Othello is introduced to us by the author as the greatest army general in Venice. He is courageous, intelligent and honorable. Nevertheless, his nickname makes us think of him as of an uncultured, crude and coarse creature. In fact, the only problem is that, because he was born in Muslim region, he has got black skin. For this reason his marriage to beautiful Desdemona, the daughter of a prominent Venetian, provokes racial slurs against him.
Unfortunately, even though in the past many people stood up for equality and laid down their lives to stop racism and discrimination, it still occurs in some countries, since people still believe in supposed superiority of one group over another. They categorize others by race and ethnicity, and the truth is that for many people it is hard to look beyond that even if they try.
For this reason you should be brave if your beloved one differs in some way from others. Desdemona marries Othello well aware the problems his color, cultural background and advanced age will arouse eventually. But she never doubts in her love for him. Even when her own father speaks out against the Moor, she never allows the bigotry of others to affect her.
Though such mixed marriages would not surprise anyone nowadays, they still challenge both spouses. The problems of mixed marriages include resistance from friends, family and society. Family members may feel as though the person is not embracing his or her culture or religion. Some relatives may disown the person altogether, while fathers have commonly disowned their daughters for marrying outside their race or religion.
Indeed, racism must be dismissed from our life and minds, and our best weapons against racism are our common sense and our unity against racist violence and exploitation.