The document explores the symbolic significance of black and white imagery in Shakespeare's 'Othello', highlighting how these colors represent concepts of good and evil, purity and corruption, and power dynamics. It emphasizes the juxtaposition of Othello's blackness with the white purity of Desdemona, revealing societal prejudices and the portrayal of Othello as both a noble character and a victim of racial stereotyping. The narrative illustrates how the themes of light and dark parallel the characters' moral complexities, culminating in a tragic descent into despair and violence.

1. Black and
White
imagery

2. ‘Even now, now, very
now an old black ram
is tupping your white
yew’

3. ‘Black’ is the colour of night, or ‘evil’. It can also represent ideas such as
power, wealth, mystery, fear, unhappiness, sadness and anger. Many of these we can relate
to Othello’s character at some point in the play.
‘Even now, now, very
now an old black ram
is tupping your white
yew’
‘White’ represents purity, innocence, goodness and virginity. It
juxtaposes the colour black and the quote suggests it’s Immediately marks a
unnatural for them to be together. It paints Othello as a savage difference between
bully who is using his size to take advantage of Brabanto's Othello and his
small, innocent daughter. European peers.

4. Repetition of ‘now’ places emphasis on the List of 3 – a powerful
importance and urgency of the action being rhetoric device.
carried out.
‘Even now, now, very
now an old black ram
is tupping your white
yew’ Iago equates Othello's
ethnicity with bestiality
Vulgar and animalist language used in description.
Graphic imagery making something romantic into
something disturbing and an unwelcoming thought.

6. If you’re thinkin’ about
my baby,
it don’t matter if
you’re black or
white.

8. The Duke's statement is Colour imagery used to
ironic, since Othello is black, but talk Brabantio out of his
truthful, because his soul is good prejudices
and light.
’And, noble signior, If
virtue no delighted
beauty lack, Your son-
Light and dark are again juxtaposed
in-law is far more fair
than black’ Although this is a compliment for
Othello, colour stereotyping is still
Distinct separation between portrayed - Othello was expected to
black and white people be the bad person due to the colour
of his skin.

9. If you’re thinkin’ about
my baby,
it don’t matter if
you’re black or
white.

10. More subtle black and white imagery
Most of the scenes in which Iago 'furthers his
evil plan' are set at night, as are other scenes
of chaos and sources of disaster. For
example, the actual elopement of Othello and
Desdemona; most of Iago's meetings with
Roderigo; all the actions carried out by
Roderigo to further Iago's plans – rousing
Brabantio, getting Cassio drunk and into a
fight, and Desdemona's murder. (plot
spoiler, sorry!)

13. ‘Hell and
night, shall bring
this monstrous
birth to the
world's light.’

14. Black and white are symbols of good and
evil. They are also a pair, so without
white as the symbol of good you cannot
fully understand the idea of black as
evil. In Othello Shakespeare plays with
the traditional conception of black and
white and good and evil in society and
culture. Shakespeare assigns the ‘good’
character, Othello, black ethnicity and
the ‘evil’ character, Iago, white ethnicity.

16. I’m not gunna spend
my life being a colour

17. ‘Arise, black
vengeance, from the
hollow cell!’

18. If you’re thinkin’ about
my baby,
it don’t matter if
you’re black or
white.

19. The constant references of dark
versus light work well as a
parallel to the theme of good
versus evil running throughout
the play.

22. If you’re thinkin’ of
being my brother,
it don’t matter if
you’re black or
white.

23. The theme and imagery of black and
white is used throughout the play to
metaphorically represent events at
the time. Eventually, the light and
love between Desdemona and
Othello falls into darkness and
despair, ultimately ending with the
"black devil" of despair and darkness
triumphing violently in the final act.

25. ‘O, the more angel
she, and you the
blacker devil!’

27. ‘Run from her
guardage to the sooty
bosom of such a thing
as thou’

29. ‘My name, that was
as fresh as Dian's
visage, is now
begrimed and black
as mine own face.’

31. ‘Put out the
light, and then
put out the
light.’