Posts of Othello

It is interesting how these advertisements for Othello portray such different images of the play. In the two with photographs of actual people, they seem to most emphasize the violence against a white woman by a black man. The woman doesn't look happy in either. Yet another advertisement has silhouettes of black and white arms holding hands, as if it is a loving relationship. The other three images just show one person. The two close ups of heads (middle top and lower left) seem to show a conflict over someone's race -- one shows a brown faceless chocolate shell of a head cracked open to reveal a white inside; the other shows an black man whose torso is half black and half white clothed. And finally, the American Globe Theatre poster just shows a silhouette of a figure who could be black but could just be in shadow, peeking out from a curtain.

It seems clear from most of these that race is a big part of Othello. It also seems like an interracial relationship is a big part of the play, but it isn't clear if it is a romantic or abusive one. In terms of how these make me feel, the two photograph-based posters make me uncomfortable because of the man's hand around the woman's neck. The top middle one, with the cracked chocolate head, seems like it may be kind of racist because it compares a brown-skinned human being to food.