1. Racism
Othello is a black man. He is constantly called “the Moor”, which puts him into a category and gives the audience an insight into how commonly racism is practiced in their society. In the beginning, Brabantio’s hidden racist thoughts come to light. It is said that Brabantio liked Othello and invited him to visit to have him tell stories. However, Brabantio can only think of him as an "exotic", who can entertain him, but never be part of his family. When Brabantio goes to the Duke, he again shows his internal racism by saying that Othello must have used magic to enchant his daughter. It seems impossible to him that his daughter could have married Othello out of her own free will.
During the play, it becomes clear that Iago is also very racist. He often calls Othello “Moor” and he is prejudiced against him.
“…These Moors are changeable in their wills” (Act I; Scene 3: line 349 and 352)
Being constantly reminded that he is different makes Othello susceptible to low self-esteem. Iago uses Othello’s insecurities about his age, colour, appearance to instill in him the idea that Desdemona might want a younger, more handsome man who has a lighter skin colour like Cassio.
2. Manipulation
A very important theme in the play is manipulation. Iago uses his reputation to deceive people. He manipulates almost every character in the play. Iago knows about the personality of each character, about their desires in life and their fears. By using this knowledge, he leads them through words and subtlety as he likes. Ironically, his own wife Emilia eventually uncovers his plot and reveals his actions to the world.
3. Jealousy
Iago sparks jealousy in Othello by preying on his insecurities. He changes Othello’s perception of the world in a way that makes him doubtful and suspicious of Desdemona’s actions. Here, the irrational nature of jealousy is clear, as well as the dangers that it can lead to. It also becomes evident that a person blinded by jealousy or hatred sees only what they want to see. They interpret every action and every word of others so that it fits into their narrative.
4. Reputation
Honour and reputation are of great importance for the characters in the play. Othello is susceptible to believe Iago’s claim due to his reputation of being an honest man. Iago is angered by Othello because his honour is hurt by being overlooked for the promotion to the position of lieutenant. After Cassio is stripped of his duty, he feels his honour and reputation crushed. For Cassio, honour and reputation are of such a big importance that he believes it to be the i mmortal part of humans and what distinguishes a human from an animal.
In der Prüfung kann das Thema „tragedy“ behandelt werden. Es ist daher wichtig zu wissen, was eine „tragedy“ ist. Eine Tragödie ist ein Stück, welches Probleme behandelt und letztendlich ein tragisches Ende nimmt, in welchem der/die Protagonist/in entweder stirbt oder unglücklich ist. Dies kann dann mit Othello in Bezug gesetzt werden. Generell können Protagonist/innen aus den Textausschnitten in den Prüfungsteilen mit Charakteren aus dem Unterricht verglichen werden. Hierfür würden sich auch die Charaktere aus Othello anbieten.
Falls Othello behandelt wird, kann stets ein halbjahresübergreifender Bezug zur Elizabethan Era stattfinden. Weiterhin kann auch auf extreme situations und power and ambition in Kontext von Othello eingegangen werden.