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Aaron, Othello, and Caliban: Shakespeare's Presentation of Ethnic Minorities in Titus Andronicus, Othello, and The Tempest

McGrath, Alyssa F
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=marhonors1367332575

Abstract Details

2013, Bachelor of Arts, Marietta College, English.
This thesis analyzes the ways in which Shakespeare presents three different characters, all of whom represent ethnic minorities in the plays. Aaron from Titus Andronicus and Othello from Othello are the Moors. The Tempest's Caliban is described as a monster, but is a blend of species and thus, the dominant characters treat him as a slave. Aaron, Shakespeare's earliest Moor, is depicted as a villain in the play. Othello, written later in Shakespeare's career, depicts a Moor who is misled into murdering his white wife, Desdemona. Caliban, described as the most hideous, attempts to rape a white woman but ultimately fails and attempts to assert ownership over the island on which he lives with the white woman and her father. Over time, Shakespeare's black characters and their circumstances have become more complicated, inevitably complicating the reader's reaction towards the character. Aaron fits many black stereotypes but also rejects the notion that black equates to inferiority to white. Othello fits fewer racial stereotypes as he represents nobility and loyalty throughout Shakespeare's later play. Caliban's ambiguous physical appearance or heritage allows readers to ascribe various ethnic minority groups to his character and thus, readers graft their own meaning onto the character in order to see whatever it is they want to see in the play. This thesis project will investigate Shakespeare's presentation of these minority male characters, as well as analyze the ways they do or do not fit racial stereotypes. The project will also address directorial choices of characterization by analyzing the presentation of Aaron, Othello, and Caliban in various live performances.
Joseph Sullivan, Dr. (Advisor)
54 p.
Black Studies; British and Irish Literature; Literature; Theater Studies
Shakespeare; Minorities in plays; othered characters; Titus Andronicus; Othello; The Tempest; Caliban; Race in Shakespeare

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McGrath, A. F. (2013). Aaron, Othello, and Caliban: Shakespeare's Presentation of Ethnic Minorities in Titus Andronicus, Othello, and The Tempest [Undergraduate thesis, Marietta College]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=marhonors1367332575

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McGrath, Alyssa. Aaron, Othello, and Caliban: Shakespeare's Presentation of Ethnic Minorities in Titus Andronicus, Othello, and The Tempest. 2013. Marietta College, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=marhonors1367332575.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McGrath, Alyssa. "Aaron, Othello, and Caliban: Shakespeare's Presentation of Ethnic Minorities in Titus Andronicus, Othello, and The Tempest." Undergraduate thesis, Marietta College, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=marhonors1367332575

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

marhonors1367332575
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© 2013, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Aaron, Othello, and Caliban: Shakespeare's Presentation of Ethnic Minorities in Titus Andronicus, Othello, and The Tempest by Alyssa F McGrath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Marietta College Honors Theses and OhioLINK.