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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 19.0524  Monday, 1 September 2008

[1]  From:    Joachim Martillo <thorsprovoni@aol.com>
      Date:    Thursday, 28 Aug 2008 21:52:23 -0400
      Subj:    Re: SHK 19.0516 Othello and Cassio

[2]  From:    Joseph Egert <tregej@yahoo.com>
      Date:    Sunday, 31 Aug 2008 16:05:47 -0700 (PDT)
      Subj:    Re: SHK 19.0516 Othello and Cassio


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:       Joachim Martillo <thorsprovoni@aol.com>
Date:       Thursday, 28 Aug 2008 21:52:23 -0400
Subject: 19.0516 Othello and Cassio
Comment:    Re: SHK 19.0516 Othello and Cassio

Larry Weiss <larry@lweiss.net>: "despite his foreign birth and blackness"

Nowadays Othello is generally treated as a black, but in Shakespeare's day, he 
was almost certainly an Arab or a Berber.

The play culminates in an honor killing. Stereotypes have not changed much since 
Shakespeare's day.

Joachim Martillo

[2]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:       Joseph Egert <tregej@yahoo.com>
Date:       Sunday, 31 Aug 2008 16:05:47 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: 19.0516 Othello and Cassio
Comment:    Re: SHK 19.0516 Othello and Cassio

Larry Weiss writes: "Othello is clearly not aristocratic or even gentle..."

Not so clear, Larry.

The ex-slave is descended from men of "royal seige," or so he claims.

Larry goes on: "But in a meritocracy, Iago (who is by far the most intelligent 
character in the play, and knows it) feels the lash of that acutely."

Was Venice ever truly a meritocracy instead of an oligarchy of ruling plutocrat 
families? Doesn't Iago feel entitled to the succession while denigrating 
Cassio's merits?

Regards,
Joe Egert

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