Light and Delight: The Return of the Repressed in Othello, Titus Andronicus, and The Tempest

Abstract

The frequent appearance of black characters on the early modern English stage has led critics to theorize blackness as a marker of alterity that consolidates early modern England's emerging national identity. However, by examining the "play of language" in plays like Othello and The Tempest, this paper discusses how such representations give expression to repressed impulses which threaten the stability of English identity based on complexion.