The theme of racism has played a fundamental role in literary works of all centuries. William Shakespeare's Othello is no exception. Race takes on many different roles to have a major effect on the game. Looking at the show through a racial lens one can see; the prejudices of Shakespeare's time, the prejudices of Shakespeare, the true meaning of Othello's "darkness", and the effects of each character's prejudices. Racism leads to Othello's downfall and other tragic endings and is therefore a very prevalent theme in Othello. If you want to examine the racism in Othello you must first look at the historical context of the period in which it was written. The way Othello is addressed in Venetian society clearly shows the racist tendencies of the period. He is known to the Venetian people and throughout Europe as Il Moro di Venezia (Bloom 67). After the Moors conquered all of Europe, most Europeans began to hate them. By creating Othello as a black Moor it was very easy for Shakespeare to create characters with racist beliefs and, in turn, it was easy to create a play in which racism played a key role. Othello is constantly subjected to racism within Venetian society. As he is more and more exposed to it, he actually embodies the stereotypes that people give him (Adelman 125). Shakespeare had his own personal beliefs about racism and transferred those beliefs into Othello. The show actually begins with a white male, Iago. None of Shakespeare's other plays subjects the main character to such scrutiny before he even appears in the play (Adelman 125). Before Othello even sets foot on stage, Shakespeare sends Iago out to set the prejudicial tone of the play. Iago says the f...... middle of paper ......perfect/Who will confess perfection so he might err/Against all the rules of nature,” (Shakespeare). Here Brabantio argues that Desdemona's love for Othello is not natural and that it makes no sense for her to marry someone she should fear to look at. Brabantio's racism ultimately leads him to die of a broken heart. As you can see, racism and prejudice lead to almost all of the characters' downfalls. Brabantio, Iago, Desdemona and Emilia all seal their fate due to their racist beliefs. Othello embodies the stereotype that both history and the Europeans of the period have given him and brings upon himself his downfall. Othello is, in reality, a play about how prejudices can affect people. Shakespeare goes to the extreme and ultimately kills off all the main characters to drive home his point. Overall, racism leads to multiple downfalls and tragic endings.