AP+Moor

Historical - Hunter Kennedy The start of the Moor’s as a group of people were, “At the beginning of the eighth century Moorish soldiers crossed over from Africa into Spain, Portugal, and France, where their swift victories became the substance of legends” (Rashidi). During these early times Moors were considered to have some level of power in these new lands, through their “victories” and the “legends” that developed surrounding them. By changing locations and proving themselves through this transition they, as a people group, became a part of history. Initially they were able to maintain their own skills and way of life. But the strength they had to reestablish themselves in a new place did not earn them religious acceptance, and this issue, along with ethnicity, soon became a struggle.

Those referred to as Moors had dark skin, and commonly believed in Islam. That is where their tragedy began as a portion of historical racism. Suddenly Moor was a term with a negative connotation, “They were persecuted by Philip II, revolted in 1568, and in the Inquisition were virtually exterminated. In 1609 the remaining Moriscos were expelled. Thus the glory of the Moorish civilization in Spain was gradually extinguished” (See). The “glory” discussed, contrasts with the “persecution” they faced, and thus the Moor’s have a unique place in history. Racism is commonly when a group of people is thought of as lesser, and always has been. But in this case, Moors have experienced times of greatness as well as weakness.

In the context of Shakespeare’s Othello the term Moor is anything but that of endearment. During this time in history Moor’s were servants, and had very little mention of success in their society. The fact that Othello is referred to a Moor, during this time, indicates that people had very little respect for him, and did not think of him highly. Overall, Moor's are remembered negatively, and talked about with a derogatory tone.

Works Cited: Rashidi, Runoko. "The Moors In Europe". Web. 4 Jan. 2012. Lane-Poole, See S. "Moors". 2007. Web. 4 Jan. 2012.



Audience - Alli Griffin The use of the term “moor” in Shakespeare’s //Othello// is directed at the sort of racist and nasty people that used the term. Runoko Rashidi, author of the article “The Moors in Europe”, concedes that the term “moor” is derogatory. He states that, “The Moors were… commonly supposed to be mostly black or very swarthy, and hence the word is often used for Negro” (The Moors in Europe). “Negro” is a connection to the racism that went on in America. The fact that the “moors” were “black” or “swarthy” provides a connection for the audience – between Shakespearean racism and American. This sort of terminology is directed at “black” people of this time frame as well as those that actually used the word.

Shakespeare’s //Othello// is also known as //Othello – The Moor in Venice//. He uses the term “moor” to provide a time frame for his audience, to set them back in a time where racism was a common occurrence. Shakespeare wanted to provide the audience with a chance to see an individual overcome obstacles in the face of racism and hate. Michael Cummings, author of “Othello, Moor in Venice”, acknowledges Shakespeare’s success in writing of a man who prevails in the face of opposition. He states, “… Shakespeare successfully fulfills the final obligation in the creation of tragedy; to enthrall and impassion the audience in response to the actions of the tragic hero” (Cummings). Shakespeare aimed to “enthrall” his readers – an “audience” of racists and victims of racism – by the success of Othello and how he overcame the “actions” of others by being a success. Shakespeare uses the term “moor” to put the audience in the mindset of a racist time but then he flips the meaning of the word around by writing Othello – a successful moor, one that breaks the stereotype of all others. His audience is all of the racists that believe that derogatory terms keep people down, and those who feel beaten by the names and words.

Works Cited:

Cummings, Michael J. "Othello, Moor of Venice". Cummings Study Guides. 2003. Web. January 4 2012. Rashidi, Runoko. "The Moors in Europe". The Global African Community. 15 October 2000. Web. 4 January 2012.

= **AIM** = In William Shakespeare's //Othello// the lead character (Othello) is a Moor who has moved to England. While Othello is a Moor, he is still a high-ranked and respected general. Yet, the term "Moor" was used as a derogatory term in the 17th and 18th century, "'The Moors were,'" according to the Oxford English Dictionary, 'commonly supposed to be mostly black or very swarthy, and hence the word is often used for negro'" (Rashidi 1). By connecting the term "Moor" to "negro" Rashidi shows, for more contemporary audiences, exactly how pejorative the word was. However, Othello himself is arguably seen as the first great black protagonist and tragic hero in Western literature. Shakespeare conceivably used Othello, a Moor, to show the struggles of racism and how deeply it can change a person, and even how it can end up destroying other's caught in the middle of it all.

Shakespeare chose to use the derogatory term to describe Othello to further emphasize on Othello's constant struggle. How he can never be able to escape the term, no matter how respected he is as a general. Paul Robeson, the first African American actor to play Othello, describes just how quickly the other characters in //Othello// turned on Othello, "So soon, however, as Othello wanted a white woman, Desdemona, everything was changed" (Robeson 101). The "white woman" Desdemona represents the "changing" point of the other character's attitudes towards Othello in the play. Shakespeare himself uses the pathos of Desdemona and Othello's relationship to dramatize how racism ended up pulling Othello and Desdemona down to their unfortunate ends. Thus, while Othello may always be respected, he is stuck being a Moor. Shakespeare cleverly shows the thin line Othello walks between respect and resentment.

__Works Cited__

Robeson, Paul. //My Fight for Fame: How Shakespeare Paved My Way to Stardom.// London: Routledge., 2003. Print.

Rashidi, Runoko. "The Moors In Europe." //Coastal Web Online Metro Ethernet, Fixed Wireless, T1, DSL, Server Co-location, Internet Service Provider - Sacramento, CA//. Web. 4 Jan. 2012.

__CULTURAL for Moor__ The name “Moor” was given often as a derogatory term towards the people of Arab and Black African descent (Moors). It was a name given to a people of an entire region, who were predominantly Muslim. The culture was greatly influenced by the use of this somewhat offensive term as it spread across the world. In a web page dedicated to the history and impact of “Moors” Wikipedia observes, “//Moro// is used to describe all things dark, as in "Moor", //moreno//, etc. It was used as a nickname; for instance, the [|Milanese] Duke [|Ludovico Sforza] was called //Il Moro// because of his dark complexion…It can be used either neutrally or pejoratively” (Moors). People employed the term “pejoratively” and “neutrally” throughout history. It was both an early form of racism and a term that signified social status through the denotation of race. It was one of the first degrading words that separated the races and people of different religions, before the modern insults against those of darker skin tones were employed. However, when used neutrally it was meant simply to denote the region or ethnicity from which a group had come. This term, and the people it referred to, became quite popular in literature. They were portrayed in both poetry and novels, in varying ways. Most descriptions of these people related to violence and denoted them as savages, although some simply sough to show the struggle of racism that these people faced. In this culture, the Moorish people were not well thought of during this time and it took much effort on their part to be seen in a positive light. The term, though hardly used in modern times, signifies something that is still seen today. It signifies a common issue that has forever plagued humanity, and that is the issue of fearing the foreign. Ross Brann, author of //The Moors?// From Cornell University states, “As such, the term Moor signifies Christian longing for a world of religious, cultural, ethnic, and political unity rather than diversity” (Brann). The word was used to negatively portray the “diversity” of these Muslim people, and through this pejorative word choice people meant to encourage “political unity”. The racism that these people were treated with encouraged a culture that was similar and denied things to anyone foreign. The Moors were a different race and religion, and for this they were given a negative name. People who read of the Moors now are able to reflect on this common situation that has made a pattern throughout history. The use of this label is just one of the many examples of degradation that has existed within society from the beginning of time, and will continue to be remembered as a predominantly racist action taken by people who saw something new and foreign in the skin and culture of the Moorish people.

Works Cited

Brann, Ross. “The Moors?” //Cornell University//: //Department of Near Eastern Studies//. Cornell University. Web. 5 Jan. 2012. “Moors.” Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia, 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 5 Jan. 2012.