the 17th century people. They conveyed the unknown. They also portrayed a threat to the Christian society. Shakespeare used the Turks to draw out on that fear. The Ottomites were present within Othello because they conjured up an image of hatred within the English people. They enacted a threatening feeling, which turned into despise. Shakespeare's aim with the Ottomites was to create despise within the audience due to their fear of the muslim society.

Hutchings, Mark. "Shakespeare and Islam: Introduction."gale.cengage.co.uk. Gale-Cengage Learning, n.d. Web. 12 Feb 2013. PDF. Woodhead, Christine. "England, The Ottomans and the Barbarian Coast In the Late Sixteenth Century." gale.cengage.co.uk. Gale-Cengage Learning, n.d. Web. 12 Feb 2013. PDF.

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