Explore how Shakespeare treats the theme of identity in Othello. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors and ideas from your critical reading.

Othello's identity is shown strongly through his race. In the Jacobean era, it was believed that "too many [had] entered the realm". As a result, racism was rampant in the world. Shakespeare presents identity through this, and through how others influence his perception of himself. Othello is strongly referred to as the "Moor" throughout the play. This repetition may be Shakespeare inferring how ones races influences people's interpretation of them, and this becomes their identity. Although "Moor" is derogatory in nature, Othello seems to accept this label. Evidence of this can be seen where Iago says that Desdemona should have married someone of her own "clime and complexion", and Othello seems to concur, as seen where he says "for I am black". Paring "clime" and "complexion" together may show that they are not mutually exclusive, and that if ones identity is that of a "Moor", then they too identify as one of a low "clime" and "degree". Many in Jacobean England believed that blacks were barbaric, therefore if ones identity was that of someone black, they also identified with this stereotype. It is seen that Othello's own identity is influenced by those around him. He describes his blackness as "soot", therefore it may be said that others' identification of Othello as black has influenced his own self identity. Loomba describes Othello as a "total outsider". It can be argued that this is indeed true. While white people in the play receive labels such as "gentle" in Desdemona's case and "honest" in Iago's, Othello is referred to as an "old black ram" or a "Moor". Blacks were very much "outsider[s]", and their self identity, like Othello's, reflected this. However, Ide argues that "Othello's quest is for social acceptance", which can be seen by him arguably subverting this identity created for him by the society in which he lives, and marrying Desdemona. Perhaps Othello's identity does not impact his ability to strive for "social acceptance". Nonetheless, it must be argued that Shakespeare, through Othello's race, presents identity as something shaped and influenced by others.