“‘Not a Moor Exactly’: Shakespeare, Serial, and Modern Constructions of Race.”

Corredera, Vanessa. “‘Not a Moor Exactly’: Shakespeare, Serial, and Modern Constructions of Race.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 67, no. 1, Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 30–50, http://doi.org/10.1353/shq.2016.0009. Accessed 21 July 2021.

Corredera argues that when teaching Shakespeare’s plays, specifically Othello, educators should use the term race when discussing early modern conceptions of Otherness. Although scientific understanding of race did not emerge until the 17th century, Elizabethans established Otherness through markers such as religion, skin color, locale, and exoticism. Corredera cites the work of other early modern scholars who agree that constructions of race today are no more stable than they were during the Renaissance, and not necessarily grounded in biology: factors such as language, culture, religion, appearance, and ethnicity still influence contemporary ideas of race (Corredera 30-32). To illustrate, Corredera points to the podcast Serial: This American Crime, which followed the trial of Pakistani American teenager Adnan Syed, convicted of murdering his Korean girlfriend. Journalist and host Sarah Koenig confused religion with race when she said authorities were not motivated by “anti-Muslim feeling, by racism” (Corredera 38). Jury members struggled to define Syed’s Otherness, mistakenly referring to his “Arabic” culture (Pakistanis are not Arabs), and associating him with stereotypes of “how they treat their women” “over there” – even though defendant and jurors all lived in Baltimore, sharing the same culture (Corredera 39-40). Even for informed and educated people, facets of identity outside of biology such as religion and ethnicity still inform conceptions of the Other, making it vital to recognize race in Shakespeare’s works (Corredera 41-45).

--Jess Fraser

“Desdemona and the Role of Women in the Antebellum North”

Kahn, Edward. “Desdemona and the Role of Women in the Antebellum North.” Theatre Journal, vol. 60, no. 2, 2008, pp. 235–255. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25070199. Accessed 26 June 2021.

Kahn argues that the varied interpretations of Desdemona’s character during the post-civil war period was a reflection of Northern culture.  This time period reflected a shift in attitudes about race and sex, and Desdemona became a “cultural icon” for many men and women (235). The main discussion topics took on three main forms: Desdemona as the virtuous woman who is the expert on human emotions, as the sensible woman reflected the “cult of domesticity”, or as a reflection of the women’s abolitionist movement (251). Kahn examines performances during this time period to support his analysis, but spends much time examining the writings of two critics: John Quincy Adams and Norman Hudson. Adams maintains that Desdemona is a “wonton figure” who betrays “her father, her family, her sex, and her country” (245). In addition, Adams spends time critiquing interracial marriage. In contrast, Hudson focuses on the women’s movement and separates Desdemona from it while also arguing for female passivity (251).  The article examines arguments for and against the varying portrayals of Desdemona but maintains that she was a fluid figure that was used to justify a political point of view.

-Tracie Yule