Othello is not a comedy. Perhaps this is the only unequivocal statement that can be made about the play, because so many other themes of Othello are embroiled in unexpressed, complex emotions. Why does Iago target Othello? Jealousy? Racism? Simply because he can? Who is to blame for Desdemona’s death? Iago, because he set up the situation; or Othello, who fell for Iago’s machinations? Is Othello really that different from Iago? Historically, Othello could be labeled as a ‘Moor’ for being born in northern Africa, or even Spain. Iago sees this ‘otherness’ in Othello, and by his manipulations turns other characters to his views. So when Shakespeare makes a point to label Othello as a Moor, what is he really trying to say?
We cannot speak for Shakespeare, but in reading Othello, one thing becomes clear: the driving force behind the play is the idea of an ‘other’ in a defined social setting. In the text, Othello’s otherness is expressed through the cultural differences between Desdemona and himself. We have kept this ethnic divide in the play by remaining true to the original script, but have added another divide, which we feel an important aspect to enhancing the character’s otherness, by making Othello a lesbian: our Othello is a lesbian Moor. By keeping the racially charged language of the play and applying it to a situation that looks visually inappropriate for the statements, the true purpose of that language is highlighted. The appellation ‘Moor’ is a label that Iago uses to incite his audience, and this tactic becomes exceedingly clear in our play since Iago and Othello look so similar.
Our production of Othello is attempting to wrestle with important issues of discrimination. We want to examine the roots of these forms of discrimination, and to consider that if Othello has been so successful despite such a racial divide, why has she then chosen to complicate this success with the revelation of her sexuality? Her honesty is commendable, her motivations intriguing. In the end, though, do not all these questions tend to the greatest questions in human life, of how we relate to each other and create love amongst each other, in and through our differences? We invite the community to come together in our presentation of these issues, to question our interpretations, and to come away from the experience with new questions and interpretations of their own.
–The Shakespeare Performance Troupe, April 2005