Othello is an "outsider" in a very sophisticated society. What elements of class and race appear in the play? How confident is Othello that he can be accepted by this elitist society? Does he truly believe that he is "worthy" of Desdemona's love? Could a lack of self-confidence contribute to his believing Iago's lies about Desdemona? .
Response.
Othello is a Moor, but he has an extreme self-confidence, because he is a very successful warrior. The military identity of him is important and gives him a great confidence. This is what makes him acceptable by elite society, because he is really a great soldier. .
Iago always insults Othello because of his being Moor: "If she had been blest, she would never loved the Moor" (Act II, Scene I).
Desdemona's father Brabantio also gets extremely sad about his daughter's escape to Moor. He blames Othello for using magic which is result of racial stereotyping: "Are we turn'd Turks, and to ourselves do that Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites?" (Othello, Scene III, Act I).
Barbarian Turks supposed to be not fight to each others, but the stereotype is that Turks fight to each other: "Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk" (last act, last speech of Othello).
Even Othello seems as if he has self-confidence; he is inside of him not really confident about himself. It can be understood when he believes what Iago tells him about Desdemona and Cassio. First of all he gets suspicious about the faithfulness of Desdemona to him. He believed in her from the beginning why now he doubts? Iago just brings out Othello's inner voice about the self-confidence. .
From the beginning, it is seen that Othello thinks that Desdemona does worth to his love and then as Iago fulfills his mind with doubts of being cuckolded, he begins to think Desdemon does not worth and he also does not worth a white high class woman's love. Iago says she tried Othello since he was different in Venice.