The Role of the Turk in Othello as a Deep-Seated Fear of Islamic Dominance

"The English faced the problem of British subjects--men, women, and children--being captured and enslaved by 'Turkish' privateers operating in the Mediterranean and the northeastern Atlantic. This crisis led English writers of the early modern period to produce demonizing representations of 'the Turk', not from the perspective of cultural domination but from the fear of being conquered, captured, and converted."

-Viktus, Turning Turk in Othello

"From whence ariseth this?

Are we turned Turks? and to ourselves do that 

Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites?

For Christian shame, put by this barbarous brawl!

He that stirs next, to carve for his own rage,

Holds his soul light; he dies upon his motion."

-Shakespeare, Othello

How does Shakespeare demonize the Turks and what are the consequences of "turning Turk" in this passage?

Viktus explains in Turning Turk in Othello that Islams were believed to be more unified than Christians and that converting to Islam was associated with the devil and falling to his minions. This is a very serious attitude regarding the Turks, who were Muslim, and accounts for the deep fear and misunderstanding of Muslims that is still not completely eradicated today. Othello's troops were fighting amongst themselves, prompting Othello to become angry and accuse his troops of "turning Turk". When he says, "and to ourselve do that / Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites" Shakespeare may be metaphorically conveying that the divisions between different sects of Christianity could divide and conquer them, making it easy for the Ottoman empire to move in and force them to convert. Shakespeare uses this Othello to demonize the Turk: "He that stirs next, to carve his own rage, / Holds his soul light; he dies upon his motion". Othello is telling his troops here that anyone who moves against his fellow soldier will be damned to hell, for violence and bickering among themselves will allow the Turks to come in and convert them. He also uses the term "Christian shame", which would serve to put the Christian soldiers back into their place and realize their folly. Converting to Islam would result in serious consequences through the eyes of a Christian in this early modern period--his soul would be damned. This idea alone could have been the impetus for the defeating the Turks and defending their souls. 

Africanism in Othello

"These speculations have led me to wonder whether the major and championed characteristics of our national literature--individualism, masculinity, social engagement, versus historical isolation; acute and ambigious moral problematics; the thematics of innocence coupled with an obsession with figurations of death and hell-- are not in fact responses to a dark, abiding, signing Africanist presence. "

Toni Morrison, Playing in the Dark

"Divinity of hell!
When devils will the blackest sin put on,
They do suggest with heavenly shows,
As I do now."

-William Shakespeare, Othello p. 49

How do these characteristics listed by Morrison function in Othello, in terms of theme? 

Most of the characteristics that Morrison mentioned in the paragraph above are seen in Shakespeare's Othello; the moral problematics, the masculinity, social engagement, etc. However, the obsession with demons, monsters, and hell is quite apparent in Othello and can be seen on almost every page. The quote that I used was spoken by Iago in Act 2 Scene 3. This particular quote is representative of many Iago's language regarding Othello and even Othello's language himself, as he uses a lot of cursing and talk of hell, death, and revenge. There is a lot of mysticism and superstition used in this play and all of that content is surrounding Othello. There are many references to the fact that Othello is black, "blackness" itself, and the superstition surrounding the idea, framing him as an "Africanist" character. The talk of demons and hell constantly surrounding him enforce this idea of Africansim in literature. 

Medieval Parody

"Now dextrously her Plumpers draws,

That serve to fill her hollow Jaws.

Untwists a Wire; and from her Gums

A Set of Teeth completely comes,

Pulls out the Rags contriv'd to prop

Her flabby Dugs and down they drop."

-A Beautiful Young Nymph Going To Bed, by Jonathan Swift

"The essential principle of grotesque realism is degradation, that is, the lowering of all that is high, spiritual, ideal, abstract...not only parody in its narrow sense but all the other forms of grotesque realism degrade, bring down to earth, turn their subject into flesh." -Rabelais and His World, p. 688 from Lit Theory

How can grotesque realism and medieval parody by seen in this poem by Jonathan Swift?

From the literary theory, the author of Rabelais and His World, Mikhail Bakhtin, distinguishes between modern parody and medieval parody. He makes the claim that the foundation of medieval parody is essentially light-hearted and possess a positive character. From the quote above, he defines modern parody as narrow, and having "a solely negative character" (p. 688). Grotesque realism is part of medieval parody, and greatly exaggerates aspects of the human body, which "turns their subject into flesh". While this may seem like a negative way to portray the human body, it is not done with the intention of scorning or shaming people, the point is to degrade things considered high or ideal. In this context, degrade has a more positive connotation, meaning that it is bringing the subject "down to earth".   

With this in mind, when the reader turns to A Beautiful Young Nymph Going To Bed, Jonathan Swift describes in great detail the bedtime ritual of a girl named Corinna. Having read this poem, I am compelled to think Corinna is anything but beautiful, rendering the title ironic and silly. From the excerpt above, one can see that before she sleeps, she is required to remove "plumpers" from her cheeks, detach her teeth from her gums, and pull out the rags from her bra that were supporting her breasts. This is just a snapshot of a lengthy list of things Corinna must do before bedtime. Swift's description is indeed grotesque, yet light-hearted which is conveyed through the poem's pleasant and musical meter and rhyme, staying true to the heart of medieval parody and grotesque realism.  

Distinctive Poetic Language in Shakespeare's Othello

"While practical speech facilitates access to information by making language as transparent as possible, poetic speech contorts and roughens up ordinary language and submits it to what Roman Jakobsen called 'organized violence,' and it is this roughening up of ordinary language into torturous 'formed speech' that makes poetry poetry rather than a weather report" (p. 4 from Literary Theory: An Anthology).

"To mourn a mischief that is past and gone 

Is the next way to draw new mischief on

What cannot be preserved, when fortune takes,

Patience her injury a mockery makes.

The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief;

He robs himself that spends a bootless grief" (Othello p. 20).

When I first read this particular passage in Shakespeare, I was piqued by it. Not only did this passage contain successive couplets and look like an Italian Octave, it was clear to me that it was a highly elegant way to say that acceptance of loss will end suffering. If you look at the first quote, essentially it tells us that poetic language warps speech in such a way that it "roughens up ordinary language" and is  not concerned with making language "as transparent as possible". Shakespeare simply could  have stated, "One must endure and happily accept loss if one desires to eliminate suffering" but that would not have been poetry. This is an example of formed speech. Shakespeare is not trying to give simple and quick access to the meaning in this passage; he is not attempting to inform the audience directly of pertinent information, he is using poetic language to express the concept of how one can eliminate suffering despite a loss.