While some of William Shakespeare's works have become so ingrained in popular culture as to be ubiquitous, others are rarely performed or read and are, in fact, largely ignored. Shakespeare's Othello, one of the former, and Titus Andronicus, one of the latter, are very different works in setting and style, but their subject matter is much more similar than it seems at first glance. The titular character of Othello is famously a Moor and generally depicted as black, despite debate over what exactly Shakespeare meant by "Moor". Titus Andronicus also features a Moorish character, Aaron, but his characterization is more reminiscent of Iago's wickedness than any of Othello's traits. The ten-year separation between the writing of the two plays appears to have brought about an abrupt change in Shakespeare's characterization of the Moor, but the impact this change has on the differing notions of race and otherness within both plays is immense complex. The characterization of Aaron in Titus Andronicus and Othello differ in notions of masculinity, inherent barbarism, and animalism, but both plays highlight the "otherness" of their Moorish characters. Furthermore, both plays have strangely warped timelines and durations, which, while most likely a simple coincidence, also contributes to Aaron and Othello's otherness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay While Titus Andronicus' Aaron and Othello are both certainly Moorish characters, what is meant by "Moorish" is not entirely clear. As Emily Bartels establishes in the introduction to her work “Making More of the Moor,” the term was used during the Renaissance interchangeably with a variety of other racially ambiguous words “to designate a figure from different parts or all of Africa (or beyond). ) who was black or Muslim, neither, or both” (434). Much of the early criticism of Othello denied that the character could be black (448) and must instead be Arab, but the racial epithets hurled at Othello focus on blackness; Iago refers to him as “an old black ram” (1.1.88). Aaron's skin color is also fixed throughout Titus Andronicus. He himself states that "he will have his soul as black as his face", while "a black and bad-looking fly" painfully reminds Mark and Titus of "the Empress's Moor", Aaron (3.1.204, 3.2.65- 66). . Both Aaron and the other characters in the play constantly call attention to skin color, but in Othello Iago is the instigator of almost all racial language (Bartels 447-48). Shakespeare's Moorish characters are both black, and skin color plays an important role in the larger question of power and where it lies. Titus Andronicus, the first of the two plays, depicts a much more strongly stereotyped black "barbarian" character in Aaron, who is unabashedly and undeniably evil, than in Othello. Aaron "is the only character in this play whose malignant otherness is consistently recognized and easily classified by everyone, including himself and his allies" (Bartels 442) and indeed his malignancy is virtually his only personality trait. Aaron, much like Othello's Iago, exemplifies the brooding villain, often revealing his plans to the audience through monologues or digressions. Joseph Porter notes Aaron's resemblance to Iago in his linguistic examination of the lyrics, "Vn Escalue More and Othello of Belleforest". He appears alone in 2.1 and recaps the action of the first act, later revealing his sexual intention to "go wild with" and "get high with [Tamora]", as soon asappointed empress of Rome (2.1.1-25). The obscenity of his jokes here is typical of his racially charged portrayal as a scheming, almost cartoonish villain for a modern audience. This almost cartoonish effect, however, is banished soon after when Aaron orders Demetrius and Chiron to "serve [their] lust, in the shadow of heaven's eye, / And enjoy Lavinia's treasure", i.e. rape and mutilate Titus' daughter (2.1.131-132). Aaron wreaks havoc on Rome and Titus Andronicus, but "that [he] had not done a thousand other [heinous deeds] / Even now [he] curses the day" (5.1.124-125). Titus Andronicus is a play that aims to subvert sympathies and eradicate normality, but in its portrayal of Aaron, it firmly cements a racial stereotype (Bartels 442). Shakespeare's initial portrayal of a Moorish character is one of undeniable and stereotypical barbarism and differs greatly from Othello, whose Moorish character is portrayed much more ambiguously. The barbarity is much less racially trenchant in Othello. Far from being a barbaric figure, Othello is cultured and worldly and woos Desdemona with tales of his travels. However, much of the critical discourse surrounding the play concerns the ease with which Othello is persuaded into "monstrous thoughts and actions," as Emily Bartels puts it (448). “The valiant Othello,” as the Duke of Venice calls him, tells such compelling stories of his life and travels that Desdemona “with eager ear / devours [his] speech” and “loved him for the dangers [he] had overcome” (1.3.48, 148-49, 166). This is not the image of a barbarous man, but Iago in his jealousy associates him with a devil (2.1.221), and therefore with barbarism. In private, Iago turns Brabantio and Roderigo against Othello using racial associations with devils and "black rams," but at court, where "at least [Othello's] martial skill takes precedence over race... Iago knows better than to demonize the Moro" (Bartels 448-449). Barbarism, here, is much less strongly associated with the Moorish character of the work than in Titus Andronicus. Furthermore, the idea that Othello has a certain inherent barbarity that facilitates Iago's persuasion is refuted by Iago himself, who admits that Othello "is of a free and open nature / That thinks men honest but they seem to be so" (2.1 .381-82). Although he states to Roderigo that "these Moors are changeable in their wills," implying Iago's belief in Othello's racial inferiority, Iago leverages Othello's seemingly trusting nature, weakening the already tenuous association between Moors and barbarism (1.3.339 ). The contrast between the brave general Othello and the man who so easily falls prey to Iago's deception draws attention to Othello's otherness (Bartels 448), but he is less overtly othered by simple barbarism, as Aaron is in Titus Andronicus. While similar to or perhaps simply a subcategory of barbarism, animalism is a separate trait associated with Moorish characters in both Othello and Titus Andronicus, and the language of animal traits merits separate examination. The animalistic language used in both plays is more similar to that of barbarism, but is still distinct. Joseph Porter engages with the language of bestial features in his article concerning the phrase “I took the circumcised dog by the throat”, present in Othello but not in Titus Andronicus, despite both works containing Moorish characters, for whom the epithet is legate applied, and that the epithet originates in Titus' original text (Porter 194). Despite this omission, the language of animalism is present elsewhere. As previously mentioned, Aaron is associated with "a black, bad-looking fly" that Marcus swats away, and Titus is enraged by this waste of life until Marcus remembers the Moor, aat which point Titus asks for a knife, intending to "injure him, / Flattering himself as if he were the Moor" (3.2.66-72). Furthermore, although the "circumcised dog" is absent in Titus Andronicus, Lucius compares Aaron to an "inhuman dog", as well as to a "ravenous tiger" (5.3.14, 5). Aaron's method of execution is also reminiscent of the animal kingdom; he is buried "breast deep in the earth", with his head emerging from the earth like a worm, until it dies of dehydration, starvation, or exposure (5.3.178-182). In animalism, as in barbarism, Aaron's association with these traits is somewhat simpler than Othello's, and he is a more obvious racial stereotype of a Moor. The language of bestial traits, like that of barbarism in Othello, is found largely in Iago's mouth, and typically in private or in digressions. As Joseph Porter notes in his short work concerning the original text of Titus Andronicus, words and phrases from this source filter into Shakespeare's Othello ten years later, particularly in the epithet “circumcised dog” (Porter 195). Aside from this particular line on which Porter focuses, Othello is compared to "an old black ram" and is accused of being willing "to be led tenderly by the nose / As asses are" (1.1.88, 2.1.383 -384). Iago, of course, utters both of these epithets. However, in the third act it could be said that Iago's words begin to creep towards Othello himself, that "I would rather be a toad / And live on the vapor of a prison / Than keep a corner in the thing I love / For others" . ' uses”, that is, Desdemona's love (3.3.274-277). Whether caused by association with Iago or not, Othello's move here to comparing himself to a toad is representative of his continued descent into the fever of jealousy. Iago's use of bestial and racial slurs in private, while typically frowned upon in court, helps turn other characters, such as Brabantio and Roderigo, against Othello (Bartels 449). Compared to the animalistic language of Titus Andronicus, it is significant that such speech is limited to Iago's private moments alone or with other specific characters, and its effect is to associate Othello less overtly with the animal while still using this association to favor his fall. -present in Shakespeare's works, as well as in Renaissance literature in general, is the obsession with cuckolding and masculinity, which obviously intersects with representations of race in Titus Andronicus. While Othello is perhaps more concerned with issues of sexuality and masculinity, as suspicions of adultery drive the plot, such issues are also present in Titus Andronicus. Unlike Othello, who is convinced he is a cuckold, Aaron cuckolds Titus. Tamora, with whom Aaron is having an adulterous affair, compares their illicit romance to that of Dido and Aeneas. She begs Aaron to lie with her amid the “yellowing noise” of the hunt going on in Act 2, Scene 3, as “the wandering prince and Dido once sported / When they were overtaken by a happy storm / And surrounded by counsel -cave” (2.3.20-24). Further evidence of Tamora's ties to Aaron comes with the birth of her son, which the nurse delivers to Aaron and describes as "a joyless matter, sad, black and painful /... loathsome as a toad" (4.2 .66-67) . The child, obviously, does not belong to Tamora's husband, Saturninus, but to Aaron. Although Aaron henceforth had little regard for human life, he kills the nurse and presumably the midwife to protect the life of his illegitimate son (4.2.140-167). In a twist somewhat incongruous with his previous characterization, Aaron spends the play's final act carrying his infant son. This image ofparent and child is commonly associated with femininity, somewhat reversing Aaron's hypermasculine and adulterous image. In Titus Andronicus, the one who betrays the emperor is himself feminized by the result of his own adultery, his son. Masculinity is, as with many of these traits, much more complex in Othello. Iago plays on Othello's fear of being betrayed, which is the essential driving force of the plot. Sexuality, and by extension masculinity, in Othello is a matter of power, just as race is also a matter of power (Bartels 447). Iago convinces Othello that he is a cuckold, but at the same time Iago's private speech about Othello is hypersexualized, part of the Moorish stereotype that Iago attributes to Othello. Iago is convinced that “between [his] sheets / [Othello] has done [Iago's] office,” that is, he has had extramarital relations with Iago's wife, Emilia (2.1.169-170). This, combined with the fact that Othello chose Cassio as his lieutenant, offending Iago's masculinity, led him to "hate the Moor" (2.1.168). Iago's insecure masculinity leads him to prey on Othello's equally insecure masculinity, of which Iago is well aware. Othello woos Desdemona with his worldliness and tales of his travels, not with "beauty in favor, sympathy for years, manners and beauties, all things in which the Moor is defective," according to Iago (2.1.223-225). Iago is not the only character obsessed with Othello's sexuality and masculinity; Brabantio, Desdemona's father, is also deeply concerned about Othello's sexual conduct. He states that Othello must have Desdemona "in chains of magic... bound" for her to marry him (1.2.66) and is indignant at the idea that she has lost her virginity to Othello, even though he is her lawful husband. Masculinity, it seems, is a toxic cycle. Iago perceives a threat to his masculinity and power and in turn convinces both Brabantio and Othello of the threats to their power, Brabantio of the threat to his daughter and Othello that to his wife. Finally, and more tangentially, the representation of the passage of time in both Othello and Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, while perhaps merely coincidental, contributes to the Moor's otherness. Othello's “double time patterns” are well known (Cohen 2096). Literally, the events of the play take place in a matter of days and Othello kills his wife less than a week after their wedding, but also accuses her of a long-standing affair with Cassio, which is impossible (2096). Likewise, the time frame of Titus Andronicus is ambiguous. Presumably Titus returns from the Gothic war with Tamora and Aaron in tow and on the same day Tamora marries Saturninus, becoming empress. Titus then asks that Saturninus join him in the hunt if “tomorrow… it shall please [Saturninus] / To hunt the panther and the deer with [him]” (1.1.488-490). The next day's action includes the murders of Bassianus, Quintus, and Marcius, as well as the rape and mutilation of Lavinia. This day is presumably also the day of the conception of Aaron and Tamora's illegitimate child, as the audience sees their sexual banter during the hunt (2.1-3). There is no indication that Tamora was pregnant before this scene, yet the baby appears to be born a few days later (4.2). The simplest explanation would be that there is a big time jump from Act 3, Scene 1 to Act 3, Scene 2, but it wouldn't make much sense for the action of this and subsequent scenes to conveniently take place nine months later. In 4.1, for example, Marcus asks Lavinia to reveal the identity of her attackers by writing in the sand "without the aid of any hand," using her mouth and a stick (4.1.70). This is a fairly simple concept, one that probably wouldn't take nine months to come up with. The gestation period of the child of.