Why cultural criticism is best for interpreting othello

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Why Cultural Criticism is the Best for Interpreting Othello
Culture can be defined as the way of living of people. It is the customs and traditions that exist in a particular society. Many analysts and critics approach Shakespeare’s play in a cultural and racial perspective, as it supports Iago’s means to destroy Othello and also the plot of the play. Culture is one of the primary reasons that contributes to Othello’s tragedy. This excerpt will mainly analyze and criticize Othello through a cultural lens. Cultural criticism entails different perspectives of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, and sexuality.
Othello is engraved in hate, racism, deception, and pride. Apparently, this play remains relevant because even after centuries, human beings are still susceptible to the traits mentioned above. This is because sexism and racism are still present in the recent times. These traits seem to be natural in humans as is love and is evidenced by Iago’s words, “…you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers for cousins and gennets for germans” (Shakespeare et. al. 11 1i110). In this context, Iago was insulting Brabantio in a bid to convince him that his daughter was stolen from him by Othello, who was a ‘moor,’ who is often assumed to be from Africa, even though Shakespeare himself has not explicitly stated so. This proves the trait of racism durin…