Racism in Othello

While reading the beginning part of this play, it struck me that this play took place a long time ago. I am not completely sure how a black man came to be so highly ranked as a soldier in a time of such extreme racism in the world as a whole. Just recently, the playing field has begun to level, so how this man came to be so highly respected fascinates me. Of course, the racist remarks are quite pronounced from the beginning. These mostly came from Iago and Brabantio. In Act 1, Scene 1, Iago says, "Even now, now, very now, an old black ram Is tupping your white ewe." By referring to Othello as a ram, Iago is dehumanizing Othello, as was common practice at the time toward black people. Looking back now, it is clear that this was wrong and that, in reality, Othello was far more intelligent and human than the other men (except Cassio) of the story. Reading it now is as if it came from another world.